DECATUR — The Decatur girls ended their season at home against Fort Smith Union Christian.
The Fort Smith Union Christian senior scored a game-high 22 points, and the Lady Eagles rebounded from a 10-point deficit to advance in the 2A-4 District Tournament with a 41-36 win over Decatur on Feb. 16.
Decatur came out hot from the floor behind the scoring of Sammy Thompson and Kimmy Nelson to take a 26-16 lead to start the third quarter. Thompson led Decatur with 12 points and Nelson, who played all 32 minutes, scored 11.
It was Nelson’s two free throws that set the 10-point margin. It also set a tone for the Lady Bulldogs (4-18), who did not hit a field goal for an almost 10-minute span.
Union turned up the defensive pressure and its trapping defense forced Decatur into numerous turnovers. With Mikula scoring eight points in the third quarter, the Lady Eagles closed within 26-25. Nelson’s two free throws at the end of the third quarter gave Decatur a 28-25 lead.
“We went cold and their pressure caused us to rush our shots,” Decatur coach Donnie Smith said. “Their pressure just freaked us out. And our girls got fatigued.”
Mikula’s driving layup early in the fourth quarter finally put Union on top, and Jordan Bryan’s 3-pointer gave the Lady Eagles the lead for good.
The game was a rematch of the season finale, which Decatur won. Union was without two starters in that game and their presence was a big difference on Tuesday.
Sports, Pages 8 on 02/24/2010