(Jan. 23, 2015) The Stephen Decatur Lady Seahawks were looking forward to Tuesday’s rematch with the Mardela girls’ basketball team after falling to the Warriors, 72-63, on Dec. 9 in Berlin.
The Seahawks were pumped up for that early-December contest and the crowd was enthusiastic, but as shots failed to fall, it affected their game. They also got into foul trouble early.
“As a team, we didn’t shoot well. We didn’t do the things we normally do well,” Decatur Coach Amy Fenzel-Mergott said after the Dec. 9 competition.
At the halfway point of the season, after last Tuesday’s 68-26 victory over the James M. Bennett Clippers, Fenzel-Mergott said, “things are starting to come together.”
When the Seahawks traveled to Mardela Springs to battle the Warriors this week, they had a game plan, which included stopping Mardela’s fast breaks, being aggressive on offense and pressing on defense.
Points were traded in the first quarter and after eight minutes, the score was tied 16-16. Decatur outscored Mardela 18-11 in the second quarter to go into the halftime break with a 34-27 lead.
The visiting Seahawks tacked on 18 points in the third quarter and held the Warriors to nine, increasing their advantage to 52-36.
Mardela chipped away at Decatur’s lead in the fourth quarter, but the Seahawks held off the charge to secure a 60-54 victory.
The difference between the first and second match-ups, Fenzel-Mergott said, “is that by this point in the season, we are all on the same page, playing well together.”
“In December, it was the second game of the season,” she added. “Also mentally, we were a lot more relaxed this game. Strategically, we stuck to our game plan; stop their fast break and make our easy shots.”
Junior Dayona Godwin led Decatur with 21 points. Freshman Amya Mumford scored 11.
“We played excellent the first 28 minutes to a 20-point lead, then hung on for the victory,” Fenzel-Mergott said. “This win is huge. It puts us back in the running for a Bayside [Conference] championship…From here we will continue to take one game at a time.”
Decatur will take a trip to Delaware to play the Indian River Indians on Saturday at 2 p.m. On Monday, the Crisfield Crabbers will come to Berlin for a 4 p.m. game.
