DECATUR -- It was a bittersweet week for the Decatur Bulldogs senior varsity boys as they close in on regional tournament time. The senior varsity easily defeated the Magazine Rattlers while breaking their four game winning streak with a loss to Johnson County Westside.

Decatur varsity boys played the Magazine Leftwich Rattlers Jan. 21 at home. The Bulldogs took control from the tip-off, drawing first blood in the opening minute of the first period. The Bulldogs held the Rattlers scoreless for four minutes. From that point, the Decatur defense only allowed 4 points, ending the first period 16 to 4.

In the second period, the Decatur defense again held Magazine to only four points while the offense hit basket after basket, taking a 34 to 8 lead at half time.

The Rattlers' defense came out strong in the first five minutes of the third period, holding the Bulldogs to only four points. But they failed to capitalize on the offensive end, scoring only four points. A free throw by Mario Urquidi in the final two and half minutes of the third period opened the flood gates for Decatur. By the end of the period, the Bulldogs widened the scoring gap 47 to 16.

The last period was a defensive game for the Bulldogs and Rattlers. Both teams only scored four points each. However, the outcome of the game was already decided early in the first period. Decatur defeated Magazine, 51 to 20.

Leading scorer for Decatur was Mario Urquidi with 18 points and 9 rebounds, missing another double-double by one rebound. Other Bulldogs scoring included Pheng Lee with 8; Trey Kell with 7; Victor Urquidi with 4; Terry Kell and Allen Castaneda, each with three; Brody Funk, Troy Flood, Meng Vang and Matt Lee, with 2 each.

"Our transition game helped push our lead to over 30 points and our guys kept it up throughout the night. I was really proud of the way they started the game and the leadership to stay focused," said John Unger, head basketball coach. "This is the team I know we are. We are capable of having big nights every night if we keep our focus and continue to be humble."

Westside 68

Decatur 60

The Decatur varsity boys traveled to Coal Hill to take on the Johnson County Westside Rebels Jan. 24. For the Bulldogs, the momentum turned against them.

The Rebels led throughout the game, breaking down the Bulldogs offensively and defensively and commanding a sizeable lead. Then in the fourth period, Decatur mounted a comeback. They began to hit bucket after bucket. In the end, they fell short, losing to Westside 68 to 60.

"By the time we got it going, it was too late. We couldn't put the ball in the basket and it hurt our ability to pressure them. It was an off night for us on both ends," Unger said. "I thought JC Westside played really hard. This was a tough loss for us, but I think we learned a lot from it. It's always tough on the road, and tonight was no exception. We have to stay hungry and continue to get better. We are halfway through the conference season and we are in a good position to finish strong and get into the regional tournament. This team has been through a lot this season, and they are going to finish strong."

The varsity boys are 6 and 8 overall and 4 and 3 in conference play.

Girls

The varsity girls played an exceptional game against the Magazine Lady Rattlers. They fell behind early, trailing the Rattlers at the half 28 to 17. The Lady Bulldogs came out tough in the third period, keeping the game close. They trailed by five, 33 to 28. The Decatur girls stayed with Magazine, pulling within three halfway through the fourth. That would be as close as the Lady Bulldogs would come. The final score was 47 to 36 Magazine.

The Decatur girls played very well at times defensively during the Magazine game. However they still have trouble hitting the basket, a problem Bill Niven, girls' basketball coach, continues to work on. This problem again haunted the Lady Bulldogs when they took on the JC Westside Lady Rebels at Coal Hill Jan. 24. Westside out-scored Decatur three to one and took the victory, 64 to 21.

Junior High

The junior high Bulldogs continue to play exceptionally well, winning two of three games last week. They fell to Magazine Jan. 21 by the score of 46 to 25. However, they hammered both JC Westside on the road, 33 to 20, and Eureka Springs at home, 41 to 23. In a bizarre twist, in the closing seconds of the Eureka Springs game, a Eureka Springs player rebounded a missed shot by Decatur. He promptly went up for a jump shot and luckily missed the goal. If that player had hit the bucket, he would have scored points for the Bulldogs because he was aiming at the Decatur goal. As the game ended, that player left the court red faced. The overall record for the junior high boys is 5 and 4.

In other Bulldog play, the junior high girls lost all three of their games: Magazine - 34 to 3, JC Westside - 48 to 20, Eureka Springs - 11 to 10.