DECATUR -- It was a long night for the Decatur senior boys' basketball team Jan. 5 as the Bulldogs played host to the Hartford Beavers at Peterson Gym in Decatur. This was the opening matchup to the second half of the 2015-16 season.
The opening two minutes of the senior boys' game was scoreless. Neither team was able to connect with the basket. At the 5:30 mark the Beavers broke the scoreless streak with a two-point bucket. The Bulldogs countered with a two-point shot and a foul. Hartford maintained control of the first quarter and picked up a 9-to-3 lead over Decatur.
The Beavers maintained their lead throughout the entire second quarter. However, Decatur's pressure style kept the game close as the first half came to a close, with Hartford leading by only one, 18 to 17.
For the first two minutes of the third quarter, neither team was able to land a shot and the score remained 18 to 17 in favor of Hartford. At the 5:35 mark, Hartford's Robert Collins put up a two pointer to extend the Beavers' lead by three. But the Bulldogs countered with a two pointer on the next possession. Then, at the 4:15 mark, the Bulldogs tied the score at 23 all. One minute later, Decatur pulled ahead of Hartford for the first time in the game. The lead went back and forth until just before the end of the quarter when the Beavers sank a two-point shot and a free throw. The third quarter ended with the Beavers leading the Bulldogs, 33 to 30.
As the fourth quarter began, the Bulldogs picked up the pace and were finally in their element as they took command of the game. By the 5:36 mark the Bulldogs had regained the lead, 34 to 33. The momentum had turned in the Bulldogs' favor as the team continued to amass points while keeping the Beavers scoreless until the 3:50 mark. By that time, Decatur was in firm control of the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Bulldogs commanded a nine-point lead, winning their second conference game of the season and defeating the Hartford Beavers, 49 to 41.
"It was good to get back to playing games after the long break. We were rusty and it took us three quarters to get going. We didn't shoot the ball well, but we kept playing hard and kept the pressure on Hartford," said John Unger, Decatur's head basketball coach. "We had a lot of guys step up for us tonight as well. Our guards attacked the basketball, and our inside guys did a good job of finishing at the rim and rebounding the basketball. It wasn't pretty but we got the job done, and we will work to get better and get prepared for the remaining conference schedule."
Leading the scoring for the Decatur Bulldogs were Bracy Owens and Leng Lee, both with 11, followed by Taylor Haisman with 8, Kyle Shaffer with 7, Jason Porter with 6 and Troy Flood with 2.
Leading the scoring for the Hartford Beavers were Robert Collins with 20, followed by Jordan Humphrey with 7.
The Bulldogs traveled south to take on the Hackett Hornets Jan. 8. Decatur struggled throughout the first three quarters, taking a 14 point deficit into the fourth quarter, 35 to 21. The Bulldogs, however, picked up the pace and, with three minutes left in the game, cut Hackett's lead to two. But the Hornets proved too strong for the Bulldogs and Hackett took the game, 50 to 43.
Leading scorer for the Decatur Bulldogs was Kyle Shaffer with 12, followed by Bracy Owens with 9.
The senior boys are now 2 and 2 in conference play and 5 and 12 overall.
Decatur will travel to the northeast Jan. 15 to take on conference rival Eureka Springs. The Highlanders lead the 2A 4West conference with a 4 and 0 record. The two last met in the quarter final round of the Decatur Tournament Dec. 4. Eureka Springs defeated Decatur, 52 to 28, and went on to take third place in the tournament. Game time is 7 p.m.
Sports on 01/13/2016