SILOAM SPRINGS -- After playing a full afternoon of basketball at its new gym in Decatur, the boys' basketball team set its sights on yet another evening of scrimmage games in the Bill George Arena at John Brown University in Siloam Springs on May 31.
Decatur faced the Kansas (Okla.) Comets, Alpena Leopards and the Ozark Catholic Griffins in the Golden Eagles High School Summer Camp, a yearly event that brought in basketball teams from Arkansas and Oklahoma to face off in two 16-minute halves with a running time clock.
First up for the Bulldogs were the Comets, who quickly jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first seven minutes of the contest. The Bulldogs caught fire late in the half, closing the gap to five by the end of the half. Decatur tried keeping up with the stronger and taller Kansas team but was unable to get close, and the Comets took the win, 29-15.
After a 45 minute rest, the Bulldogs took the court, facing their former 1A rival, the Alpena Leopards, in game three on the John Sheehy Court in the arena. This time Decatur got the drop on Alpena as the Bulldogs built a 14 point lead, 21-7, by the break. Alpena was only able to cut the Decatur lead down by one in the second half as the combination of great shooting coupled with a strong defense gave the Bulldogs their first win of the camp, 33-20, over the Leopards.
Decatur barely had enough time to pack up its things before it was off to the practice gym for the final regular contest against a first-time opponent, the Tontitown-based Ozark Catholic Academy Griffins. The Bulldogs jumped out in front of the Griffins early in the first half and managed a 10-point lead with five minutes left in the half. But an injury to Christian Ramirez took the wind out of the Bulldogs' sails, allowing the Griffins to take the lead and be up 19-12 going into the second half.
The Decatur boys regained their composure and regained the lead halfway through the second half. With a minute left, the Griffins jumped in front by one. A three-point shot connected and the Griffins were out in front by four. The Bulldogs couldn't close the gap again and were defeated, 31-27.
In the final event of the night, all teams gathered at Sheehy Court for a shootout. Two teams took the court with a tied score and only two minutes remaining on the crunch time clock. Each player went into the game with four fouls. When a player on either team committed a foul, he was taken out and replaced with another. The team that was ahead by the end of the event advanced to the next round.
Decatur faced Kansas one more time. Tied at 61 each, the Comets jumped out in front and managed to pull off the win over the Bulldogs by four.
The Bulldogs' final opponent of the series was Ozark Catholic Academy. Tied at 68 all, the Bulldog managed to pull ahead by five. But a series of tactical errors by Decatur gave the Griffins the lead and the game by two.
Sports on 06/05/2019