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Sports

DHS Boys Ambush Buford, Dodge Avondale

Bulldogs girls split midweek basketball games

Games at Buford High School often bring out the best in the Decatur High School boys team. The Bulldogs evidently spend the nearly one-hour commute to the most distant destination on the regular season schedule clearing their minds of all things non-basketball. That, or guzzling long-lasting energy drinks.

Super-charged DHS socked it to Buford 63-60 in overtime Tuesday, establishing a high-water mark in a season filled with wins, none of the signature variety until now.

Decatur was the designated opponent for Buford's basketball homecoming, a role usually reserved for a patsy. The Bulldogs, refusing to play the part,  took down the ninth-ranked team in the Class AA coaches poll and tied it for second place in the sub-region (6-A). 

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They, not the Wolves, were hungry like the wolf, chasing down 10 offensive rebounds in the first half alone. If not for a pandemic of missed layups, their halftime lead of four would have been far more substantial

Trumon Jefferson floated in a pair of three-points from the parking lot -- or so it appeared, though they were really launched from about 25 feet -- and the Bulldogs surged on top by eight in the third quarter.

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But it was Buford who seemed to benefit from the doubly long halftime break to accommodate a parade of homecoming queen candidates.

The Wolves, offensively passive until then, came out guns a'blazing and built a seven-point cushion in the fourth quarter. Things looked bleak for the Bulldogs, especially with B.J. Fisher burdened with four fouls.

To the rescue came Quendarius "QuenD" Hall. DHS's sixth man, who usually winds up with more minutes than most starters, was stupendous down the stretch. On defense, he hawked the Buford point guard. On offense, his drives to the rim flummoxed the Wolves.

Hall's layup leveled the score at 51-51 with two minutes left. His assist on Fisher's gimme just before the buzzer made it 55-55 and added four minutes to the night.

Then Jefferson, who concluded with 24 points, took the controls on offense, scoring six in overtime. DHS clamped down on Buford's big man, the 6-foot-6  T.J. Snipes (22 points), and prevented potential game-tying threes to close out its primo win of the season.

Hall scored 12, Fisher 10.

A letdown the following night at home against Avondale High was inevitable -- and nearly fatal. In a makeup game from last month's Snowpocalypse,  DHS trailed nearly for the duration but salvaged a 40-37 win over the pesky Blue Devils.

Jefferson, who played every last second at Buford, was pulled out in the opening quarter marked by DHS lethargy and watched his teammates fumble around on offense. He was inserted late in the first half, which ended with Decatur in arrears 19-14.

Jefferson's dunk hoisted DHS on top 20-19, but Avondale began raining threes and seized back the lead, holding it until deep into the 11th hour.

Fisher's rebound basket with 50 seconds remaining put the home team up for keeps 38-37, and the forgettable night finished with two Jefferson free throws inside the final second. He scored 19, nearly half of the DHS points.

With the contrasting three-point wins, the Bulldogs tote a 16-6 record into Friday's game at Greater Atlanta Christian, the sub-region leader and fourth-ranked in the Class AA statewide. 

The DHS girls, ranked 10th in Class AA, made no hay from the absence of Buford standout Kaela Davis (hip injury) Tuesday and bowed 51-27.

The Bulldogs stayed competitive through the first quarter, which ended 12-9 in their disfavor, but watched the No. 2 Wolves sprint out of reach.

Queen Alford, Decatur's prolific scorer, squeezed out only 10 points, though she did retrieve 13 rebounds. 

DHS recovered the following night, albeit against far inferior competition, and waltzed past Avondale 76-13. The outcome was clear by halftime, which ended 38-9.

Alford rediscovered her touch, scoring 24. Shan Rivers accounted for 17 points, Sara Payne 13.

The Bulldogs risk their 17-5 record Friday at Greater Atlanta Christian, rated eight in AA.

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