Bulldog seniors notch victory in final home game
DECATUR — In their final appearance at Peterson Gym Feb. 9, Taylor Haisman, Levi Newman, Garry Woods and Alex Lee ended the 2017-18 Decatur Bulldogs regular basketball season in style with a big win over the Mulberry Yellow Jackets, 41-34.
From the opening tipoff, the Bulldogs established their dominance by overwhelming the Mulberry defense, going on a 16-5 run and amassing an 11-point margin going into the second quarter.
The game settled into a slow rhythm for the remainder of the first half and much of the second.
With 30 seconds left to play in the game, Mulberry pulled to within two points of Decatur. When Haisman was fouled and sent to the free-throw line, he missed both shots, giving Mulberry a chance to tie the contest. But in the Yellow Jackets’ haste to regain possession of the ball, they fouled Haisman once again. He missed the first shot but sank the second, putting Decatur up by three.
The third time was the charm as Haisman was quickly fouled once again. This time he sank both shots, putting the Bulldogs on top by five with less than 10 seconds remaining. Ultimately, Ryan Ross put the icing on the victory cake by sinking both of his free throws and sealing the deal for the Bulldogs.
When the clock wound down to zero, the celebration began for the Decatur Bulldogs, having taken the win over the Mulberry Yellow Jackets, 41-34.
For Coach John Unger, this game was a bittersweet ending to his coaching of players he watched cut their teeth on a basketball when they were seventh-graders.
“It was great to send the seniors out with a win in their last home game,” Unger said. “These four seniors — Alex, Levi, Garry and Taylor — have improved throughout the year and are leading our basketball team right now in a positive way.”
All season long, Unger and his team have faced adversity as they played stronger and more experienced teams this season. The Mulberry game was an example of the never give-up spirit that is the Decatur Bulldogs.
“We came out tonight and controlled the tempo on both ends of the floor and were able to score on the offensive end tonight,” said Unger. “We have been playing our best basketball of the season lately, which is our goal. We are looking forward to the district tournament this week and hope to make the regional tournament the following week.”
Next stop for the Decatur Bulldogs, the 1A Northwest district tournament in Alpena, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 12.
Decatur ……………… 16 4 12 9 — 41 Mulberry …………… 5 6 12 11 — 34
Decatur: Taylor Haisman, 13 points (1-3), 12 rebounds; Levi Newman, 12 points, 3 rebounds; Ryan Ross, 8 points, 3 rebounds; Garry Woods, 6 points, 9 rebounds; Cayden Bingham, 2 points, 1 rebound.