Bulldogs lose to Rattlers in district semi-finals

Photo by Mike Eckels Decatur’s Mario Urquidi (#5) goes for a layup during the district tournament at Hackett Feb 21. A late call by the official cost the Bulldogs the game, giving Magazine a 36 to 35 victory.
Photo by Mike Eckels Decatur’s Mario Urquidi (#5) goes for a layup during the district tournament at Hackett Feb 21. A late call by the official cost the Bulldogs the game, giving Magazine a 36 to 35 victory.

HACKETT -- The Decatur Bulldogs senior boys faced a tough loss to Magazine Leftwich Rattlers as they traveled to Hackett Feb. 21 for the semi-final round of the 2A 4West district tournament.

The Bulldogs went into the game facing the Rattlers, who had played two games in rounds one and two of the tournament. Decatur's last game was Feb. 12 when they defeated the Rattlers in Peterson Gym at Decatur High. The disadvantages showed during the first quarter.

The game started slow with both Decatur and Magazine defenses keeping each other from landing shots. The Bulldogs were the first to score, and they quickly built and maintained a six-point lead until the 2:31 when the Rattlers went on a 7 to 0 run, ending the quarter 7 to 6.

In the second quarter, Magazine maintained the lead, but both teams still had trouble hitting the basket. Making matters worse for Decatur were two quick fouls by Mario Urquidi at the halfway mark of the quarter, forcing Unger to bench him for the remainder of the first half. The quarter ended with Magazine leading Decatur by seven.

The Bulldogs started the second half strong, cutting the lead to two by the end of the third quarter. But as the fourth quarter progressed, a series of questionable calls by officials hurt both Decatur and Magazine. A technical on Decatur threatened to extend Magazine's lead to seven. However the Rattlers only hit one of the five points available on the call, keeping the Bulldogs in the game.

With a minute to play in the game, the Bulldogs regained the lead by one on a free throw by Mario Urquidi. On the next possession by the Rattlers, the Bulldogs stole the ball and drove it down court. They managed to hold the ball until the Rattlers fouled. Both Decatur shots missed and Magazine regained possession. The Rattlers drove the ball down court with 20 seconds left. With less than 10 seconds on the clock, a Rattler player put the ball up. It hit the backboard left of the basket and bounded off. It looked like Decatur had the game in the bag when an official, about two seconds after the shot, called goal tending on Decatur, handing Magazine two points and the game, 36 to 35.

"It was a tough game for us. We could never get going tonight. Magazine did a good job defensively against us and we missed some easy opportunities," Unger said. "I thought we played hard but we were sloppy tonight. The nine day layoff hurt us and you could tell we were very fluid. It hurts to lose, but we will bounce back and get ready for the Regional Tournament."

The Decatur loss put Magazine in the final game for district championship. However, winter weather in the Hackett area forced the cancellation of both the girls' and boys' championship and consolation games. Officials have decided not to reschedule due to the regional playoffs.

The good news for the Bulldogs is they remain in the hunt for the 2A state championship with a third-seed berth in the regional playoffs on Feb. 26 in Coal Hill. At 5:30 p.m., Decatur will take on the second seed in the 2A 4East, Bigelow, the team that defeated the Bulldogs in the first round of last year's regional playoffs. Check the Decatur Schools' athletics website for any changes due to weather.

Sports on 02/25/2015