The Morgan County Middle School girls basketball team recently won its league championship.
The younger Lady Dogs defeated Oconee County Middle School 48-40 to capture the title.
Morgan County head coach Tweety Hawkins was proud of her players for bringing home the trophy.
“I didn’t have a true game plan, mainly because we had already seen them twice. I told the girls the day before in practice, ‘Don’t let this be a game you regret,’” Hawkins said.
“They’d worked so hard to reach this point, so let’s prove our point and let them know why we deserve to be the champions.”
Morgan County held a commanding halftime lead, powered by the play of Addie Freeman and Jaydah Baker. They set the tone on offense and defense, helping the Lady Dogs lead by 14 at the break.
Oconee County didn’t let Morgan County get off easy, though. The Lady Braves made it close and pulled within a few points late in the third quarter, but the Lady Dogs entered the fourth with a 35-32 lead.
Hawkins said her girls reacted to Oconee County’s run and settled down defensively in the fourth quarter.
“We slowed the ball down to make sure everyone was under control, but they scored some big baskets in the second half,” Hawkins said. “We just had to make defensive adjustments and got back to it.”
Freeman was also clutch in the fourth, adding eight points in the final minutes. Ultimately, she scored a team-high 25 points, followed by Baker, who contributed 15 points against the Lady Braves.
Morgan County’s girls had already faced Oconee County twice, splitting the series 1-1. However, the Lady Dogs played well enough to capture their second and most significant win over the Lady Braves.
Hawkins had a gut feeling her team would win but wanted to see it play out on the court.
“I was visibly calm, but inside, I was very nervous,” she said. “I didn’t know how the girls would respond to my message, but we got it done, and shoutout to Oconee. They’re well-coached. They’re also a very disciplined team. It’s hard to beat a team three times, but we beat them twice.”
Morgan County finished its 2024-25 season with a 15-3 record and a league championship.