MORGAN COUNTY
Morgan County (20-8) met its match on Friday against top-seed and Class AAA’s No. 4-ranked Carver-Columbus (20-9) in the second round of the Class AAA state playoffs.
The Lady Tigers advanced in the Sweet 16 tilt with a dominant 94-31 win over the No. 2 seed Lady Dogs.
Morgan head coach Milfred Franklin told the Lake Oconee News last week he had a lot of respect for Carver, which won its first-round matchup 102-34 over No. 4 seed Upson-Lee.
“They’re a very senior-led team,” Franklin said. “They are a little more seasoned than we are.”
The Lady Tigers’ top-four leading scorers this season are seniors. They also all played and contributed during Carver’s successful state championship run during the 2020-21 season.
Caylee Simpson, Jasmine Chaney, Jakayla Geiger and Kailyn Floyd proved their worth for Carver again on Friday. Those three, plus junior Elyshah Huntley, were too much for the Lady Dogs to handle.
The Lady Tigers jumped out to an early lead and never gave it up. They also limited Morgan County’s top-two leading scorers, Jaden Young and Destiny Hunter, in the contest.
Junior Tanayah Briney actually led the Lady Dogs in points on Friday, with nine. Young and freshman Grace Durden each added five points, while Hunter scored four.
“It was already going to be a tough matchup,” Franklin said. “I just know they have to play us.”
Morgan County finished its 2022-23 season with a 20-8 overall record in Franklin’s first season. He breathed new life into the program, which hadn’t won a playoff game since 2019.
“We’ve definitely already exceeded my expectations, but one of our main goals is still intact,” Franklin said last week. “We wanted to get further than we did last year in the state playoffs.”
The Lady Dogs did just that but unfortunately ran into the Carver buzzsaw. They also entered the Class AAA playoffs as the No. 2 seed out of Region 4-AAA.
Franklin’s squad got to the Sweet 16 by defeating Long County 49-45 last Tuesday at home.
The Lady Dogs relied on a second-half effort from Kymora Smith, who made a few plays late in the game to lead them to victory. She finished with 14 points, behind only Hunter with 15 points. Young added 10 points in the win over the Lady Blue Tide.
A huge positive was Morgan County had all this success in Franklin’s first year with only one senior.
Hunter, who averages 9.7 points per game, will graduate. So, the Lady Dogs are returning their leading scorer in Young, as well the next two others behind her in Smith and Kiwi Lane.
Morgan County returns a lot of talent next year with hopes of returning to the state playoffs. The Lady Dogs will begin off-season workouts in a few months in preparation for 2023-24.
“I am extremely proud of this group,” Franklin said before the start of the playoffs. “They have found their identity and have fought hard this season. I’m not surprised by their success.”