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The Lady Dogs pose for a photo after knocking off No. 1 seed Calvary Day last Friday. CONTRIBUTED
Morgan County’s girls basketball is heading to the Elite Eight after upsetting top-seed Calvary Day on Feb. 23rd.
The Lady Dogs defeated the Lady Cavaliers 46-37, advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time in seven years.
Morgan County head coach Milfred Franklin was proud that his players didn’t back down from a tough fight.
“I told the girls that I was freaking proud of them,” Franklin told the Lake Oconee News with a smile. “We’ve been through so much throughout the whole season and how much work we put in came to fruition last night.”
The contest between Morgan County and Calvary Day started intense, with the referees calling a tight game. The Lady Dogs and Lady Cavaliers faced foul trouble early in the game leading into the halftime break.
Calvary Day star Bre Jones missed most of the first half with three fouls, but her team still found a way to stay in the game.
The Lady Cavaliers got solid play from junior Destini Gooddine, who had a team-high 18 points, during the first half when Jones was on the bench.
Each team had to use different rotations, but it didn’t matter. The game was neck-and-neck until the buzzer sounded at the end of the second quarter.
The Lady Dogs were lucky to be in contention at the half, though.
“We weren’t hitting our shots. We missed several layups and free throws,” Franklin said. “(Those mistakes) allowed Calvary Day to stay in the game with us. One thing I was very impressed with, though, was when our offense was non-existent, Destiny Smith came through with some key layups and putbacks in the first half.”
Morgan County’s leading scorer, Jaden Young, didn’t score a single first-half bucket, either. The junior guard struggled, so Smith’s effort was huge as she helped the Lady Dogs hold a slim lead over Calvary Day at the half.
The third quarter was tight, with Morgan County leading Calvary Day 33-30 at the end of it. The Lady Dogs started to pull away in the final quarter of regulation, outscoring the Lady Cavaliers 13-7 to win by nine points.
Young finally came alive in the second half when she scored all her points. She also got help from junior Kymora Smith and senior Precious Benford. The trio helped their team pull away with the win in the fourth quarter.
Morgan County also executed its defensive game plan by limiting Calvary Day on the perimeter. The Lady Cavaliers came into the game as one of Class AAA’s best 3-point shooting teams but only made 19 percent of their triples last Friday.
Young finished with a team-high 14 points with seven rebounds. Benford contributed 12 points in the upset victory.
Kymora Smith added eight points and nine rebounds, while Destiny Smith totaled six points and nine boards. Senior Taniyah Briney added six points and a pair of rebounds against top-seed Calvary Day.
Franklin highlighted that his team’s two most important goals were to win the region championship and reach the Elite Eight. While the Lady Dogs couldn’t capture a region title, he’s much happier with this result.
“This season, we set out with a few main goals. Our two main goals were to get to the region championship and get to where we are,” Franklin said. “I’m just pleased we accomplished the latter of the two goals. That meant more than winning a region championship. Both are great but you can’t take away reaching the Elite Eight. That's the more impressive feat.”
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, Morgan County (18-12) will face Class AAA's top-ranked Hebron Christian (28-2). The Lady Lions are the defending Class AAA state champions.