Lady Bulldogs take big victory in final home contest

Photo by Mike Eckels Cameron Shaffer (Decatur 40) puts up a three-point shot from the left wing during the Lady Bulldogs’ 69-21 victory against the Lady Highlanders of Eureka Springs at Peterson Gym in Decatur on Feb. 3. Shaffer’s 13-points contributed to the Lady Bulldogs’ final home victory of the 2016-17 season.
Photo by Mike Eckels Cameron Shaffer (Decatur 40) puts up a three-point shot from the left wing during the Lady Bulldogs’ 69-21 victory against the Lady Highlanders of Eureka Springs at Peterson Gym in Decatur on Feb. 3. Shaffer’s 13-points contributed to the Lady Bulldogs’ final home victory of the 2016-17 season.

DECATUR -- The 2016-17 Lady Bulldogs played their final home basketball game at Peterson Gym against the Eureka Springs Highlanders Feb. 3. For seniors Cameron Shaffer, Meagan Smith and Reyna Marciel, this contest marked their final appearance in front of friends, family and Bulldog fans in Decatur. In a fitting end, the Lady Bulldogs overwhelmed the Lady Highlanders in one of the biggest wins of the season.

The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a commanding lead in the first quarter, holding the Lady Highlanders scoreless for the first five minutes of the contest. Decatur posted one of the best quarters of the game, scoring 25 unanswered points while holding Eureka Springs to five points and going into the second quarter with a 33-5 lead. Decatur continued to dominate on the boards, racking up 22 additional points and taking a commanding 55-13 lead going into the halftime break.

The second half was low key and the entire Lady Bulldogs bench was able to play. They only scored 13 points but still held the Lady Highlanders to eight and took a 69-21 victory, their fourth win of the season.

Leading the scoring for the Lady Bulldogs were Cameron Shaffer with 13, followed by Reyna Marciel with 12 and Desi Meek with 10. Other Lady Bulldogs scoring points were Meagan Smith with 9, Jackie Herrera with 7, Paige Vann and Savanna Dodson, each with 6, and Sammie Skaggs with 2.

Earlier in the week, the Lady Bulldogs were on the road to take on the St. Paul Lady Saints and Omaha Lady Eagles.

In the St. Paul contest Jan. 30, the Lady Bulldog-Lady Saints game was a close matchup, with Decatur staying within striking distance of St. Paul. But the Lady Saints pulled ahead of the Lady Bulldogs in the final minutes of the contest, taking the win by 10 points, 39-29.

Decatur's next matchup was the Lady Tigers Jan. 31 in Omaha . In this contest, the Lady Bulldogs struggled against one of the top teams in the district. They fell behind late in the first half and were never able to stage a comeback. The Lady Eagles took the victory, 67-21.

The Lady Bulldogs finish the season with a 6 p.m. district contest at Mulberry on Feb. 10 when they take on the Lady Yellowjackets.

Sports on 02/08/2017