BERLIN- Stephen Decatur’s girls’ varsity basketball team avenged an early season loss to Mardela in dramatic fashion on Monday, beating the Warriors, 40-36, on a late free throw by a freshman to pull within one game of the conference leaders with just a handful of games remaining.
Mardela entered Monday’s contest unbeaten on the season with a two-game advantage over the Seahawks in the Bayside South standings. When the Warriors left the Decatur gym on Monday night, they had suffered their first defeat and had the Seahawks nipping at their heals just one game back on the conference with a few games remaining. Mardela beat Decatur back on December 11 in a game much closer than the final score indicated.
The rematch was postponed twice over the last two weeks because of snow and school cancellations, adding more drama to the highly anticipated contest on Monday before a big bipartisan crowd at Decatur. The two teams battled back and forth throughout, setting up the dramatic conclusion.
With the game tied at 36-36 in the fourth quarter, Decatur freshman Lexi VanKirk grabbed a rebound in traffic and was fouled. Before Lexie VanKirk stepped to the line, she got a strong dose of encouragement and a calming influence from her sister Payton VanKirk, a junior who was also on the floor. Lexie VanKirk then banked home her first free throw, touching off the wild celebration on the floor and in the stands, even though she still had one foul shot to attempt.
That foul shot fell short, but the Seahawks had gained an advantage over the Warriors with the clock running down. Mardela’s star player Demyra Selby drove the length of the court and hard to the basket, but the Decatur defense was stout and drew a charge. On the ensuing inbound pass, Rachel Florek and Jillian Petito broke the Mardela press and got the ball to Lexie VanKirk, who found Payton VanKirk open for a lay-up and a 39-36 lead.
After a missed shot by Mardela, Dayona Godwin was fouled and made the front end of a one-and-one to extend the lead to 40-36. Mardela fired off one more long desperation shot that missed the mark, touching off a wild celebration that included the Decatur fans rushing the court.
The Seahawks followed Monday’s dramatic win with a victory over Crisfield on Tuesday, and Mardela also won in convincing fashion over Snow Hill on Tuesday. Mardela is now 15-1 overall, including an 11-1 conference mark, while Decatur is 12-3 overall with a 9-2 record in the Bayside South. Also in the mix is Pocomoke, which has an 8-2 conference record. Mardela and Pocomoke face each other one more time this season, setting up the possibility of two or more teams tied for the Bayside South title.