DECATUR -- In their last home game of 2014, the Decatur Bulldog senior boys played Oaks (Okla.) Mission on Dec. 16 at the Dawg Pound in Decatur. This was the second time this season the teams played each other.
The Bulldogs first played Oaks Nov. 20 in their first game of the 2014-15 season. In that match up, the Warriors kept up with the Bulldogs, losing by only three points, 39 to 36. It was a completely different story when Oaks traveled to Decatur on Dec. 16.
In the week before the Dec. 16 game, head basketball coach John Unger decided to change his game plan. His new strategy was to run a full-court-pressure defense. By deploying this defensive style, Unger increased the tempo of the game, hoping to wear out his opponent early.
"In the Oaks game, we pressured them full-court, which led to a 20-point lead at half time," Unger said.
In fact, Decatur controlled the entire first half, leading by 15 at the end of the first period. The Dogs built that lead to 20 by the half.
During the third quarter, Decatur kept the pressure on Oaks and maintained that 20-point lead throughout much of the second half. This allowed Unger to give his entire bench a chance to play while working out any bugs in his new strategies.
In the end, the Bulldogs prevailed, overwhelming the Warriors, 56 to 40.
"I wanted to give the younger guys a little more experience," Unger said. "I was really impressed with the way we came out. We just dominated them from the beginning."
Leading scorers for the Decatur Bulldogs were Mario Urquidi, with 22 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Meng Vang, who had 15 points with 3 rebounds. Victor Urquidi had 10 points with 3 rebounds.
"Mario and Meng did a real good job for us playing down low," Unger said. "Victor also did well for us in the game. The difference in this game, as opposed to the first one, is that we had Meng and Victor in this one."
Other Bulldogs in scoring range: Pheng Lee, 6 points and 4 rebounds; Ryan Shaffer, 2 points; Jason Porter, 1 point and 2 rebounds.
The Bulldogs senior boys and girls travel to Coal Hill to take on the JC West Side Eagles in their conference openers.
Sports on 12/24/2014