AMERICUS – Murray County defeated Morgan County 71-66 in the Class AA semifinal on Feb. 28 at Georgia Southwestern University’s Storm Dome, securing a place in the state title game in Macon this week.
The Lady Indians (28-1) outlasted the Lady Dogs, who trailed by double digits multiple times in the second half.
Morgan County head coach Milfred Franklin wanted a different result but loved that his team didn’t give up against Class AA’s top seed. The first thing he told his players after the game was that he was “proud of them.”
“Even though we went down big at halftime, we kept getting opportunities to score, but the ball didn’t fall our way,” Franklin said. “The girls kept fighting over and over and over. That's a very good quality to have.”
Both teams came out swinging in the first quarter, with Murray leading 13-10 going into the second quarter.
However, the second quarter was a different story. The Lady Dogs had starters Cydney Burke and Kymora Smith sit on the bench due to foul trouble. The Lady Indians took advantage of their absence and led 37-22 at the half.
Murray couldn’t miss from beyond the arc or the free-throw line in the second quarter. The Lady Indians could’ve had a larger lead, but Morgan senior point guard Jaden Young kept the Lady Dogs in the game.
“In the first half, Cydney and Kymora got into foul trouble, and that really threw us out of rhythm,” Franklin said. “During the second quarter, I had a conversation with Jaden. I was like, ‘Hey, it’s time you be more aggressive because you’re going to have to lead us right now.’ Our girls were in foul trouble and we were mixing and matching with girls, pulling them in and out, just trying to get through the first half without any more foul trouble. Jaden stepped up, and I was very proud of how well she stood out and led us.”
The Lady Dogs slowly started to cut into Murray’s lead in the third quarter.
A layup from Smith in transition at the 4:20 mark made it a nine-point game. A few minutes later, Burke sunk a free throw and hit a jump shot on the next possession, cutting the Lady Indians’ lead to 47-43 with under two minutes left in the third.
Nevertheless, Murray pushed the lead back to 55-43 with an 8-0 run to end the third quarter, but again, Morgan wasn’t phased. Smith, Burke, and Young helped the Lady Dogs cut the lead back to single digits at the start of the fourth quarter.
Trailing by nine with 4:37 remaining, Burke scored five straight, bringing Morgan closer at 60-56. However, as they had done throughout the game, the Lady Indians responded before Burke fouled out with 1:30 left.
Murray extended its lead to 65-56 with two free throws after Burke fouled out, which is when Smith and Young again kicked it into overdrive. The two senior guards didn’t let the Lady Dogs go down easily.
Murray clung to a 69-64 lead in the final minute when a layup by Young made it a three-point game.
Unfortunately, Morgan couldn’t pull off the comeback, as the Lady Indians closed out the game by hitting two free throws with 7.6 seconds left. They shot 9-of-12 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter alone.
Young led Morgan with 31 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Burke followed with 14 points and five rebounds. Smith contributed a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three steals, and one block.
The Lady Dogs concluded the 2024-25 season just one victory shy of making the state championship game. They wrapped up the year with a record of 21-10, a region title, and a Final Four berth.
“We gave it our all,” Franklin said. “It was still a successful season.”