GENTRY -- Play resumed in the Gentry Summer Basketball League held in the gym at Gentry High School July 15.
The first game of the evening pitted the Gentry 2 Pioneers (junior varsity) against the Decatur Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs scored first with a two-point shot by Victor Urquidi. The Pioneers quickly countered with two on the next play. From that point it was a see-saw battle, with Decatur and Gentry 2 finally splitting the score, 10 to 10, at the break.
Gentry 2 came out strong in the second half, pulling ahead of Decatur by five at the 10-minute mark. Then, lightning struck as the Bulldogs mounted an impressive 14 to 0 run led by two back-to-back three-pointers by Mario Urquidi.
This run dashed any hope for a victory against Decatur by the Gentry 2 team. The Bulldogs defeated the Pioneers, 32 to 23. Mario Urquidi contributed 16 points to the victory.
The Bulldogs continued their domination when they took on the Greenland Pirates in the third game of the evening. The same determination and drive that Decatur exhibited in the first game was still evident as Decatur held on to a 11 to 8 lead at the break.
Decatur continued to dominate throughout the second half with two three-pointers toward the end of the game. Then, with about 90 seconds to play, Mario Urquidi rebounded a missed basket by Greenland and drove the ball down court for an impressive slam dunk in the style of Sidney Moncrief (a member of the 1978 Arkansas Razorbacks). The play by Urqiudi finished off the Greenland Pirates, who lost to Decatur, 29 to 20.
In an earlier game, the Gentry 1 Pioneers (varsity) took on the Farmington Cardinals. Both teams played aggressive basketball throughout the match. However, Farmington moved ahead of Gentry 1 midway through the second half and never relinquished the lead again. The Cardinals handed the Pioneers their second loss of the evening.
In the games July 17, Decatur was to play the Gravette Lions. Because of the recent resignation of Lions coach Dustin Peters, Gravette withdrew from the league.
The Gentry organizers of the event quickly revised the schedule and the Decatur Bulldogs took on the Rogers Mounties.
The Mounties tried to dominate the Bulldogs in the first half, maintaining as much as a four-point lead. But in the final 20 seconds of the opening half, the Bulldogs tied the game at 18.
The luck and skill the Bulldogs showed on Tuesday failed to follow them into the Thursday night game when Rogers came off the break strong. Although Decatur tried to keep up with Rogers throughout the second half, it was to no avail. Rogers took the game, 37 to 31.
After the Decatur and Rogers match up, the Gentry 2 Pioneers took on the Farmington Cardinals. It was evident Gentry 2 was in trouble from the start. Although the defense was there, the young Gentry team could not get a shot to land in much of the second half. Farmington took the game by 24 points.
The later Decatur game was called due to an insufficient number on the opposing team.
Since the summer league began, teams from Northwest Arkansas have been gaining valuable game experience and keeping focused. For all, it is a chance to play teams that they would not normally play during regular season. This gives coaches and players a look at the structure of the team, allowing both player and coach to fix any weaknesses and have a competitive edge when the regular season starts in the fall.
"I think the summer league is great for our guys. We are playing larger schools and our guys are getting to compete at a higher level, which will make them better in the long run," said John Unger, Decatur boys' basketball coach.
Play resumes on July 24 at Gentry High School gym. The schedule for the July 24 and 29 games is as follows but subject to change:
July 24th - Thursday
4:00- Gravette v. Rogers
4:45-Rogers v. Decatur
5:30- Gentry 1 v. Greenland
6:15- Decatur v. Gravette
7:00- Decatur v. Greenland
7:45- Gentry 1 v. Rogers
July 29th - Tuesday
4:00- Rogers v. Greenland
4:45- Gentry 2 v. Decatur
5:30- Decatur v. Rogers
6:15- Gentry 2 v. Greenland
7:00- Gentry 1 v. Rogers
7:45- Gentry 1 v. Decatur
Sports on 07/23/2014