Bulldogs pick up three more wins, girls improving

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

— The Bulldogs picked up three more conference wins for a league record of 5-1.

Decatur began the week with a 58-41 victory over the Mountainburg Dragons on Tuesday.

“Its the first time all year we played the kind of defense we need to win the championship,” said head basketball coach and athletic director John Unger.

The Bulldogs were ahead 24-22 at half time and went on to outscore Mountainburg 34-14 in the second half.

The team scored a run of 10 points, with three three-point shots by senior Evan Owens, Unger said.

“Once that run hit Mountainburg, our guys pounded on them and took advantage of their mistakes,” he said.

Decatur sophomore Mario Urquidi led the scoring with 21 points and 11 rebounds, followed by senior Andrew Harris and Owens, who both scored 12 points.

“That was a real defining moment of what we can do. What we’re capable of. To outscore someone attheir place and their crowd in a half,” Unger said.

The Bulldogs went on to defeat the Leftwich (Magazine) Rattlers 47-26 at a home game on Thursday.

Decatur came out ready to play and put on the defensive pressure, according to Unger.

“We beat them in every aspect, rebounds, less turnovers, more assists, steals,” Unger said.

The Bulldogs did a good job of pushing the tempo, which the Rattlers weren’t accustomed to and everyone on the team got to play during the game, Unger said.

Sophomore Mario Urquidi led the scoring with 13 points and six bounds, followed by senior Andrew Harris with seven points and 11 rebounds.

“They did a good job of playing at home. They took a fast lead in the game and held it. Last year they would have let them back in the game but this year they kept pushing it,” Unger said.

On Friday, the Bulldogs beat the Eureka Springs Highlanders 42-35 at home.

The Bulldogs were ahead 16-12 at half time, but the Highlanders scored 12 points in the third quarter to pull ahead 24-23.

Decatur scored 19 points to Eureka’s 11 in the fourth quarter for a victory.

“We’re learning to take adversity and improving in every aspect of the game,” coach John Unger said.

Decatur senior Andrew Harris played both offense and defense well, and sophomore Terry Kell played well on defense.

“It was a tough game. Eureka was a well coached team with good players,” Unger said.

While sophomore Mario Urquidi didn’t shoot as well as usual during the game, the team played a great offense. Sophomore Terry Kell and senior Dakota Pitcher helped the team win, Unger said.

Harris led the team in scoring with 13 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Victor Urquidi also played a good game with eight rebounds, Unger said.

The Bulldogs are currently leading their conference, but they face eight more conference games over the next four weeks, Unger said.

This week the Bulldogs will face the Leftwich Rattlers at a game in Magazine on Tuesday, after press time, followed by a game against Johnson County Westside in Coal Hill on Friday.

Lady Bulldogs

The Lady Bulldogs came close to a win with a score of 38-36 against the Eureka Springs Highlanders at a home game on Friday.

Decatur played well defensively, according to coach Bill Niven. The team had a lot of chances to win and a lot of chances to lose, he said.

Decatur’s Miranda Jackson led the scoring for the team with 17 points and Hannah Ramsey alsoplayed well. Most of the players did fine and are showing a lot of improvement, Niven said.

Eureka Springs’ Samantha Mueller scored 11 points for the Highlanders.

The Bulldogs defensive game is ahead of their offense, where they are still developing their skills, Niven said.

“The girls are playing hard. Much, much better than last year,” he said.

The Lady Bulldogs lostto Mountainburg and Magazine, the top two teams in their conference, earlier in the week.

“I’m pleased with them. We still make too many mistakes and don’t protect the ball as well as we should, but we’re getting better at it,” Niven said.

The Lady Bulldogs will face the Leftwich (Magazine) Rattlers at Magazine after press time on Tuesday night. They will face Johnson County Westside in Coal Hill on Friday.

Sports, Pages 11 on 01/16/2013