WEST FORK — The Decatur Bulldog senior boys' team traveled south July 12 and 14 to participate in the off-season West Fork team camp. The Bulldogs played a series of two three-game matchups with several of its old 2A rivals such as Mountainburg and Eureka Springs.
The West Fork Tiger team camp is an annual event that brings teams from Northwest and West central Arkansas together in an environment of friendly competition. Each game, played in either the Tiger Dome or the new junior high school gym, consisted of two 14-minute halves with a minute break between.
The West Fork camp was designed to help build individual confidence and team unity and to allow coaches to observe and fix any glitches in their game plans.
July 12 saw the Bulldogs take on longtime rival Eureka Springs, Mountainburg and Haas Hall. The first contest was in the new gym against the Haas Hall Mastiffs from Fayetteville.
Decatur grabbed an early lead in the first two minutes of the first half, setting a fast-paced game style that caught the Mastiffs off guard. The Bulldogs built their lead to 20 points going into the break. But the Mastiffs regrouped and fought back, cutting the lead to five with three minutes to play. The Bulldogs managed to hold onto the lead, taking the first contest, 43-36.
The Bulldogs moved to the Tiger Dome where they faced longtime rival Eureka Springs. Through the years, this rivalry has always been a fast-paced and hard-hitting contest. This simple game was no exception as the Highlanders hit the boards running and maintained a solid lead through the entire contest. The Bulldogs tried to get a rally going in the final three minutes of the second half and cut Eureka's lead to 15 before the Highlanders caught their second wind. The Highlanders took the contest, 45-21.
It was much the same in the final matchup of the day for Decatur as they faced former 2A rival Mountainburg Dragons in the Tiger Dome. The Dragons jumped out in to the lead from the opening tip off and never gave it up as the Bulldogs struggled to close the scoring gap. The Dragons took the contest, 47-23.
On day two of the team camp, July 14, the Bulldogs returned to the Tiger Dome to take on the Cedarville Pirates in the third game of the morning session. The Bulldogs finished the first 14-minute half with a five-point lead but had trouble maintaining it.
The Pirates went into the contest with the advantage of having 12 players as opposed to the seven-man Bulldog squad. This gave Cedarville the opportunity to rotate five rested players every few minutes and allowed the Pirates to maintain a solid lead and eventually a 38-20 victory over the Bulldogs.
Decatur took on the host West Fork Tigers in the second game of the day. It was much the same as the Cedarville contest with the Tigers overwhelming the Bulldogs, 41-25.
In the final game of the camp in the Tiger Dome, the Bulldogs took on the Greenland Pirates. Decatur came out strong and quickly gained control of the contest, holding the Pirates scoreless for the first 6 1/2 minutes of the first half. But the Pirates fought back and cut Decatur's lead to 18-16 by the end of the half and mounted a run in the second half to take the lead and go on to win the game, 31-26.
Decatur opens its 2017-18 basketball season Nov. 15 when the Bulldogs return to the Tiger Dome to take on the West Fork Tigers in a benefit contest. The four-game series is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. with the junior-high girls' team playing first, followed by the junior-high boys, senior-high girls and senior-high boys. For a complete schedule, go to decatursd.com/athletics.
Sports on 07/19/2017