MORGAN COUNTY
Morgan County’s girls basketball secured a spot in the Class AAA state playoffs with a win over Salem on Monday.
The Lady Dogs defeated the Lady Seminoles in a 61-10 rout. The victory put them in the semifinal round of the Region 4-AAA tournament, which also qualifies them for the postseason for a second consecutive year.
Morgan County cruised to victory, leading from start to finish. The Lady Dogs also had 11 players score.
Junior Kymora Smith totaled a team-high 11 points for Morgan County, followed by freshman Aziyah Robertson with 10 points. Sophomore Cydney Burke scored seven points, and junior Jaden Young added six.
Lady Dogs head coach Milfred Franklin wasn’t shocked to see so many players get on the scoreboard in the win.
“The scoring was all around,” Franklin said. “I was pleased and excited to see that happen. It’s always exciting to see that many girls get to score in a region tournament game. It also helps the culture of the program.”
Franklin is in his second year with the program. He’s already had success but wants to continue building on it. Last season, Morgan County won 20 games, placed second in the region standings, and won a playoff game.
Franklin believes this season’s squad can make a deep playoff run and possibly make it further in the postseason. However, the secondyear head coach wants his players to keep a level head going into the playoffs.
“I was blessed with having a talented group of girls come in during my first year. This year, I’ve gotten a great opportunity to mold them into what it takes to be consistent and make it to the state playoffs,” Franklin said. “This program has always been great but I have just made a few tweaks with certain things. We’ve been in the gym more this season and are more enthusiastic about being successful on the basketball court.”
The year started rough for the Lady Dogs, who were 3-7 at one point. But they managed to turn things around quickly and get back on track, finishing the 2023-24 season 11-4 down the stretch under Franklin’s direction.
Franklin knew his team was talented from the start, but said the players needed time to learn the process.
“At the beginning, I knew we were talented enough to get deep in the playoffs. But the process of them understanding what it takes — paying attention to the small details and consistently working at their craft – was our main concern.
They did it, though,” Franklin said. “We were able to get them to this point of the season.”
The rest of the week, Morgan County finished out the region tournament playing for seeding in the state playoffs.
With the postseason coming up, Franklin’s seen the team grow since its first game in mid-November. He has confidence in his players and knows they can succeed.
They’ve developed a great rapport with each other.
“The girls are ready for the final stretch of the season,” Franklin said. “I think we’re (peaking) at the right now.”