Decatur Boys Win First Game of Holiday Tournament

The Decatur High boys hit 11 of 12 fourth-quarter free throws in pulling away to a 59-45 victory over Johns Creek Thursday afternoon in the first round of Westminster’s Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament.

The Bulldogs advance to the second-round winners bracket where they’ll play the host school at 7:30 p.m. Friday. On Thursday evening Westminster ran its record to 6-3 with a 63-34 win over Lumpkin County.

Decatur’s victory may prove costly. With 5:51 left in the game point guard Kendall Ford, who’s led the team in scoring the last four games coming off the bench, sprained his right ankle when a John’s Creek player landed on it. Ford appears doubtful for at least the tournament’s duration.

Earlier in the day Decatur’s girls turned in a lackluster performance during a 51-48 loss to Paideia. The Lady Bulldogs drop into the losers bracket with 9 o’clock tipoff this morning against Pace Academy.

Ford, a senior transfer from Paideia, has been an undeniable spark in recent games, and it was no different Thursday.   He came off the bench and nailed a three-pointer with two minutes left in the first quarter giving Decatur a 9-8 lead.

John’s Creek opened up a 19-15 lead midway through the second quarter, but a monstrously-long three from Ford cut it to 19-18. Moments later he delivered a no-look pass to Davante Meandows putting Decatur ahead 20-19 with 3:20 left until halftime, a lead the Bulldogs never lost.

The Bulldogs overcame a stunning performance from Johns Creek’s 5-10 senior shooting guard Malik Avery, who pumped in 28 points (18 of those in the first half), including four three-pointers.

But otherwise, in running its record to 7-3, Decatur played possibly its best game so far, or as coach Charlie Copp said, “Tonight you could definitely see us improving.” There were several explicit examples of this:

*Playing against a 2-3 zone defense all game, Decatur displayed by far its best ball moment this season. Zones have mostly puzzled the Bulldogs this year, but on Thursday they continually made the extra pass, getting a number of good looks, particularly inside and on mid-range jumpers. This is still not a good three-point shooting team, making only 4 of 15 threes, with all the makes from Ford. But Decatur shot a respectable 46 percent overall including 17 of 31 (55 percent) on two pointers.

*For the first time this season Decatur had three players in double figures: Ford with 14 points (along with two assists), Adarius Lucas with 12 points and Meadows with 11, including 8 for 8 from the foul line, all in the fourth quarter. Cordele Jackson added six points and a team-high seven rebounds.

*Overall the Bulldogs hit 13 of 15 free throws (87 percent), by far their best effort this season.

*For the first time this season Decatur had a respectable turnover-to-assist ratio, with 12 assists and a season’s low 15 turnovers.

Meantime the Lady Bulldogs, in failing to shake off their post-holiday torpor, couldn’t stop turning it over, particularly early on.

Paideia, now 7-2, opened the game with a 19-9 run and never trailed, though Decatur tied it midway through the fourth. Decatur’s Jordan Dillard led both teams with 17 points, but she committed two quick fouls early in the fourth quarter while attempting to establish low-post position. She finally fouled out with 1:55 left and Decatur couldn’t catch up.

Jayla Morrow and Kayla Thomas added 9 and 8 points respectively for the Bulldogs.

“We overlooked Paideia and we shouldn’t have,” said Decatur coach Bill Roberts, whose team’s now 7-3. “We needed a close game and it taught us some things. Mostly it taught us we can’t come out and go through the motions. To be honest, it wouldn’t have helped us if we’d won. By losing, the lesson hit home the hardest.”

The Westminster tournament runs through Saturday. A win today for the boys puts them in Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. championship, a win for the girls puts them in Saturday’s fifth-place game at noon.