DECATUR -- There was reason to celebrate in Decatur Nov. 17 when the Bulldogs played host to their new conference rival, the Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy Spartans, at Peterson Gym. A fierce battle ensued during the 32-minute contest.
For new head coach Dayton Shaw, the Tuesday night contest represented his first time in front of the home crowd, which was at one-half of Peterson Gym's normal capacity due to covid-19 pandemic protocol.
The night opened with the Spartans hitting a three-point field goal for the early lead. The Bulldogs came up with a pair of field goals, the first on a layup by Kevin Garcia, the second by Edgar Herrera, for Decatur's first lead of the contest by one. Then, suddenly, the Bulldog shooting game went cold, allowing the Spartans to take over the lead and extend it to 10 with 3:41 left in the first quarter.
Decatur was only able to score a three-point field goal, while the Spartans, taking full advantage of the Bulldogs' cold streak, built its lead to 13 points by quarter's end.
The Bulldogs' cold streak continued into the early stages of the second quarter. Coach Shaw kept shouting to his team from the sidelines, "Don't panic, their shooting will go cold; they will go cold."
Even during the early timeouts, Shaw kept assuring his starters that, "they will cool down."
And, true to his word, the Spartans' hot streak began to dissipate, allowing the Bulldogs to play catch-up throughout the remainder of the second quarter. An 18 point Bulldog run, coupled with the defense holding the Spartans to eight points, allowed Decatur to catch up and, by the end of the first half, the Bulldogs trailed the Spartans by three, 28-25.
Outstanding shooting efforts by Garcia and teammate Christian Ramirez during the third quarter allowed the Bulldogs to jump into the lead by six (42-36) by the quarter's end.
The Spartans tied the contest at 52 all with less than two minutes left in the game. Ramirez hit a pair of free throws to begin the Bulldogs' final surges. Garcia's four straight free throws put the icing on the cake for the Bulldogs as the team pulled off a series of firsts for the night, including its first victory of the 2020-21 season, the first win at home and the first win for Shaw as a head basketball coach.
Three Decatur Bulldogs were in double figures for the game. Garcia reached a career-high 28 points, including 12 of 14 free throws for 87 percent. Ramirez was next with 12 points, including six of six from the free-throw line for 100 percent. Enrique Rubi followed up with 10 points, including a pair of three-point field goals. Rounding out the Bulldog offensive drive was Carlos Hernandez with seven, followed by Bryson Funk with three and Edgar Herrera with two.
The Decatur Junior High Bulldogs also won their game in overtime, 30-29.
