Seahawks Win First Tournament Game

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur’s boys’ varsity basketball team upheld it end of the bargain on the first day of the inaugural Governor’s Challenge this week, beating Woodbridge, 50-47, for one of just three wins by Maryland teams on Day One.

Decatur competed this week in the first annual Governor’s Challenge at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center this week. The inaugural event features many of the top high school basketball teams from Maryland’s Eastern Shore and beyond, along with many of the top programs in Delaware.

While some of the games featured teams playing against other teams from the same state, most featured battles between schools from Maryland and Delaware with regional bragging rights on the line. A total of 29 teams were scheduled to compete in the first-ever event, but a handful dropped out before the tournament started because of the snowstorm that blanketed the region last weekend.

Decatur opened the tournament on Tuesday night with a 50-47 win over Woodbridge of Delaware. Matt Swistak led the Seahawks with 14 points. On the tournament’s first day, Delaware teams collected four wins in the head-to-head competition, while Maryland picked up three wins.

The tournament was held over three days from Tuesday to Thursday with several games involving high profile programs from both states. In its second scheduled game, Decatur faced Frederick Douglass, another Maryland school, last night in a game played too late to be included in this edition.

The Seahawks entered the holiday tournament with a 3-2 overall record after beating Crisfield, 65-52, last Tuesday in its last regular season game before the holiday break. The Seahawks hit the ground running after the holiday break with four straight road games including a pair against Worcester County rivals Snow Hill and Pocomoke next Monday and Tuesday. After those tough road games, Decatur faces Mardela and Wicomico on the road before their next home game on January 13 against Washington.