LINCOLN --The Decatur Lady Bulldogs had a busy schedule ahead of them when the team traveled to Lincoln to participate in the first annual Turkey Shoot Nov. 19-21. They faced off against the Lincoln Lady Wolves and junior varsity Lady Wolfpack, as well as the Elkins Lady Elks.
First up was the Nov. 19 game between the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Wolves in the opening round of the tournament played in the gym at Lincoln High School. The Lady Wolves jumped out in front of Decatur in the early stages of the first quarter, holding the Lady Bulldogs scoreless until the last minutes of play. At the end of the quarter, the Lady Wolves held a commanding 24-2 lead over the Lady Bulldogs.
Both Decatur's offense and defense picked up the pace but were unable to gain any ground on the lead. Lincoln and Decatur went into the locker room at halftime with the Lady Wolves holding a 22 point lead over the Lady Bulldogs.
Decatur played a much better second half but was unable to cut away at the Lincoln lead. Lincoln defeated Decatur, 61-29, to advance to the semifinal game in the winners' bracket. The Lady Bulldogs advanced to the losers' bracket to square-off against the Elkins Lady Elks Nov. 20.
Leading the scoring drive for Decatur was Sammie Skaggs with nine, followed by Annabelle Schopper with six and Destiny Mejia with five.
The Lady Elks jumped out in front in the first three quarters, leading 47-27 going into the final eight minutes of the contest.
Decatur fought back in the fourth quarter, hitting 24 points behind the leadership of Sammie Skaggs who had one of the best quarters of her high school career. She accounted for 20 of Decatur's fourth-quarter points, allowing Decatur to close the point gap. Time ran out on Decatur and the Elkins Lady Elks won the contest, 66-51, advancing to the third-place game, while the Lady Bulldogs faced off against the Lincoln Lady Wolfpack junior varsity team in a battle for fifth place.
Sammie Skaggs led the scoring drive with 27 points, hitting 21 of 25 shots from the free-throw line, followed by Mayra Flores with eight and Destiny Mejia with six.
Decatur played one of its best games of the tournament Nov. 21. Unlike previous contests, Decatur came out strong and grabbed the early lead in the first quarter. The Lincoln Lady Wolfpack was able to tie the Lady Bulldogs in the final seconds of the second quarter.
The third quarter proved to be the deciding factor in the contest. Lincoln jumped out in front by eight going into the final quarter. Decatur was never able to recover, and the Lincoln Lady Wolfpack took the contest, 48-43, for fifth place, while the Decatur Lady Bulldogs finished the tournament in sixth.
Abby Tilley led the Bulldogs in the scoring department with 16 and four three-pointers, followed by Sammie Skaggs with 15 and Mayra Flores with five.
Sports on 11/28/2018