Decatur Girls Topple Lovett 41-38

Decatur High girls coach Bill Roberts called Saturday’s 41-38 victory over Lovett one of the biggest regular-season triumphs of his career, and without question it was a milestone achievement for Decatur’s girls program.

Decatur had lost five in a row to Lovett, and 13 of the last 14 games, the only victory during that span coming almost three years ago. Some of those games were close, like the triple-overtime loss two years ago when Queen Alford, then a junior, scored 40 points. But most were not, with Lovett’s average margin of victory 10.6 points.

Further Lovett is ranked seventh in AAA this year, and is coming off a season where it went 28-5 in capturing the AA state championship.

“I told our kids we’ve spent the last three years talking about reaching that elite level,” Roberts said. “Today we showed that we belonged there.”

Perhaps the most impressive facet about Saturday is that it really wasn’t as close as the final score indicates.

Decatur never trailed and Lovett didn’t get its first field goal until 40 seconds into the second quarter. Using a devastating mix of 2-3 and 3-2 zones, Decatur opened up a 21-10 lead at halftime, with Lovett shooting only 3 of 25 from the field (12 percent) including 0 for 14 in the first quarter.

Those zones proved deadly in combatting Lovett’s significant size advantage including a front line that went 6-4, 6-3 and 6-1, and boasts two Division I signees in post Sydney Umeri (Virginia) and forward Taylor Brown (Princeton).

“In the 3-2 I’m playing in the front-middle,” said senior Jordan Dillard, who finished with 21 points including 11 of 15 from the foul line, and who’s going to Villanova herself. “But with either zone we’re trying to pack it in and I think it worked to perfection. They didn’t get anything in the paint and they didn’t get anything in transition because we always got back.”

But Lovett, which still trailed 32-22 after three quarters, did get back in the game. In part the Lady Bulldogs can only blame themselves. 

When Lovett, trailing 32-27, went to the fouling game with about five minutes left (three of its players eventually fouled out), Decatur had a stretch of missing 8 of 14 free throws, including five in a row. Freshman point guard sensation Jayla Morrow, though she finished with 12 points, had only one in the second half and wore down noticeably as her strained hamstring tightened up. 

The Lady Bulldogs also committed 20 turnovers, many of those in the fourth quarter when Lovett went man-to-man and applied more pressure, prompting Roberts to say, “We have to get better with the basketball. That’s been a problem all season.”

Lovett actually had a chance to tie the game with Umeri at the foul line and 17.2 seconds left, but she missed the first and could only cut it to 39-38 when she made the second shot.

Lovett, inexplicably, waited nearly 12 seconds before fouling Dillard with 5.7 seconds left. She ended Decatur’s free-throw drought, hitting both and sealing the victory.

Though Lovett did hit 6 of 19 three pointers, with five of those makes coming in the second half, overall it shot only 13 of 53 (25 percent), a testament to Roberts’ zone strategy.

Meantime the boys had five players in double figures in polishing off Lovett 79-63, the most points a Decatur’s team’s scored in at least 10 years.

After a painfully slow start the night before, Decatur dominated this one from the beginning, opening up a 20-5 lead after the first 6:20.

“We came out with great energy, and I’m real happy about that,” said Coach Charlie Copp. “Our transition offense was very good tonight and so was our ball movement.”

Decatur’s ball movement has improved noticeably over the last several games. On Saturday the team had a total 13 assists, its fourth straight game in double figures. Further, the Bulldogs had one of their better shooting nights in recent years, making 32 of 65 from the field (49 percent), including a season’s high six three-pointers (6 for 19 for 32 percent).

Point guard Kendall Ford had another superlative night coming off the bench with 18 points and two assists. Cordele Jackson, though once again in foul trouble and sitting for long stretches, had 15 points and six rebounds, while Murad Dillard had 10 points and seven rebounds. Davante Meadows had another excellent shooting night with 13 points, making 6 of 8 from the floor, and has totaled 16 of 21 in his last two games.

Both Decatur teams are 10-4, while Lovett’s girls and boys fall to 7-6 and 2-8 respectively.

From here on every game’s within Region 6-AAA beginning Tuesday at Cross Keys (boys at 5:30 p.m., girls at 7 p.m.), followed by Friday at home against Cedar Grove (boys 5:30 p.m., girls 7 p.m.) and Saturday at home against St. Pius X (girls 5:30 p.m., boys 7 p.m).