BERLIN – The lights went out in Stephen Decatur’s gymnasium at halftime, but the River Hill Hawks pulled the plug on the Seahawks season earlier than that with a huge first half power surge. After two quarters Decatur was behind 53-11, and after a wind storm temporarily knocked out electricity, the Seahawks could not generate any power on the court.

River Hill ended Decatur’s season with an 83-30 rout in the first round of the 3A East Region playoffs. But even after such a devastating loss, SDHS coach Amy Fenzel-Mergott was optimistic about the season and the future of Seahawks hoops.

"Beside from tonight it’s been a good and an improving year," she said. "I think we set the tone for following years. My girls did not quit and played hard. There’s a lot of things we can be happy about. I think we’ve shown lots of improvement in our fundamentals and our defensive play.

"I’m proud of my seniors and the leadership they showed this year. I think our record (6-15) is not an indication of what we’ve done."

Fenzel-Mergott believes the program is back on track and the underclassmen will lead the way. "The younger girls are eager to learn. I’m selling something to the younger girls and I think they are buying into it."