Morgan County basketball’s 2024-25 season ended in the second round of the Class 2A tournament.
The No. 3 seed Dogs lost to No. 19 KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (KAC) 65-48 on Feb. 22 on their home floor.
Morgan County head coach Cody Anderson, his players, and staff knew how good of a team the Warriors were.
“Our kids respected KIPP Atlanta, and our staff did as well. We knew we would need to play our best basketball coming in, and we didn’t do that,” Anderson said after the loss. “Some of that credit goes to them, some of that credit goes to different things. We certainly take a lot of responsibility and blame for that, too.”
KAC had a clear size advantage, especially inside the paint, with several players 6-foot-7 or taller.
The Warriors were led in the frontcourt by 6-foot-10 senior power forward Chane Bynum, who dominated the boards. They also had big men like Laqwaun Morgan and Contrail Kitchens help down low against the Dogs.
Anderson used Scooter Richardson, Justice Lewis, Kobi Jeffries, and Gavin Williams to combat the size disparity. His post players held their own in the first quarter, but KAC’s big men were too much to handle in the end.
“Their length was something that we talked about and showed on film, but you can’t duplicate that,” Anderson said. “You can’t substitute for that in terms of getting a good look.”
Morgan County also suffered from turnovers, especially in the second quarter. After the first quarter, the Dogs led 16-12, but things started to unravel quickly as they made some key mistakes in the second.
KAC outscored Morgan County 21-2 heading into halftime. The Warriors played stellar defense and limited the Dogs from the field, while their offense, powered by sophomore guard Quadarious Clemons, thrived.
At the break, KAC led Morgan County 33-18 with all the momentum.
Zeki Locus, Jaylen Elder, and Jacoby Simmons attempted to get the Dogs back into contention during the third quarter, but it was too late.
KAC’s dominant effort in the second quarter proved to be the difference in the game.
“The second just did us in. What could go wrong, went wrong,” Anderson said. “We had nine live ball turnovers in the second quarter. You go up four to down 15 at halftime. It was just too much to overcome.”
In the first round, Morgan County defeated No. 30 Appling County 80-44 to advance. The Dogs dominated from start to finish, as four players scored double digits.
Elder led with 16 points, followed by Locus with 15, while Garrett Ward and King Hardy each added 10.
Unfortunately, Morgan County’s season ended against a solid KAC squad. The Dogs finished the season at 22-7 overall.
Anderson was disappointed in the final result but thought his team took a step forward in 2024-25.
“All good things come to an end, and everything happens for a reason,” he said. “We’ll have time to reflect on it all. This season was so successful and there were so many small and big victories here and there. I’m proud of our program.”