The Decatur High boys seemed to solve their early-game woes, roaring out to a 7-2 lead over Cedar Grove in the first four minutes Saturday night at the Decatur High Arena.
But for a team that’s often played exceptional basketball in the game’s final minutes, including two buzzer-beating victories in the last month, that opening stretch was the best the night would offer.
In the end Cedar Grove, probably the most versatile club Decatur’s faced all year, pressed, trapped, ran patient half court sets, ran at breakneck full-court tempos, slowed matters to a crawl and hit the offensive boards in a surprisingly easy 58-39 win.
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“We work very hard on changing tempos,” Cedar Grove coach James Martin said after the game. “Sometimes our players don’t understand why we have to slow it down. But I tell them, there are times when you want to play wild like a mangy ol’ dog, and other times you want to kick back like grandma on the front porch with her lemonade.”
Either way the taste proved sour to the Bulldogs who fell to 11-5 and 2-3 in the region.
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The Decatur girls, meanwhile, continued perfecting their various zones in beating Cedar Grove 43-22, running their record to 12-4 and 5-0.
The Lady Bulldogs, ranked 10th in the state, have a huge showdown today against third-ranked St. Pius X at home, 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
The boys game began as a wooly up-and down affair with Decatur still ahead 11-10 after one quarter. But with 6:55 left in the first half, Cedar Grove’s 6-3 guard Kenneth Lewis nailed a three pointer giving the Saints a 15-11 lead. It was Lewis’ first basket of the game, and the first of three three-pointers as he led all scorers with 23 points.
Late in the second quarter Cedar Grove had two possessions where it held the ball for nearly 90 seconds. By the time it sped the game up again, Decatur seemed paralyzed, as Cedar Grove finished the half with a 13-4 run over the final 4:35 to take a 30-21 lead at intermission.
“That really surprised me, when they all of sudden slowed it down,” Decatur senior post Brett Riley said. “I had no idea they were that disciplined. Those guys played their hearts out.”
But Decatur scored two quick baskets to open the second half, both on slashing drives from Cordele Jackson, who led the Bulldogs with 15 points, seven rebound and three blocks.
With 30 seconds gone Decatur was back within 30-25 and Martin called a timeout.
“I had to remind our guys of two things,” he said. “First we had to stop their high-ball screen. We don’t switch [on any screens], so we have to slide behind those screens and not get lost. Second, we had to shut down the drives in the lane.”
Cedar Grove did both. Jackson, who loves his wing and baseline drives, had only one more basket, a short bank with 2:15 left and the game already lost.
Meantime Cedar Grove went on another tear, this one to the tune of 15-4 in the third quarter’s final five minutes, including another three from Lewis, followed by steal and layup from Lewis.
“That kid (Lewis), he put all the nails in our coffin,” Riley said.
Decatur trailed by 16 (45-29) after three quarters, and though Bulldogs fans have become used to it, there was no comeback on this night. Cedar Grove once again slowed the tempo with about six minutes left, waited to get fouled and hit all 10 of its free throws in the game, including six in a row down the stretch.
The Bulldogs shot 14 for 53 from the field (26 percent) including 1 for 11 from outside the perimeter, partly a testimony to Cedar Grove’s rigorous man-to-man that included non-stop, frenetic trapping. Decatur also committed 19 turnovers, 14 of those in the second half.
The girls had an easy time of it, although that will change tonight in playing St. Pius, 12-3 and tied with Decatur for first in Region 6-AAA at 5-0. Earlier in the week Pius blistered 12th ranked Woodward 43-16.
On Friday, Decatur freshman forward Kayla Thomas was player of the game with nine points, nine rebounds and three steals. Senior Jordan Dillard had 14 points, four steals and four assists while senior Alana Johnson had nine points and six rebounds.
Decatur didn’t shoot well, only 35 percent from the floor (20 for 57) and also 35 percent from the foul line (6-17), but the Lady Bulldogs’ transition game and zone defense combinations proved overwhelming.
On Saturday, the Decatur-St. Pius boys games immediately follows the girls at 7 p.m.
