(Jan. 18, 2013) Stephen Decatur boys’ basketball Coach Mark Engle was impressed with the Seahawks’ performance against the Parkside Rams last Friday in Berlin. Decatur won the match, 62-58.
“We had a two- to four-point lead the whole game. It was a good, solid well-played game, by far our best game to date,” Engle said. “Our assist-to-turnover ratio was 18-12, which is huge because we’ve been on the flip side of that for a long time, and it’s not going to win you a lot of games. It was a good win for us.”
The Seahawks led 15-9 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams tallied 14 points in the second and Decatur went into the break on top 29-23. Each team tacked on 16 points in the third. Parkside outscored Decatur 19-17 in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to take over the lead.
“We worked on defense and controlling the tempo of the game, and I think we did a good job. We held them to 58 points and they’re a good team,” Engle said.
Senior captain Jesse Engle scored 19 points and had eight assists. Tyler Hunter, a junior, logged 18 points and 15 rebounds.
On Tuesday, the James M. Bennett Clippers traveled to Berlin. The visitors won the game, 68-61.
Engle said three factors led to the Seahawks downfall: foul trouble, defensive breakdowns and offensive put-backs on the opponent’s part. “A couple things like that in a close game can cost you,” he said.
Jesse Engle netted a three-pointer to put Decatur on the board just 25 seconds into the game. A minute later, Bennett answered with a three and another fell about 40 seconds later.
The Clippers pulled ahead 9-3, but the Seahawks fought back. Senior Cameron Gaynor and Engle sank foul shots to cut the lead to three.
Gaynor scored a lay-up and was fouled in the process. He hit his free throw to even the match 9-9. Bennett led 13-9 at the end of the first quarter.
In the final seconds of the second quarter, the Clippers led 28-23. Engle’s shot from the three-point line fell, cutting Bennett’s advantage to 28-26 with eight seconds left in the half. At the buzzer, the visiting team netted a three and went into the break ahead 31-26.
Decatur outscored Bennett 14-13 in the third quarter, but the Clippers came out on top 24-21 in the fourth to secure the victory.
Engle had 22 points and five assists, and Gaynor scored 17.
“Overall, I thought we played well. We’re moving in the right direction; we just need to do it a little faster,” Coach Engle said.
The Seahawks are scheduled to host the Wi-Hi Indians at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
