New Season Begins for Boys’ Basketball

Bulldogs ready to defend their title starting with the Nov. 28 home game vs. Woodford Co.

Layne Robinson, Staff Reporter|November 28, 2016

Dunbar basketball fans support in the student section.
Sydney Carter
Dunbar basketball fans Jimmy Rutherford, Maddie Carter and Luke Florence offer their support from the student section at Rupp Arena during last year’s state tournament.

 

Last season, the PLD Boys’ Basketball team left Dunbar and the state of Kentucky with a legacy not easily forgotten. Led by the head Coach Scott Chalk, the team won the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA 99th Annual Boys’ Sweet Sixteen championship, a victory that brought the Dunbar community closer together.

The Dog Pound, PLD’s lively student section, gathered at Rupp Arena for the tournament, and displayed a sense of unity that many students at Dunbar have said they had never felt before. Now the team is beginning the 2016-2017 basketball season, and while fans are excited for another season of Bulldog madness, the team has its fair share of work that needs to be done.

After losing five seniors from last year’s roster, returning junior Tre Homer agreed that the team has a lot to live up to in this coming season. “We just have to go out and play with the same drive,” he said.

Along with Homer, senior Dontell Brown said that his goal is another state championship, and he said he’s ready to step up. “I will play a bigger role,” he said, “but I’ll also be a leader.”

2016-2017 Boys Basketball
Date Opponent Result
Mon, Nov 28 Woodford County 81-42 W
Thu, Dec 01 Bryan Station 73-52 W
Sat, Dec 03 Jemison, AL 54-67 L
Tue, Dec 06 Lafayette 85-57 (Story) W
Fri, Dec 09 Lexington Catho 79-62 W
Tue, Dec 13 Lexington Chris 66-64 (Story) W
Fri, Dec 16 Ballard 58-67 L
Sun, Dec 18 Doss 45-48 L
Mon, Dec 19 Lee 88-79 W
Tue, Dec 27 Russellville 76-67 W
Wed, Dec 28 Cooper 55-57 L
Thu, Dec 29 Fayette County, 83-77 W
Fri, Dec 30 Perry County Ce 56-54 W
Tue, Jan 03 Madison Central 58-53 W
Fri, Jan 06 Lexington Chris 79-71 W
Tue, Jan 10 Tates Creek 85-74 W
Thu, Jan 12 Henry Clay 77-59 W
Sat, Jan 14 Bowling Green 58-75 L
Thu, Jan 19 Lexington Catho 52-53 L
Tue, Jan 24 Lafayette 83-65 W
Thu, Jan 26 Bryan Station 74-69 W
Sat, Jan 28 Waggner 69-65 W
Wed, Feb 01 Taylor County 80-63 W
Fri, Feb 03 Tates Creek 87-54 W
Thu, Feb 09 Henry Clay 97-74 W
Sat, Feb 11 Covington Catho 81-62 W
Tue, Feb 14 West Jessamine 85-86 L
Thu, Feb 16 Scott County 58-88 (Story) L
Tue, Feb 21 Lexington Chris 64-68 L

Returning senior and tournament MVP Taveion Hollingsworth said he loved every minute of the praise the team received after the championship win, but he knows that the returning team members have to get back to business.

“I don’t feel pressured,” said Hollingsworth. “I know people are coming at us hard because we won state this past year, but we just have to work harder.”

Coach Chalk said that the energy of the team is positive. “They spent most of last season ranked top five in the state,” he said, “so right now they’re all feeling pretty good.

He added, though, that this year’s team has to stay focused. “The biggest thing that we lost last year, more than just talent and players and skills, was the experience that last year’s seniors had,” he said. “It brought out their competitiveness and made them understand what it took to win. They knew how to care and what to do to get where they wanted, and that’s something that this next group has got to [do].”

Tonight’s home against Woodford County at 7:30 p.m. opens the season.