Central Decatur rolls through Mormon Trail in first round

LEON – Class 1A No. 12 Central Decatur dominated Mormon Trail with a 61-11 win Thursday night in the first round of the Class 1A Region 7 bracket.

Mormon Trail entered the game 1-20 on the season, while the Cardinals were 18-2 and on an eight-game win streak.

Central Decatur head coach Curtis Boothe said finding intensity was key as it can be difficult to avoid looking past a struggling Saints team.

“We played a very competitive season, and you get an easier first-round game or a bye, but it is (difficult),” Boothe said. “We were kind of flat coming out. We wanted the score to be in our favor, but we wanted to do it the right way. ... I think we kind of played a little tentative at the beginning of the game.”

With a quiet gym, the Cardinals opened the game with the press while Alaina Applegate knocked down three shots to take a 6-1 lead. A three from Grace Ann Bellon cut the game to a 7-4 deficit for Mormon Trail.

Boothe said the Cardinals had the opportunities for jump shots with the Saints’ defense sagging off of ball handlers, but they weren’t taking the shots.

Despite not attacking from the perimeter often, Central Decatur continued to stretch the lead with a 6-3 run to end the quarter, going up 13-7.

“We weren’t really going in (thinking) we were going to have to press,” said Boothe. “But, we we pressed just to get our intensity up a little bit, just after a lackluster first quarter.”

The Cardinals’ defense shut Mormon Trail down in the second quarter, not allowing a point in the frame while putting up 18 points.

Eight different Cardinals got in on the scoring action, with four shooting free throws.

Coming out in the second half, the Cardinals knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers from Hallee Hamilton and Riley Bell with a field goal in response from Mormon Trail’s Skylar Watsabaugh.

Watsabaugh’s two points were the lone Saints points in the quarter. Central Decatur rolled the rest of the quarter, putting up 20 total points.

With the large lead, Boothe rotated the five starters in-and-out with the reserves throughout the second half.

“We probably (don’t rotate) that often with five and five,” said Boothe. “We were just trying to get some reps out of some people, and get plenty of playing time and not overdo it.”

Finishing the game, the Cardinals held Mormon Trail to two points in the fourth quarter, accounting for four points in the second half.

Bell led the team in scoring with 13 points, grabbing seven rebounds and recording two blocks. Applegate put up 12 points for second on the team and added five rebounds with three assists to her line.

Boothe said having four seniors coming back off a postseason run in 2019 is a good thing to have for the team.

“They all played in some capacity or another, so they know what it’s going to take to get to the next round,” said Boothe. “They understand the position we’re in, so we’re leaning on the team a lot to make sure we practice the right way, prepare and are mentally focused before we step on the court for our Regional game.”

UP NEXT – Central Decatur hosts Lenox Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the second round of the Class 1A Region 7 bracket.

Central Decatur 61, Mormon Trail 11

CD (61) — 13 18 20 10

MT (11) — 7 0 2 2

MORMON TRAIL (FG FT PTS) — Totals —4 2-5 11. Miah Roberts 1 1-2 3, Grace Ann Bellon 1 0-0 3, Chelsea Johnson 1 1-2 3, Skylar Watsabaugh 1 0-0 2. 3-point goals — 1 (Bellon). Team fouls — 14. Fouled out — None.

CENTRAL DECATUR (FG FT PTS) — Totals — 23 11-18 61. Riley Bell 5 2-2 13, Alaina Applegate 4 2-2 12, Hallee Hamilton 2 2-5 6, Lauren Saxton 2 0-0 5, Mara Dykes 2 1-1 5, Harrisen Bevan 2 0-0 4, Eily Hall 2 0-0 4, Layni Masters 1 0-0 3, Kylee Rockhold 0 3-4 3, Lauren Martin 1 0-0 2, Lyndsey Dale 1 0-0 2, River Hamaker 1 0-0 2. 3-point goals — 4 (Applegate 2, Saxton 1, Bell 1). Team fouls — 9. Fouled out — None.