MORGAN COUNTY
The Morgan County boys’ basketball team is finally finding its footing after a rough start to the season.
Last week, the ‘Dogs won back-to-back games against Athens Christian (59-58) on Tuesday and Josey (75-41) on Friday before losing to rival Putnam County (70-55) on Saturday. They are now 5-4 overall on the season, with non-region games against Oconee County and Monroe Area this week.
Morgan County head coach Cody Anderson has seen his team grow greatly in the past few weeks.
“It was a big week for us,” Anderson told the Lake Oconee News. “The goal was to get all three wins, but I knew that with the two better opponents on the road, it was a great opportunity for us.”
Last Tuesday, Morgan County gutted out a close win overtime against Athens Christan after leading by double-digits late. The Eagles surged and outscored the Dogs 18-12 in the fourth quarter.
Either way, Morgan County got stellar play out from guards Jaylen Elder, Ryan Moore, and Jamauri Evans. Elder led with 21 points, followed by Evans with 11 points and Evans with 10 points.
“For us, we talked about limiting Athens Christian to not starting out fast, and we did a good job of that,” Anderson added. “We got off to a good start and sent a strong punch in the beginning that night.
We jumped on them early and it showed a majority of the first half of how we wanted to play.”
ACS made a run in the second half but Morgan County adjusted and squeaked out a close victory. The Eagles made solid adjustments at the half and then fought their way back with their size.
According to Anderson, his team made plays down the stretch to remain in contention with ACS.
“In overtime, we looked like a team that is starting to learn how to win,” Anderson said. “That was a great win on the road against a team that’s going to win a lot of games in their class and region.”
Morgan County followed that tight performance up with a 75-41 thumping of Josey. The Dogs handled business easily, limiting the Eagles to score a total of 12 points in the first and third periods.
Moore finished with a team-high 20 points, followed by Elder with 16 points and Evans added 13 points. Those three played pivotal minutes as Morgan County cruised to a 34-point win over Josey.
“They are very athletic and played two teams that are in our region,” Anderson said of Josey.
“I felt like if we came out and played well, we would have a lot of success. Man, our guys played their tails off. We made shots, which helped, but that was as close to looking as how we wanted to look in terms of our identity on the court. Anytime you can win by that margin you get to play everybody.”
Last Saturday, Morgan County traveled to Eatonton to take on rival Putnam County, which entered the game undefeated. The Dogs, who were playing their third game in five days, battled but came up short.
Morgan County led 29-28 at the half, but the War Eagles started putting it together in the second half. The ‘Dogs lost control in the fourth quarter as their opponent outscored them 25-12 to end the game.
“Things didn’t go our way early, but I thought we handled it maturely. We showed resiliency and composure. We stayed the course,” Anderson said. “We were fortunate to be up by one at the half, but I credit Putnam. Going back and watching the tape, we made so many mistakes down the stretch.”
Even with the loss, Anderson is happy his team is finally showing consistency. The Dogs are facing adversity and finding themselves in unchartered waters, but they’ve responded well in the moment.
Anderson said he learned a lot about his team this week, with many positive takeaways.
“It was another great test for us,” Anderson said of the action-packed week. “Those were games we can learn a lot from and will use that (as a positive) moving forward.”