By Robert Morgan | Published Thursday, February 12, 2009
When the Decatur and Bridgeport high school boys' basketball teams met three weeks ago, the Eagles needed a late run to get past a sharp-shooting Bulls team.
Decatur tightened things up in the rematch Friday night and did not give Bridgeport many open looks at the baskets. That played a role in the Bulls' poor shooting, and Decatur cruised to a 65-35 home victory.
DHS' Brad Gamm had the chore of guarding Chase Pemberton, one of the top players in District 5-3A. The senior helped limit Pemberton to just nine points, and the Bulls shot 19 percent from the floor.
The defensive work and Bridgeport's offensive struggles had everything to do with the outcome. The Eagles blew the game open in the third quarter where they shot 60 percent from the floor and took a 20-point lead at the end of a 17-9 run.
"Brad did a great job on Chase. Chase is a great player, and one that is hard to contain," said DHS coach Roger Brown. "My guys really 'D-ed it up tonight and I could not be prouder of them."
Bridgeport coach Brandt Lockhart said shooting was the difference.
"We did not shoot the ball well tonight," he said. "Decatur shot the ball well in the third quarter and was able to extend the lead."
The win allowed the Eagles to hold a firm grip on third place while moving to 5-2 in league play and 16-8 for the season. Bridgeport was eliminated from playoff contention as it dropped to 1-6 and 7-12, respectively.
Decatur got the kind of start it wanted as it scored 11 of the first 13 points. Jordan Rawle, a 6-foot-8-inch post, scored the first two baskets, and Jarrod Morris buried a three-pointer to give the hosts an 8-0 lead.
Pemberton ended Bridgeport's silence when he scored on a jumper with 2:37 left in the opening quarter to erase the shut out. That was the start of a crucial run for the visitors who eventually pulled within two points.
After falling behind 11-2, the Bulls took advantage of seven straight missed shots by Decatur. Kyle Parker scored four points, and Collin White netted a three-pointer to pull Bridgeport within two points at 13-11 with 4:53 left in the first half.
The Eagles were not quiet for long thanks to Morris. The senior helped close the second quarter on a 14-5 run with four baskets. Cade Isham also swished a three-pointer to put Decatur in front 27-16 at halftime.
Morris set the tone for the second half when he buried a three-pointer to start things off. He hit a second trey two minutes later to give DHS its biggest lead at 36-19 with 5:45 left in the third quarter.
The Bulls never answered as they made just two of 14 shots in the third quarter - one by Daniel Scott and one via Eddy Brumley. The other seven points came at the free-throw line as Decatur extended its lead to 46-25 through three quarters.
The Eagles put the finishing touches on the 30-point win by scoring a game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Decatur, which shot 45 percent for the game, was led by a game-high 27 points from Morris. Isham added 16 points and five assists. Rawle posted nine points, while Drew Vrba had five and Gamm had two.
Bridgeport was paced by Pemberton's 10 rebounds and nine points. White finished with eight points, while Parker had seven. Brumley had five, Jason Mitchell and Scott had two each, and John Arrington and Jace Hudson had one each.
