Bulldogs tie for district title

Photo by Randy Moll Terry Kell, a junior guard for Decatur, goes up for a shot in play against Eureka Springs on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014, at Decatur High School.
Photo by Randy Moll Terry Kell, a junior guard for Decatur, goes up for a shot in play against Eureka Springs on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014, at Decatur High School.

DECATUR -- In an emotional game on Feb. 14, the Decatur Bulldog senior boys defeated the Hackett Hornets to tie for the 2A Region 4 West championship.

Eureka Springs, Hackett and Decatur all finished conference play with a 10 and 4 record and are co-champions. However, Eureka Springs wins the title based on the tie breaker rule since Hackett and Decatur both lost a game last week.

For seniors Matt Lee, Trey Kell, Hannah Ramsey and Brittney Frost it marked the last game they would play in front of a home crowd. In a ceremony before the girls' and boys' game, each senior, along with one or more of their parents, was escorted to center court where they received a plaque from coach Bill Niven (girls) and coach John Unger (boys). Then it was time to play basketball.

The Hackett Lady Hornets took the early lead and never relinquished it. They held the Lady Bulldogs scoreless through the first period. The Bulldogs finally scored two minutes into the second period. Hackett took a 28 to 9 lead into the locker room at the half.

The late rally in the fourth period brought the Lady Bulldogs within 18 but it was not to be. The final score was 39 to 21 in favor of Hackett.

In the Decatur senior boys' game, the Bulldogs came out on fire. Decatur drew first blood, scoring in the first 30 seconds of the first period. Hackett tied the game three times during the first period but never took the lead. The Decatur defense was too strong. The Bulldogs ended the period 12 to 10.

In the second period, both Decatur and Hackett played strong defense. Each team scored only 8 points. However, Decatur maintained its lead going into the locker room, 20 to 18.

In the second half, the Decatur Bulldogs came out looking like a championship team. They opened as much as a 13 point lead late in the fourth period against the Hornets. In the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, Hackett cut the lead to six. But they were not to deprive the Bulldogs of the win in their last home game of the 2013-14 season. Decatur defeated Hackett, 49 to 40.

"I'm really proud of the way our guys competed and handled the pressure of the big game. We had to win this game to get a share of the conference title and we responded," Unger recalled. "Our defense was amazing and we kept Hackett on the outside and we controlled the boards. If we continue to do that every night, we will continue to win ballgames."

Leading scorers for the Bulldogs were Mario Urquidi with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Victor Urquidi with 10 points. Other Bulldog scorers included Meng Vang with 8, Allen Castaneda with 5, Terry Kell with 4, Pheng Lee and Kyle Shaffer with 2 each.

The Bulldogs played two games earlier in the week.

In the match-up with Eureka Springs Feb. 11 at home, the Highlanders came to Decatur with one thing on their mind, revenge for their homecoming loss to the Bulldogs on Jan. 17.

Decatur looked weak throughout the entire match. The Highlanders outscored the Bulldogs in the first three quarters. In the fourth, the Bulldogs scored 15 points to the Highlanders' 14. But in the end it was Eureka Springs taking the game, 63 to 53.

"We played hard but we were not focused and didn't execute our game plan on the defensive side. We let Eureka shoot open shots and they did a good job of taking advantage of our lapses," Unger said. "We didn't play our best game but we had a chance to win the game at the end."

Leading scorers for the Bulldogs were Mario Urquidi with 18 points and 12 rebounds and Meng Vang with 11 points. Other Bulldog scorers included Trey Kell with 7, Terry Kell and Pheng Lee each with 5, Victor Urquidi with 4 and Allen Castaneda with 3.

Decatur traveled to Magazine to take on the Leftwich Rattlers Feb. 13. This was a completely different Bulldog team from the one two nights earlier. They came to win.

The Bulldogs held the Rattlers scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the game, a far cry from the game with Eureka Springs.

"Our guys came out focused and ready to battle, and you could tell from the beginning of the game," Unger stated.

The Bulldogs dominated the Rattlers throughout the entire game. They defeated Leftwich 59 to 41.

"I was really proud of the team and how they responded after a tough defeat against Eureka Springs," Unger said.

Leading the scorers once again were Mario Urquidi with 26 points and 11 rebounds and Victor Urquidi with 19 points. Others scoring points included Pheng Lee with 4; Kyle Shaffer with 3; Troy Flood, Trey Kell and Matt Lee, each with 2; and Terry Kell with 1.

The Decatur Bulldogs finished their regular season 13 and 9 overall and 10 and 4 in conference.

Before the Hackett game, Unger talked to his team about the importance of the game and what to expect during the district, regional and state tournaments.

"I told the guys before the game that, from here on out, all these games are going to put pressure on us and we have to learn how to handle the pressure. You can't ignore the pressure; you just have to manage it, and that's exactly what we did," Unger said. "Great teams, which I think we can be, handle big-time games and perform. This game against Hackett was our first step in the right direction for our postseason run."

The Bulldogs travel to Eureka Springs for district playoffs this week. They will play on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. For game times go to www.decatursd.com/athletics.

In other games: Junior high boys' game at Conference Tournament -- Mountainburg 33, Decatur 17. Senior girls' games: Eureka Springs 30, Decatur 26; and Magazine 41, Decatur 12.

Sports on 02/19/2014