DECATUR -- The Decatur Bulldog senior boys' basketball team finished the 2015-16 regular season with a pair of losses to the two top teams in the 2A 4West conference, Magazine Leftwich and Eureka Springs.
The Eureka Springs Highlanders traveled to Decatur to take on the Bulldogs in their final home game at Peterson Gym Feb. 9.
Before the game, the seniors from both the boys' and girls' teams and the senior band members were recognized for their commitment to the Decatur programs. Brianna Williams and Sara Moppin, with the Decatur High School band, were the first to be recognized. They were followed by senior girls' basketball players Celine Prelle and Haley Burden; Tyler Riddle, Kyle Shaffer and Troy Flood with the senior boys' team and Alex Morrow with both the senior boys' and cheer team.
The Highlanders put the first points on the scoreboard at the 7:40 mark in the first quarter on a three-point shot by Reggie Sanchez. Fourteen seconds later, the Bulldogs scored. Sanchez dominated the scoring in the first quarter with nine points, giving Eureka Springs a 19-12 lead at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs effectively shut down Sanchez. He would not score again until late in the fourth quarter. However, J.M. Gregg picked up where Sanchez left off, allowing the Highlanders to go on a 12-7 run against the Bulldogs. The half ended with Eureka Springs leading, 31-19.
Decatur hit the court running during the second half, allowing Eureka to score only 10 points and forcing the Highlanders to turn over the ball several times in the third quarter. But the Bulldogs failed to capitalize on these turnovers. The Highlanders maintained their lead to the end of the game, taking home a 53-33 victory.
Leading scorers for the Bulldogs were Kyle Shaffer with 9, followed by Leng Lee with 7, Bracy Owens and Tyler Riddle each with 6 and Troy Flood with 5.
Leading scorers for the Highlanders were J.M. Gregg with 19, followed by Reggie Sanchez with 15 and Mathew McClung with 12.
Magazine Leftwich 41
Decatur Bulldogs 29
The Bulldogs traveled south to Magazine to take on the Leftwich Rattlers in their final game of the 2015-16 regular season. The Rattlers were in first place in the 2A 4West conference race.
Decatur managed to keep up with Leftwich in the first quarter, allowing the Rattlers to take a 9-6 lead into the beginning of the second quarter. However, the Bulldogs fought back, holding the Rattlers to only four points to take a 16-13 lead going into the half.
That would quickly change for Decatur in the opening minutes of the third quarter. A series of five consecutive three-point shots -- three by Donovan Shelton and two by Austin Phillips -- gave Leftwich a 15-to-0 run and the lead. The quarter ended with the Rattlers leading the Bulldogs, 34-22.
Decatur managed to hold Magazine to only seven points in the final quarter. However, like the Eureka Springs game two days earlier, the Bulldogs failed to capitalize on the Rattlers' turnovers, giving the Leftwich Rattlers the victory, 41-29.
Leading scorers for the Bulldogs were Troy Flood with 10, followed by Kyle Shaffer with 6. Other Bulldogs scoring points included Taylor Haisman with 5, Tyler Riddle with 4, Leng Lee and Jay Porter each with 2.
Leading scorers for the Rattlers were Donovan Shelton with 15, followed by James Burr with 8 and Austin Phillips with 6.
The Decatur Bulldogs finished the 2015-16 season with a record of 5-9 in conference play and 8-18 overall.
The Bulldog senior boys will take on the Hartford Hustlers in Game 2 of the 2A 4West District Tournament at Peterson Gym in Decatur today, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The Bulldog senior girls take on the Union Christian Eagles in game 1 of the senior girls' district tournament at Peterson Gym in Decatur today, beginning at 4 p.m.
Sports on 02/17/2016