DECATUR -- It was a battle between 'Cats and 'Dogs, Spartans and Highlanders, and even Wolves, all coming together with but one goal in mind, to win the 2015 Decatur Holiday basketball tournament.
The opening round began Nov. 30 at Peterson Gym in Decatur, and the tournament continued through Dec. 5. Eight senior high varsity teams gathered together, vying for tournament championship. Competing on the girls' side were Gravette, Eureka Springs, Haas Hall, West Fork, Exeter, Decatur, Lincoln and NWA Classical Academy (a new private high school in Rogers). On the boys' side it was Eureka Springs, Gravette, Haas Hall, JC Westside, West Fork, Lincoln, NWA Classical and the host team, Decatur.
Gravette and Eureka Springs opened the girls' tournament play Nov. 30. From the opening tip-off, it became apparent that the Lady Lions had set their eyes on the prize as they easily defeated the Lady Highlanders.
To close out the first round, it was the Decatur Lady Bulldogs versus the Lincoln Lady Wolves. The Bulldogs were no match for the powerful Wolves. The Decatur girls were defeated, 45-13. In the fourth quarter, the Lady Bulldogs started to play consistently and forced the Lady Wolves to make mistakes, but the damage was already complete. Lincoln moved on to the second round winners' bracket while Decatur moved on to the losers' bracket. West Fork and Haas Hall won their first-round games, sending Exeter and NWA Classical to the loser bracket.
Eureka Springs opened the boys' tournament Dec. 1 against NWA Classical. The Spartans struggled against the Highlanders' fast-paced game style and, in the end, Eureka would post the second highest scoring game of the tournament, winning by a score of 95-21.
The Gravette boys opened play against Fayetteville's Haas Hall Academy. It was a close game in the first half, but the Lions dominated the third and fourth quarters and posted a 54-35 win.
Decatur boys took on the Lincoln Wolves Dec. 1. The Bulldogs came out strong, taking an early lead in the first quarter. But the Wolves stayed with them through the remaining three quarters, causing the Bulldogs to post their first tournament loss, 41-38. Lincoln moved into the winners' bracket, and Decatur met the JC Westside Rebels in the first round of the losers' bracket.
The Lady Bulldogs took on the Exeter Lady Tigers Dec. 2. It was all Exeter as Decatur continued to struggle and was eliminated from the tournament, 50-14.
Decatur's boys advanced to the semifinal round by defeating 2A4West conference rival, JC Westside, 55-32. The Bulldogs met their other conference rival, the Eureka Springs Highlanders, in the semifinal round Dec. 4. Decatur High School celebrated Colors Day. Alex Morrow and Brandy Martinez were named king and queen prior to the Bulldog-Highlander contest. The game was decided in the first two minutes as Eureka quickly took control. Decatur played hard throughout the second, third and early fourth quarters but was unable to close the scoring gap. Late in the fourth, the Bulldogs did manage to cut off the Highlanders' star player, Reggie Sanchez, for a short time and keep the ball out of his hands. But in the end, the move would not be enough. Eureka Springs eliminated Decatur from the tournament, 52-28, and advanced to the consolation round Dec. 5, where the team defeated Lincoln for a third-place finish.
Gravette advanced to both the boys' and girls' championship rounds Dec. 5. The Lady Lions fell behind the Lady Wolves in the first half, trailing by one point, 17-16, at the break. Gravette came back to tie the game at the 35 second mark in third quarter, but a quick three by Lincoln ended the quarter, 35-32. Then the sky opened for the Lady Lions as they came from behind and, in the end, won the Decatur Holiday Tournament, with a 57-48 win. Tori Foster was named the game's most valuable player.
The Gravette boys, who looked strong throughout the tournament, struggled against the West Fork Tigers, quickly falling behind in the first quarter, 23-13. The Tigers extended their lead by 11 in the second quarter, taking a 50-39 lead into the break. The Tigers continued to build on their lead in the third, commanding a 14-point margin by quarter's end.
Gravette managed to pull within three points in the last half of the fourth quarter, but a late rally by the Tigers dashed any hope of winning the tournament. The game ended with West Fork taking home the Decatur Holiday Hoops basketball tournament championship with an 82-73 victory over Gravette, which placed second in the tournament. West Fork's Number 11, Ryan Roebka, was named the game's most valuable player.
Roebka went down in the second quarter with a possible sprained ankle but re-entered the game a few minutes later to lead his team to victory.
The 2015 Decatur Holiday Hoops basketball tournament was deemed a big success by its organizer, John Unger, Decatur's head boys' basketball coach. His coaching staff, along with the Decatur Booster club, faculty and staff, and students of Decatur High School put in long hours to help make this year's event one of the best in recent years.
Sports on 12/09/2015