The relentless defense that has long been the trademark of the storied Dunbar boys basketball team was more than doing its share in Saturday’s Class 2A state quarterfinal against visiting C. Milton Wright.

And when the Poets were in dire need of a basket in the fourth quarter, DaJohn Ellis was up for the moment.

His runner in the paint — the home team’s first points of the fourth quarter after C. Milton Wright was able to draw even — with 3:47 to play started a 7-0 run that lifted the Poets to a 50-47 win over the Mustangs.

Dunbar, which has won a Maryland-best 16 state titles, moves on to the semifinal round, which will take place Tuesday and Wednesday at yet to be determined regional sites. The Poets (23-2) are two wins away from their first title since 2018.

C. Milton Wright, which got a game-high 18 points from guard Jordan Ross, finishes the season with a 15-9 record.

Dunbar’s pressure defense — the Mustangs didn’t make their first field goal of the second half until there was 4:07 to play in the game — and the late offensive spurt proved the difference Saturday. The Poets came into the game with added motivation after C. Milton Wright beat them, 49-45, in last year’s quarterfinal round.

“It’s always defense first,” Dunbar first-year coach Donte Pretlow said. “We got guys that can shoot the ball pretty well, but when the shots aren’t falling, they think it’s the end of the world. I tell them, ‘You make up for that playing defense.’ ”

Leading 39-32 going into the fourth quarter, the Mustangs, whose only third-quarter points came via six free throws, made it a game with their own fine defense and five more makes at the free-throw line. When senior forward Dylan Sander finished a drive with 4:07 to play, the Mustangs had tied the game at 39.

Enter Ellis.

He worked is way in the paint and scored from 6 feet to give the Poets the lead back with 3:47 to play.

“It was big. I saw my teammates weren’t open, so I knew I had to make a play. I went around around a defender and got a bucket,” he said. “Two more [wins] to go. They doubted us, but we’re here and on our way.”

Seconds later, Khalil Montgomery turned a midcourt steal into a layup. Ellis followed with a 3-pointer with just under three minutes left that made it 46-39, and Montgomery secured the win with two free throws that made it 50-43 with 24 seconds to go.

“We owed them from last year and needed that dub,” Montgomery said. “It was hard, but we just wanted it more and it was a team effort.”

Three Poets reached double figures led by Montgomery’s 12 points, followed by 11 each from Ellis and Todd Taylor.

Dunbar’s extended defense was particularly evident at the start of each half. The Poets jumped out to a 10-2 lead and took a 19-8 advantage into the second quarter. Behind Ellis, who scored eight points in the second quarter, the Poets needed a last-second basket from Taylor to take a 28-26 halftime lead.

Incredibly, the Mustangs were able to stay close despite not making a second-half field goal until Sander tied the game at 39 midway through the fourth quarter.

“We knew how it would be coming into the game and we had to really control the turnovers and there were stretches in the game where it got away from us. Dunbar was able to capitalize, so you got to give them credit,” C. Milton Wright first-year coach Gary Neal said. “Their stye was more imposing than ours was today, and the scoreboard reflected it.”

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C.M. Wright: 8-18-6-15 — 47

Dunbar: 19-9-11-12 — 50

CMW — D. Sander 13, Ashman 10, Clarke 3, Ross 18, Lauderdale 3

D — Collins 4, Kh. Montgomery 12, Ellis 11, To. Taylor 11, Ka. Montgomery 5, Battle 4, Cooper 3