DECATUR -- With regular season winding down and playoffs looming on the horizon, the Decatur Bulldog senior boys chalked up another victory on the road Feb. 7 against the Mountainburg Dragons. The final score was 55 to 46.
Decatur is currently 8 and 2 in conference play and 10 and 8 overall.
"This win puts us in a great position to make a run at the conference championship, and that is what the guys have worked towards all year," John Unger, Decatur boys' basketball coach, said. "We strive for championships and we talk about championships and we work towards championships. This group is a joy to coach and we are looking forward to a great finish to our season."
This puts the Bulldogs in the position of taking over first place in the conference heading into the district tournament on Feb. 17-22 in Eureka Springs, provided they beat Eureka Springs at home on Feb. 11.
"We controlled the tempo of the game tonight," Unger said. "Our guys came out ready to compete and we pushed the tempo and built an early lead and never let up. Our bench played a great game for us tonight and contributed 14 points and many big rebounds. I thought we did a good job of playing within ourselves and taking control of the game early."
Leading scorers for the Bulldogs were Meng Vang with 18, Allen Castaneda with 11 and Mario Urquidi with 10. Other players scoring points included Pheng Lee and Victor Urquidi, both with 6, and Terry Kell with 4.
The senior boys started the season very sluggish, losing more games than winning. It looked as though they would never make district, much less state playoffs. Then came the defeat on the road against Hackett on Jan. 10.
Jason Porter, assistant basketball coach, recalls: "Coach Unger sat the team down and showed them the film of the Hackett game. He stopped the film at one segment, rewound it and played it again and again. He looked at the boys and said, 'Here is where you played like a team!' That was the turning point for the senior boys."
From that point the Decatur Bulldog senior boys began to win game after game. The team today is completely different from the one at the first part of the season. They have united behind the leadership and hard-driving play of Mario and Victor Urquidi. Along with Meng Vang, Pheng Lee, Matt Lee, Allen Castaneda, Trey Kell, Kyle Shaffer and Terry Kell (to name a few), the Bulldogs look like the championship team they are destined to become.
"We had guys step up tonight that normally are great role players but had to contribute more tonight so we could win the game," Unger stated. "Our team is really coming together at the right time. These guys work so hard and play with such passion."
Other results
In other Bulldog basketball play: In the senior girls' game, Decatur lost to Mountainburg, 61 to 21.
The junior high girls played Mountainburg at home Feb. 6. They were defeated by the Dragons, 39 to 4.
The junior high boys also played Mountainburg at home. In a hard fought game, the Dragons defeated the Bulldogs, 24 to 20.
To find out when and where all the Decatur Bulldogs basketball teams play next, go to www.decatursd.com/athletics.
Sports on 02/12/2014