MORGAN COUNTY
After an 0-3 start to the season, Morgan County girls’ basketball finally got into the win column. The Lady ‘Dogs reeled off three straight wins, starting with a 58-35 decision over Winder-Barrow on Nov. 21, before their streak came to an end Saturday at Oconee County.
After the win over Winder-Barrow, Morgan County defeated Lanier (34-24) and Greene County (62-47). The Lady Warriors of Oconee County then knocked off the Lady Dogs, 56-50.
Morgan County head coach Milfred Franklin has seen his team grow in the last few weeks. The second-year coach said he scheduled tougher competition to “test” his team.
Franklin called that stretch of the schedule a “learning experience.” His players got a chance to face several playoff-caliber teams in their respective classes early in the season.
“Our first three or four games were against tough competition. I deliberately did that to test our girls and give them an idea of what’s expected at the end of the season heading into the state playoffs,” Franklin said. “I felt as if last year at the end of the season we were not prepared enough when it came down to the first or second round.”
So far this season, Morgan County has gotten a lot of production from several different players.
In the win over Winder-Barrow, junior Jaden Young scored a team-high 15 points, followed by freshmen Miracle Ward (15 points) and Madison Holcomb (10 points).
Sophomore Cydney Burke led the Lady Dogs in scoring against Lanier with 10 points. Young notched nine points and 10 rebounds, while senior Tanayah Briney added six points.
Kymora Smith, Destiny Smith, and others also contributed to Morgan County against Greene County and Oconee County. The Lady Dogs had several different leading scorers.
According to Franklin, his girls are still learning to play together and are “meshing” at a slow pace. However, Franklin isn’t worried about his team clicking on all cylinders right now.
“We’re still working on some kinks with our rotation. Everybody hasn’t fully been here just quite yet. I’m not worried about them meshing now. I’m more worried about them getting in a groove and getting into basketball shape. The meshing will come over time.”
This week, Morgan County (3-4) will host Josey on Friday for a 6 p.m. tip-off. On Saturday, the Lady Dogs travel to Eatonton to face rival Putnam County at 6 p.m.