Last minute mistakes cost Bulldogs conference game against Saints

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS After missing a shot from the three-point line, Taylor Haisman (Decatur 3) picks up his own rebound during the Decatur-St. Paul conference game at Peterson Gym in Decatur Jan. 5. Haisman was able to connect with the basket for two points, adding to his 21-point total for the night.
Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS After missing a shot from the three-point line, Taylor Haisman (Decatur 3) picks up his own rebound during the Decatur-St. Paul conference game at Peterson Gym in Decatur Jan. 5. Haisman was able to connect with the basket for two points, adding to his 21-point total for the night.

DECATUR -- A lapse in concentration and last minute mistakes cost the Decatur Bulldog senior boys' basketball team its first conference win of 2018 against a fired up St. Paul Saints team Jan. 5.

The Bulldogs returned to Peterson Gym in Decatur to open the second half of their 2017-18 season against the Saints in a conference contest.

Decatur took control of the game early in the first half, scoring four quick points with less than 25 seconds elapsed off of the clock. One minute later, the Saints put up their first point on a free throw. From that point on it was neck and neck, with the Bulldogs taking a 12-10 lead by the end of the quarter.

At the 6 minute mark in the second quarter, a St. Paul two-point shot tied the game at 12 all. But Decatur came right back on the next play to regain the lead. This time they held on to it through much of the second half. A two-point and free-throw shots with less than a minute left put St. Paul ahead of Decatur, 21-20, going into the halftime break.

The Saints continued to dominate much of the third quarter, widening their lead by as much as eight points at the midway point. A quick timeout and a pep talk by John Unger, Decatur coach, brought the Bulldogs back into the contest and began an eight-point run that tied the game at 30 all with less than 51 seconds remaining in the quarter. Decatur pulled ahead of St. Paul by five with only seconds remaining. The Saints managed to put up a two-pointer, giving the Bulldogs a 35-32 advantage going into the final eight minutes of the contest.

Halfway through the final quarter, St. Paul caught its second wind and regained the lead. A series of concentration errors, coupled with fatigue, allowed the Saints to claim the victory by eight points, 51-43, and the conference win.

Two Decatur players were in double figures, Taylor Haisman with 21, followed by Ryan Ross with 11. Other Bulldogs adding to the scoring effort included Jimmy Mendoza with four, Levi Newman with three, followed by Cayden Bingham and Garry Woods, each with two.

The Bulldogs were scheduled to be on the road all week, traveling to Kingston Jan. 9 (after press time) to take on the Yellowjackets in a 7:30 conference game in the gym at Kingston. They travel to Omaha to play the Eagles in a 7 p.m. conference game on Friday and return to Peterson Gym in Decatur Jan. 16 to face longtime 2A rival, Eureka Springs, in a nonconference contest. Girls play at 6 p.m. and the boys start at 7:30 p.m.

Sports on 01/10/2018