William Penn's Kelvin Parker sails to the basket against Dallastown's Judd Gemmill on Wednesday night. Parker sank 13 points as the visiting Bearcats beat the Wildcats, 57-49. (Daily Record/Sunday News -- Bil Bowden)

York, PA - Their eyes met, and Kelvin Parker and Zach Newby both flashed broad grins.

The two William Penn seniors could finally breathe easy.

Seconds earlier, Newby's booming, one-handed dunk off a Parker assist had locked up the Bearcats' 57-49 win at Dallastown on Wednesday. Now the two met near mid-court during the game's last meaningless seconds, finally able to savor this division-clinching win.

"It was hard to keep my emotions down throughout the game, because we went back-and-forth, basket for basket," Newby said. "When I got the dunk at the end, it just felt too good."

With that slam, William Penn put away a tense, grind-it-out affair between YAIAA Division I's two titans. Dallastown (16-3, 11-2) tied the game twice in the third quarter, and trailed by five points or fewer nearly the entire fourth.

But as they have all season, the Bearcats (19-1, 13-0) made enough plays at the end, and locked up at least a share of their third straight Division I title.

"We talked about in the locker room (at halftime) that this is how every postseason game is going to be. Every possession counts," William Penn coach Troy Sowers said. "We've been here before."

It was fitting that Newby hammered home the clincher. The 6-foot-6 forward scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He's averaging a double-double this season, despite playing the last two weeks with a broken big left toe.

"As the game started, I wasn't as worried about my toe," Newby said. "I just went out and played."

Dejian Williams added 14 for William Penn, while Kelvin Parker pitched in 13 points (11 in the second half) and 13 rebounds.

Newby scored 11 in the first quarter alone, helping William Penn scream out to a 23-9 lead. The Bearcats transition game seemed to be in full flow.

"When you're playing the No. 1 team in the district, the No. 1 team in the county, you can't let 23 points get scored on you in the first quarter," Dallastown coach Troy Smeltzer said.

But the Wildcats countered behind Four McGlynn, the YAIAA's leading scorer this season. The senior guard finished with 19 points, and became the program's all-time leading boys' scorer on his 3-pointer with 25.3 seconds left in the first quarter. McGlynn passed 1976 graduate Bill Rutecki's record of 1,616 points, and Rutecki was on hand to present McGlynn with the game ball.

The game seemed to slow down after that. William Penn managed one field goal and four points in the second quarter as Dallastown worked its way back.

"When we came out in the second quarter, we talked about getting two guards back on every single shot," Smeltzer said. "We limited their transitions,

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    • which forced them back out into their half-court set."

    Dallastown rode that momentum into the third quarter, and tied the game at 29 thanks to six straight points from forward Manny Mossengo. The junior finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

    And while William Penn never trailed, it also could never quite relax.

    Not until that dunk, at least.

    After a Collin Smith free throw, which pushed William Penn's lead to 53-49 with 47.9 seconds left, and a Dallastown turnover, the Bearcats transitioned the other way. Parker fired a pass to Newby, who slammed over a leaping Mossengo.

    "This was probably the most important game we played, clinching the division championship," Newby said. "We just want to keep winning, get that county championship next."

    jclayton@ydr.com; 771-2045

    WILLIAM PENN (57)
       Davis 0 2-2 2, Dejian Williams 6 1-2 14, Smith 2 1-2 5, Kelvin Parker 5 2-6 13, Zach Newby 6 7-10 19, T. Parker 1 2-2 4, Thompson 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 15-24 57.
    DALLASTOWN (49)
       Gemmill 1 0-0 2, Four McGlynn 7 4-4 19, Small 0 2-2 2, Ebersole 1 0-0 2, Thomas 1 0-0 3, Reinalda 2 0-0 5, Manny Mossengo 6 2-4 14, Kline 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 8-10 49.
    William Penn  23  4  15  15 -- 57
    Dallastown  14  9  12  14 -- 49

       3-point goals -- William Penn 2 (Williams, K. Parker); Dallastown 3 (McGlynn, Thomas, Reinalda).
       J.V. score -- Dallastown 53, William Penn 35