Lady Bulldog season ends with loss
DANVILLE — “Butter, Butter!” was the play Fess Thompson, Decatur girls’ basketball coach, shouted as the Decatur Lady Bulldogs completed the final practice session at the middle school gym in Decatur Feb. 19 prior to leaving for the first round of the West Regional Tournament in Danville Feb. 20.
The sounds of squeaking tennis shoes and bouncing basketballs filled the air as the Lady Bulldogs, along with five of their Bulldog counterparts, went through an intense 90-minute practice session.
The Lady Bulldogs earned the regional playoff berth when they defeated Haas Hall in the first round of the 2A Region 1 district tournament in Yellville Feb. 11. After losing to Flippin by two points in round two, Decatur faced longtime rival Eureka Springs in the third-place round Feb.15. That contest went to the Lady Highlanders, moving the Lady Bulldogs into the fourth seed possession in the regional tournament.
The team made the three-hour, 176-mile trip to Danville Feb. 20 to play in the opening round one of the 2A West Regional tournament. At stake was a state playoff berth. The task ahead was a daunting one. Decatur had to defeat the number-one seeded Lavaca Lady Golden Arrows.
After a pep talk by Coach Thompson, the Lady Bulldogs hit the court for warmup and a little shooting practice. Then it was time to play basketball.
Control of the opening tipoff went to the Lady Bulldogs’ Kaylee Morales, who drove the ball downcourt to the Decatur basket. The Lady Bulldogs’ shot attempt failed and the rebound was picked up by the Lady Golden Arrows. Lavaca put up a free throw at the 7:30 mark in the first quarter for the first point of the contest. The Lady Golden Arrows were fouled on the next possession and another free throw hit its mark, giving Lavaca a 2-0 lead. Skaggs was fouled at the seven-minute mark, sending her to the line. She missed her first but sank the second, giving the Lady Bulldogs their first point of the night.
Decatur kept pace through much of the quarter, but Lavaca hit a series of shots that moved them ahead, 1811, by quarter’s end.
The Golden Arrows held the Lady Bulldogs to three points in the second quarter and extended their lead to 15 by halftime.
Decatur worked hard to stay in the contest during the second half, but the Lady Golden Arrows were able to hit the goal repeatedly and Lavaca defeated the Lady Bulldogs, 57-32, to eliminate Decatur from the regional tournament and end Decatur’s state playoff dream.
Leading the scoring drive for the Lady Bulldogs was Sammie Skaggs with 15, followed by Annabelle Schopper with seven.
Also scoring for Decatur were Destiny Mejia with four, and Paige Vann and Abby Tilley, each with three.
In the locker room, a very somber Thompson tried to console his team.
“I failed all of you,” Thompson explained. “I should have done some things different, but I didn’t and I failed. But you all have achieved something that hadn’t been done in 20 years. You got to the regional tournament and, for that, I am very, very proud of each of you.”
The Decatur Lady Bulldogs finished the 2018-19 season with an overall record of 11-14, 6-4 in conference play, for one of the best seasons in more than 10 years. The Bulldogs will lose four of their key players, Sammie Skaggs, Paige Vann, Desi Meek and Savanna Dodson, to graduation in May. What remains is a strong and well-seasoned group of girls to pick up where this year’s Decatur Lady Bulldogs left off.