Feb. 14—It's been 21 long years for the Decatur girls basketball team.
Friday night the Red Raiders dominated Pinson Valley 48-20 and in the process punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 of the Northwest Regional tournament at Wallace State. It'll be Decatur's first regional tournament appearance since 2005, three years before the oldest current Red Raider was born.
"This feels amazing. It feels like we're making history," senior Carlee Mitchell said. "Everybody is going to remember this day for a long time to come."
Head coach Tyler Wright is in his first year coaching at Decatur. Wright came from Georgia but said he learned quickly how important making the regional tournament is to the program.
"Ever since I got here, all I heard was Wallace this and Wallace that," Wright said. "To see these girls achieve such a big goal is such an exciting feeling as a coach. This is a special moment, and they earned it."
There was no drama in Friday's game. Decatur built a 12-2 lead by the end of the first quarter and extended it to 30-4 by halftime.
Jenny Mitchell led the way with 18 points, while Brooklyn Smith added 10.
Still, despite how easy the win was, the Red Raiders said it was a surreal moment.
"We wanted this bad. I mean, it's been 20 years," senior Jenny Mitchell said. "It feels like the hard work is paying off."
With the win Decatur improved to 28-5 on the season. The Red Raiders will face Class 6A, No. 1 Hazel Green, which has won the Northwest in 6A every year since 2017, in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.
"It's going to be a challenge. They're a tremendous program that does things the right way, and that's why they've had all the success they've had," Wright said. "But you want to play the best competition, and we're excited to have the opportunity to go do that."
The Red Raiders said they plan to approach their game against Hazel Green the same way they approach every other game.
"We're not going to think about all that other stuff. We're going to play our game and play to our standard," Carlee Mitchell said. "It's worked good so far."
— [email protected] or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2