Teams participate in summer basketball

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Surrounded by Griffin defenders, Decatur's Jose Rubi (center) slides sideways through the air on his way to the basket during game five of the Decatur Summer League scrimmage between Decatur and Ozark Catholic Academy June 11. Decatur emerged the victor in this contest, 33-18, for its second win of the day.
Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Surrounded by Griffin defenders, Decatur's Jose Rubi (center) slides sideways through the air on his way to the basket during game five of the Decatur Summer League scrimmage between Decatur and Ozark Catholic Academy June 11. Decatur emerged the victor in this contest, 33-18, for its second win of the day.

DECATUR -- The Gentry Pioneer boys had another great day as the team managed a perfect win record in day two of the Decatur Summer League basketball scrimmages in the new gym at Decatur Middle School June 11. The Bulldogs came in second for the day with two wins and a loss to the Pioneers.

The Bulldogs welcomed a new team to the league this summer with the addition of the Ozark Catholic Academy Griffins as the team walked through the doors of the new gym for the first time. But the Griffins' head boys' basketball coach, Cody Vaught, is no stranger to the Decatur scene, having coached the West Fork Tigers to two consecutive championships in the Bulldog Holiday Hoops Tournament in December 2016 and 2017.

Each of the four teams played three scrimmage games with two 15 minute halves. Each contest had a running clock which was stopped only for timeouts and the last minute of each half.

Leading off day two's first contest were the host Decatur Bulldogs and the Colcord, Okla., Hornets.

The Bulldogs jumped out in front of the Hornets by as much as 15 points during the first 12 minutes of the first half. Decatur let its guard down in the last three minutes of the half, allowing Colcord to fight back to within two at the halftime break.

Decatur managed a slim six-point lead through much of the second half. That all changed with less than four minutes in the game when the Bulldogs began a run on the scoreboard, jumping in front by 14. The Hornets tried to stay in the contest, but the Bulldogs simply outshot them in the end, taking a 42-28 win over the Hornets.

The Bulldogs barely had enough time to savor their first win and it was on to game two and the Gentry Pioneers. Decatur's offense suddenly went cold, scoring only four points in the first nine minutes of the first half. This allowed the Pioneers to build as much as a 15 point lead with two minutes left in the half. The Bulldogs rebounded from their lull, shaving down the Pioneer's lead to 13 at the break.

The Bulldogs were never able to catch up with the Pioneers in the second half. Gentry took its first win of day two, 42-20 over Decatur.

Game three pitted the Hornets against the Griffins. Colcord, recovering from the loss to Decatur in game one, quickly took control of the contest, holding Ozark Catholic to seven points and taking a 21-7 lead into the short break. The Griffins managed only 10 additional points in the second half, giving the Colcord Hornets their first win in the league series, 39-17.

Like the Bulldogs in game one, Colcord barely had a chance to celebrate its victory before it was on to game four against the leading Gentry Pioneers. The Hornets fell behind early in the first half by as much as 20 but managed to battle back, cutting the Pioneer lead to 15 at the end of the half. Colcord tried closing the scoring but Gentry was too strong and the Pioneers claimed yet another win, 36-15, over the Hornets.

Decatur and Ozark Catholic were up next in game five. The Bulldogs dominated the Griffins throughout the entire contest, posting their second win of the day, 33-18, over Ozark Catholic.

The final game of day two saw the Pioneers doing battle with the Griffins. Much like the previous contest with Decatur, the Griffins fell behind early and were never able to rebound. The Gentry Pioneers posted their third win of the day.

At the end of day two, Gentry had three victories. Decatur placed second with two wins, and Colcord earned one. Ozark Catholic Academy walked away with no wins during its first set of scrimmages in Decatur.

Sports on 06/19/2019