n Bulldogs played strong defense but had off night shooting.
EUREKA SPRINGS -- In one of the most bizarre games of the 2013-14 basketball season, the Decatur senior boys lost to Bigelow in the first round of the regional playoffs in Eureka Springs on Feb. 26. With this loss, the Bulldogs ended any hope of making the state playoffs.
A large group of loyal Decatur fans made the long trek to Eureka Springs to support the Bulldogs in their quest for the regional championship and beyond. In addition to the fans, the Decatur High school cheerleader squad and the Bulldogs mascot were ready to cheer their team on to victory.
Bigelow, a town of about 312 (according to the 2010 census), is located 16 miles southeast of Morrilton and 15 miles west of Conway in central Arkansas.
Bigelow scored first, one minute into the game. A minute later Decatur scored, tying the game at 2. Bigelow jumped out in front until a last second 3-pointer by Terry Kell gave the Bulldogs the lead. The first period ended with Decatur leading 7 to 6.
The second period began much as the first, with neither team able to get buckets to drop. As the period was about to end, Mario Urquidi hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Bulldogs a 16 to 12 lead at the half.
The third period began with neither team hitting any buckets or free-throws until the six minute mark when Bigelow sank a 2-pointer. With the exception of another 3-pointer by Bigelow, the only shooting came from the free-throw line. Decatur held onto the lead, 19 to 18, as the period concluded.
In the fourth period, the lead went back and forth until the last two minutes of the game when Bigelow mounted a rally. The Bigelow Panthers led by 5 points going into the final minute. Decatur had several free-throw opportunities that would have put them back into the game but could not get any to drop through the net.
Bigelow defeated Decatur, 35 to 28, and ended the Bulldog's march to the state championship.
"We had an off night shooting, but our defense gave us a chance to win the game. But down the stretch, we couldn't make any shots when we needed it," said John Unger, boys' basketball coach. "I thought we played hard, but the ball wouldn't go in for us. I have to give Bigelow credit for playing great defense, but we had many open shots that we normally make. But tonight we were not making them."
Leading scorer for Decatur was Mario Urquidi with 14 and Terry Kell with 7. Only two other Bulldogs -- Pheng Lee, with 3, and Victor Urquidi, with 2 --scored.
"We are disappointed, not because we didn't try, but because we didn't reach our goal of making the state tournament," Unger said. "We all put in many hours of work, and it's a tough pill to swallow right now. I told them after the game that there are no words I can say that will make this better, we just have to learn from our mistakes tonight and get back to work and make sure we don't make the same mistakes next season."
The Decatur Bulldogs ended their 2013-2014 season with a 14 and 10 overall record and a district title.
Matt Lee and Trey Kell will be the only two players graduating in May.
"We have 11 guys coming back next year and we are adding some talented ninth graders to our team, so we will go back to work and do it again next year," Unger said.
The first half of the season looked like Decatur was weak and disjointed. However, after the Hackett loss in early January, the Bulldogs pulled together and looked like a championship team. They chalked up victory after victory that would land them runnersup in the 2A District 4West regular season and a 2A 4West Tournament title.
Unger summed up the 2013-14 season this way: "Anytime you win your conference championship, it is a successful season. We have a 23-4 conference record over the past two seasons. Having said that, we feel like we could have accomplished more. We feel like we left some games out there that we could have played better in and we didn't end the season where we wanted to end the season.
"Our guys were young and they learned a lot this season, so we are expecting great things next season as well. We have built a solid basketball program at Decatur and we work hard on being champions and making sure we build a positive culture.
"We will miss our seniors from this year's team. They gave us good minutes and were a part of a great team. I've never been a coach to dwell on the past but, instead, we woke up Thursday after the loss and I asked myself and the team, 'What do we need to do to get where we want to go? What can we do to win the state championship next season?'
"With the big junior class we having coming back and the sophomores that got valuable experience this year, we are already excited about next basketball season around here. I love all of our guys and they gave the school and the town their best. We will continue to strive for success and work hard to grow our program into a state championship team."
Sports on 03/05/2014