Decatur Outlasts Pocomoke, 77-74

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's varsity basketball team avenged an earlier loss to county rival Pocomoke last Thursday, beating the Warriors, 77-74, to maintain a firm grasp of second place in the Bayside South.

Pocomoke handed the Seahawks their first conference loss of the season back on January 5 and the two teams have battled back and forth for second place in the Bayside South for much of the second half of the season. The other county high school, Snow Hill, leads the Bayside South conference with a narrow one-game lead over Decatur, which split two games with the Eagles this year.

Last Thursday, Decatur squared off again with Pocomoke in a game that went back and forth all night, much like the season has been for the two teams. Decatur led early, but Pocomoke rallied to tie the score at the end of the first quarter. The teams were tied again at 34-34 at the half after a topsy-turvy second quarter.

Pocomoke started the third quarter with a 7-0 run to go ahead, 41-34, but Decatur answered with a 9-0 run of its own to retake the lead at 43-41. The Seahawks entered the fourth quarter with a five-point lead, but Pocomoke rallied again and retook the lead. The two teams went back and forth during a relentless fourth quarter before Decatur took the lead with just under a minute remaining in the game.

Pocomoke got a good look at a tying shot as time expired, but the shot failed and Decatur escaped with the three-point win. The win improved Decatur's record to 14-3 overall including a 13-2 conference mark. The Seahawks were scheduled to play Wicomico last night in a game that was iffy because of ongoing snow-related cancellations. Decatur's next scheduled game is against Kent County next Tuesday.