Lady Bulldogs cap end of season with win at home

DECATUR — For seniors Jackie Herrera and Airbus Dungsungneon, it was a fairytale ending to their high school basketball careers as their teammates worked together as the Lady Bulldogs handily defeated the Mulberry Lady Yellow Jackets, 56-34.

It was clear from the onset that the Lady Bulldogs came to win as they quickly established control of the contest early in the first half, overwhelming the Lady Yellow Jackets’ defense and building an 11-point margin going to the second half.

Decatur held Mulberry to only four points in the third quarter, while the offense extended the lead to 20.

The Lady Yellow Jackets tried to get back into the contest in the final eight minutes, but the Lady Bulldogs held on to win. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lady Bulldogs took their seventh and final victory of the 2017-18 regular season, defeating the Lady Yellow Jackets, 56-34.

Joining the Lady Bulldogs for the first time were three freshmen from the junior high team, Stephanie Sandoval, Hailey Shaffer and Myriam Ocampo. All three went into the game late in the third quarter, with Sandoval and Shaffer managing to find the basket for two points each.

In the final seconds, Coach Ashley Riggles put Dungsungneon back into the lineup to get her first basket. She tried a few times but, when the shot was unavailable, she elected to pass. Finally, with only a few seconds left, Dungsungneon’s shot just missed the rim of the goal.

The Lady Bulldogs will travel to Alpena to participate in the 1A Northwest district tournament Feb. 12 where they face Lead Hill, which the Lady Bulldogs defeated twice this season.

Decatur …………… 11 18 13 14 — 56 Mulberry ………… .. 8 10 4 12 — 34 Decatur: Abby Tilley — 19 (four 3-pointers), Paige Vann — 16 (three 3-pointers), Desi Meek — 8, Sammie Skaggs — 4, Jackie Herrera — 4, Hailey Shaffer — 2, Stephanie Sandoval — 2, Destiny Mejia — 1. Mulberry: Amanda Jones — 21 (one 3-pointer), Madyson Hudspeth — 7 (one 3-pointer), Paige Childers — 5, Jessie Robbins — 1.

Three-point shots: Decatur 7, Mulberry 2.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Decatur’s Kaylee Morales (left) and Mulberry’s Sarah Lewis collide near the top of the key in the third quarter.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Decatur’s Abby Tilley tries to stop Mulberry’s Sarah Lewis during the first quarter of the Lady Bulldogs-Lady Yellow Jackets game on Feb. 9.