The Morris varsity basketball program took to the road for the next-to-last time in the regular season this past Friday, traveling to Warner for a meeting with the Warner Eagles and Lady Eagles.
The Morris varsity basketball program took to the road for the next-to-last time in the regular season this past Friday, traveling to Warner for a meeting with the Warner Eagles and Lady Eagles.
Friday’s contest was originally scheduled to take place January 11, but was pushed back one month due to COVID-19 issues.
The Morris cage squads left Warner High School with a split decision, as the Lady Eagles suffered a 49-34 setback in the opening contest, while the Eagles notched their second-straight win of the week in the nightcap, overcoming an early sluggish start to walk away with a 48-29 victory.
The Morris squads were back in action on Tuesday, closing out their regular-season schedule with a trip to Beggs for a showdown with their county rivals, the Beggs Golden Demons and Lady Demons.
In Friday’s girls contest, the visitors trailed 10-7 after the first eight minutes of action. Both teams tallied eight points in the second quarter for an 18- 15 deficit for the Morris ladies at halftime.
A 14-10 advantage in the third period gave the visiting Lady Eagles a 29-28 lead, heading into the final frame of regulation.
The Morris ladies were unable to hold onto their narrow advantage in the final stanza, as Warner took the quarter by a 21-5 margin to hand the visitors the 49-34 setback.
The duo of Marti Yaerger and Maddie Moore led the Morris scoring with 10 points each. Kaleah Barnett was next for the Lady Eagles with nine, while Emma Duclos rounded out the Morris offense with five points.
In the boys game at Warner on Friday, the visitors were limited to just one point in the opening frame on a free throw by Jaxsun Fulton. The host Eagles put up nine points in the period to hold an 8-point advantage after the first eight minutes of action.
The Morris squad caught fire offensively in the second quarter, outscoring Warner 23-4 for a 24-13 lead at the halftime break.
The visiting Eagles increased their margin to 38- 17 with a 14-4 advantage in the third stanza.
The host Warner squad attempted to overcome the double-digit deficit in the final eight minutes, but managed just 12 points in the period. Morris countered with 10 points in the final quarter to take the road contest by a 48-29 decision.
Fulton led the offensive attack for the victorious Eagle squad, finishing with a team-best 16 points. Tucker Kelsey was next for Morris, just missing double figures with nine points. Other Morris scorers against Warner were Cody Smith with six, Jeremiah Jones, Ty Long, and Keegan Burgess three each, and Ryan Benavidez, Dakota Chaney, Xavier Harjo, and Kaynen Powell two apiece.
Girls Game
Warner 49, Morris 34
Morris: 7 - 8 - 14 - 5 (34)
Warner: 10 - 8 - 10 - 21 (49)
Morris Scoring: Marti Yaerger 10, Maddie Moore 10, Kaleah Barnett 9, Emma Duclos 5.
Boys Game
Morris 48, Warner 29
Morris: 1 - 23 - 14 - 10 (48)
Warner: 9 - 4 - 4 - 12 (29)
Morris Scoring: Jaxsun Fulton 16, Tucker Kelsey 9, Cody Smith 6, Jeremiah Jones 3, Ty Long 3, Keegan Burgess 3, Ryan Benavidez 2, Dakota Chaney 2, Xavier Harjo 2, Kaynen Powell 2.