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Schools

Decatur High Sweeps Westminster

Five games are left in the regular season before the Bulldogs host the regional tournament.

After an excruciating defeat Friday to South Atlanta, ’s boys needed an easy win Saturday afternoon, the hoops equivalent of cruise control.

Of course they didn’t get it, at least not the easy part. Nothing has been easy for this team which has had 10 games decided by six points or less or by overtime. In that regard, Saturday was merely the next verse, same as the first.

The Bulldogs came from nine points behind midway through the third quarter to beat Westminster 48-45 at the Spike. It took what was in all likelihood Kurtis Robinson’s best performance, as the 6-2 senior scored 22 points on 8 for 15 shooting from the field, had six assists, five blocks, nine rebounds and a season’s low three turnovers.

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Indeed, Decatur committed a season’s low nine turnovers as a team, a crucial statistic since the Bulldogs needed every possession they could muster on this day. 

Westminster actually had two desperate three-point attempts to tie in final five seconds and both missed badly.

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Meanwhile Decatur’s girls, ranked in the state’s AA top 10 in the two most important polls (fifth in AP and eighth in the Coaches Poll) steamrolled Westminster 68-25. 

The Lady Bulldogs led only 12-11 five minutes into the game before closing out the half with a 28-6 run for a 40-17 halftime lead. led Decatur with 26 points while Jordan Dillard had 17.

Decatur is now destined for its third consecutive winning season after years and years of futility. When current coach Bill Roberts took over the program last season, Decatur’s record for the six years prior to his arrival was 40-85 including an 0-18 season in 2006-07.

This season Decatur’s average margin of victory is 39.7 points and there are now whispers of the Lady Dogs as a potential Final Four candidate.

The boys have had no such luxurious blowouts, although the steady stream of nail-biting, down-to-wire finishes may pay off down the road.

Decatur (boys and girls) have five regular-season games remaining before hosting the six-day (Feb. 13-18) extravaganza, the Region 6-AA tournament at the Spike.

On Saturday the boys trailed 34-25 with 4:03 left in the third, when coach Charlie Copp, for one of the rare times this year, decided to use a 2-2-1 three-quarters zone press.

“We had to try something different,” he said. “We needed to speed up the game, to get [Westminster] out of their comfort zone of running half-court sets.”

The gratification was instantaneous. Decatur closed the quarter with a 10-2 blitz, highlighted by Kurt’s slip-around pass to Jacob Fortenberry for one score, a laser pass left to Desmond Tuft for a three pointer, then his own drive where he split two defenders, laid the ball in, drew the foul and converted the free throw for an old-school three.

“I told Kurt he was like a Picasso tonight,” assistant coach Omar Collington said. “Pretty as a picture.”

Decatur is now 9-11 while Westminster falls to 7-12. The Westminster girls are 6-13.

The Bulldogs play at Therrell Tuesday, the girls at 5:30 p.m., the boys at 7 p.m.

 

 

 

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