Dunham tames Country Day to reach semifinals of Sugar Bowl Tournament

WESTWEGO – The tide has turned.

With due respect to Episcopal and Riverside, Dunham now has the upper hand on Country Day and is the team to beat in Division III basketball.

The defending state champion Tigers put their sizeable talent on full display in convincing 71-53 victory over the Cajuns in the quarterfinals of the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Basketball Classic National Bracket Thursday night at the Alario Center.

In 2017, Country Day took apart Dunham 70-41 for the Division III state championship.

Last year, Dunham avenged the defeat with a thrilling 47-46 victory over Country Day in the semifinals. Dunham entered the game first in the latest Division III power rankings while Country Day is third with Episcopal second.

This time around, the Tigers were the better team from start to finish.

Country Day jumped out quickly, taking a 7-3 lead and led 11-8 before Dunham got to work, going on a 6-0 run. The Tigers would never trail again.

Dunham led 21-18 after one quarter before an 11-0 run in the second quarter expanded the lead to 40-28 by halftime. The dominance continued as the Tigers outscored Country Day 18-9 in the third quarter to grab a commanding 58-37 lead going to the final quarter.

The Tigers displayed the kind of balance needed to win another state title with five players finishing in double figures. Salle Wilson led the way with 15 points while Ralph Davenport finished with 14. Dejean Woods, Carlos Stewart and Jordan Wright each had 12 points with Stewart adding seven rebounds.

Christian Becnel and Kaleb Jenkins each turned in double-doubles for the Cajuns. Becnel had 18 points and 10 rebounds while Jenkins finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Justin Ibieta added 12 points.

Dunham advances to the semifinals to take on Sophie B. Wright at 7 pm Friday night.

FINAL
Dunham 21 19 18 13 71
Country Day 18 10 9 16 53

Scoring
Dunham
Salle Wilson 15, Ralph Davenport 14, Dejean Woods 12, Carlos Stewart 12, Jordan Wright 12

Country Day
Christian Becnel 18, Justin Ibieta 12, Kaleb Jenkins 12, Hartson Moss 6, Xane Hunter 3, Thomas Polinard 2

Rebounds
Dunham 22, Country Day 32

Turnovers
Dunham 7, Country Day 15