Dunbar has been on the road for six straight, but on Monday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Bard Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Dunbar will be strutting in after a win while the Falcons will be coming in after a defeat.
Last Monday, Dunbar faced the Bulldogs in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Dunbar narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Bulldogs 52-49. The score was all tied up 24-24 at the break, but Dunbar was the better team in the second half.
Dunbar had a senior duo take command as Jordan Russell dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds and D'Mitric Starke scored 11 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Phillip Crowell was another key contributor, scoring six points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Bard's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their ninth straight defeat. They took a hard 55-38 fall against Eastern.
Despite their loss, Bard saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Andre Wright, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and three blocks, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of LaMardre Anderson-Ward, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds.
Bard struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. They are winless (0-6) when they can't control their own glass like that.
Dunbar's win bumped their record up to 11-9. As for Bard, they dropped their record down to 3-19 with that defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road.
Monday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Dunbar haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 8.2 turnovers per game. It's a different story for Bard, though, as they've been averaging 20 turnovers per game. Given Dunbar's sizable advantage in that area, the Falcons will need to find a way to close that gap.
Dunbar suffered a grim 62-38 defeat to the Falcons when the teams last played back in January of 2023. Can Dunbar avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
