(Feb. 8, 2013) Turnovers and missed scoring opportunities proved costly for the Stephen Decatur boys’ basketball team during Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Jaguars in Princess Anne.
“We had 24 turnovers and we missed 11 free throws, that’s kind of the telling story right there,” said Decatur Coach Mark Engle after the Seahawks’ 50-46 loss to the Jaguars.
Washington led 11-7 at the end of the first quarter and went into the halftime break on top 22-15.
The home team had built a 41-32 advantage after three quarters of play. Decatur outscored its opponent 14-9 in the fourth quarter, but failed to pull ahead.
“We had a nice run in the last quarter. We were down by nine at the start of the fourth quarter and brought it down to two points, but we had a couple of crucial turnovers and at the end of the game our execution was weak,” Engle said. “Defensively, we were sharp, but we never really got into an offensive flow. We struggled to score 46. We were 3-for-14 from the free throw line and you’re not going to win a game shooting like that.”
Junior Tyler Hunter was Decatur’s top producer with 18 points and eight rebounds. PJ Copes, a junior, scored 10.
The Seahawks’ last home game of the season is set for 5:30 p.m. today, Friday, against the Snow Hill Eagles. Decatur’s seniors will be honored before the game.
The Berlin squad will wrap up regular-season competition next week with three games on the road. Decatur will play the Saint Michaels Saints on Tuesday, the Parkside Rams on Thursday and the Indian River Indians on Saturday.
“Over the last couple weeks, our defense has finally come along, it’s our offensive execution that’s just not sharp. And, turnovers have plagued us all season long,” Engle said. “We need to keep emphasizing fundamentals, passing and taking care of the basketball.”
