DECATUR — After wrapping up the 2A-4 Conference championship last week, Decatur boys basketball coach John Unger was in the gym looking at all the banners to try and find the last time the school won a conference championship.
Unger didn’t find one.
“I was told the last time Decatur won a conference championship was in 1976,” Unger said. “I was also told that this is the first time a Decatur basketball team has won 20 games.”
Yes, it’s been a good season so far for the Bulldogs (20-5, 13-1).
After failing to win a conference game a year ago, Decatur ran away with the conference championship, winning its last 13 games. The Bulldogs earned a bye to the semifinals of the district tournament, which begins today in Mountainburg.
Winning the conference championship also means the Bulldogs have already qualified for the regional tournament, which will be held in Magazine next week.
Sophomore Mario Urquidi leads the Bulldogs with 13 points a game, while Andrew Harris is averaging nine points. Harris also has 34 blocks as the Bulldogs are giving up just 30 points a game.
“It was a process, and it still is a process,” Unger said. “We are winning those close games. I think the kids can play a lot better. I think our best basketball is a head of us.”
Host Mountainburg is the top girls seed after going 13-1 in league games. Magazine also finished 13-1, but the Lady Dragons own the head-to-head tiebreaker for the first seed.
Mountainburg is 22-2 overall, and they are 53-5 the past two seasons.
Tara Webb and Maddy Backus are both averaging 13 points a game for Mountainburg. Destiny Web and Kelsey Nelson are adding eight and six points, respectively.
“We have kids that have played a lot of basketball,” Mountainburg coach Dan Garringer said. “These girls are capable of putting up 80, 90 points a game. In my 40 years of coaching, this is the best passing team that I have had.”
The Decatur girls are the No. 7 seed and will play Eureka Springs at 7 p.m. today.
Schedule
2A-4 West District Tournament
At Mountainburg
Girls
Monday
Game 1: No. 5 FS Union Christian vs. No. 8 Hartford, 4 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 Eureka Springs vs. No. 7 Decatur, 7 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3: No. 4 JC Westside vs. Winner Game 1, 4 p.m.
Game 4: No. 3 Hackett vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Game 5: No. 1 Mountainburg vs. Winner Game 3, 4 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Magazine vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 7 p.m.
Boys
Monday
Game 1: No. 5 Eureka Springs vs. No. 8 Hartford, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 Mountainburg vs. No. 7 FS Union Christian, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3: No. 4 Hackett vs. Winner Game 1, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 3 JC Westside vs. Winner Game 2, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 5: No. 1 Decatur vs. Winner Game 3, 5:30 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Magazine vs. Winner Game 4, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 5:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 8:30 p.m.