Bridgeport’s Owen Jones scored 22 points to help lead the Bulls (17-17, 7-7) to a 77-55 District 7-4A finale win over Decatur Tuesday, tying the Bulls for fourth place with Lake Worth. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER
The Bridgeport Bulls will have one more shot to get into the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Bridgeport (17-17, 7-7) trailed by 3 after the first quarter, but used a 55-34 run down the stretch to knock off rival Decatur 77-55 in the teams’ second District 7-4A Battle of Big Sandy matchup Tuesday at Bridgeport High School, earning the sweep in the league series against the Eagles.
“That was a huge win for us,” Bridgeport coach Joshua Johnson said. “When I first moved to town, I met with a few of the guys and they told me three teams they really wanted to beat — Springtown, Boyd and Decatur. So this win really brings that full-circle for us.”
Decatur held an early 21-18 advantage on the Bulls’ home court, led by eight points from the Eagles’ Garrett Jaco.
“They got us down early,” Coach Johnson said. “It was our Senior Night, so we started our four seniors. But then we made some subs, and were able to go on a run.”
Bridgeport’s offense came alive behind Julius Johnson, who scored nine during the Bulls 19-11 second-half run, allowing the home team to take a 37-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Johnson led all scorers in the contest with 25 points.
“He may be my kid, but Julius is the real deal,” Coach Johnson said. “He’s currently No. 1 in made free throws in the state (223), but he didn’t get to the line that much. I thought he was aggressive in picking his spots and getting guys involved.”
Bridgeport’s largest offensive run came at the start of the second half. Led by Blake Morrow’s 11 points in the third quarter, the Bulls put up 28 points, while limiting Decatur to just nine.
The Bulls’ lead weathered the storm in the final 8 minutes, as Decatur finished with a 14-12 run.
Owen Jones was second on the team in scoring with 22 points, along with nine rebounds.
“Owen was huge for us all over the glass,” Coach Johnson said. “He got a few putbacks early on, as well as couple and-ones. He’s very special defensively and can guard anyone on the court, and we’re still finding out who he can be offensively. But his presence around the basket alters shots.”
Morrow also reached double-digit points in the win, tallying 19 — including a pair of 3-pointers and a 3-of-4 night at the free throw line.
The Bulls will take the court for a fourth-place tiebreaker against Lake Worth 6:30 p.m. Friday at Mineral Wells High School.
Lake Worth (11-17, 7-7) suffered a 51-44 league finale loss to Eagle Mountain Tuesday.
Bridgeport split its 7-4A series against the Bullfrogs. Lake Worth claimed a 62-61 overtime win in the teams’ first meeting January 13 at Bridgeport High School, while the Bulls earned a 63-57 road win Feb. 6.
“Lake Worth is tough, and their point guard [Braylen Fridia] is as good of a downhill player that I’ve seen in 20 years coaching basketball,” Coach Johnson said. “They’re athletic, but they’re not super-skilled. I think we’re able to speed things up and get after them. We lost to them at our house, and I think we took them for granted in that game. We had got hit with the flu and were down a starter, but they just battled us… Our plan is that we’re going to throw the kitchen sink at them and pressure them hard outside their point and their big.”
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