(Feb. 22, 2013) The Stephen Decatur girls’ basketball team earned two major wins at the close of its regular season, and the Lady Seahawks are now pumped up and ready for 3A East Regional tournament competition next week.
Decatur hosted the undefeated Parkside Rams last Thursday and sent their rivals home with a two-point loss.
“It was a huge win for us,” Coach Amy Fenzel-Mergott said after Decatur’s 62-60 victory. “I was so proud of my girls and how they played.”
Parkside held a 13-12 advantage at the end of the first quarter and led 31-28 at the halftime break.
The Rams went into the fourth quarter on top 48-40.
Fenzel-Mergott kept senior captain Abbey Schorr and freshman Dayona Godwin on the bench in the third quarter because of foul trouble, but the two returned to the court in the fourth.
“Abbey came alive and started running the floor and they couldn’t contain Dayona. They kept fouling her and she made her shots,” Fenzel-Mergott said.
The home team chipped away at the lead, outscoring Parkside 22-12 in the final eight minutes for the come-from-behind victory.
“We kept our composure at the end of the game,” the coach said. “I knew our defense was going to win the game for us. We were so smart on defense.”
Sophomore Ali Beck was given the job of guarding Parkside senior Makya Alexander, who scored 36 points when the two teams previously met. Beck held her to 12 points Thursday.
Schorr netted 29 points and had eight rebounds. Godwin recorded 19 points and six assists.
Fenzel-Mergott was also pleased with her players’ performance two days later on the road against the Indian River Indians. Decatur led 12-4 after the first quarter and 22-17 at halftime. The Seahawks added 20 points in the third quarter and held the Indians to 12. The visitors won 61-48.
“I was impressed with the girls’ hustle that game. We did a lot of really good things,” Fenzel-Mergott said.
Schorr needed 26 points to earn her 1,000th career point. She finished the game with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Godwin contributed with 13 points and six steals.
The Seahawks go into the post-season 20-2. Decatur received the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye and will host the winner of today’s game between the No. 10 James M. Bennett Clippers and No. 7 Wilde Lake Wildcats on Monday at 5 p.m.
Playing at home offers a significant advantage to the Seahawks, Fenzel-Mergott said.
“We’re going to take one game at a time. We were 20-2 and now we’re back to 0-0,” she said. “We look really good. Our press is becoming more effective, we’re rebounding better and we’re making shots we missed in the past. The girls are doing really well and I’m proud of them.”
