Lady Eagles cruises in first-half finale; Eagles sputter late in double-digit setback
The Morris varsity basketball program finished the first-half of its regular- season schedule for the 2023-2024 campaign Tuesday evening at home against Liberty (Mounds).
The Lady Eagles used a dominating first quarter to cruise past the visiting Lady Tigers, 54-20, in Tuesday’s opening contest at the Don Shoemake Sports Complex, while the Eagles sputtered offensively in the final three minutes of regulation to wind up on the losing end of a 63-48 outcome.
The Morris cage squads will take a 2-week hiatus to celebrate the holidays and will return to the hardwood January 2 with a trip to Preston for a county battle with the Preston Pirates and Lady Pirates.
In Tuesday’s girls game in Morris, the host Lady Eagles blanked the visitors 23-0 in the first period, then edged the Lady Tigers 6-4 in a low-scoring second quarter for a 29-4 halftime lead.
The Morris ladies took the final two frames by a combined 25-16 to walk away with the decisive 54-20 victory.
Fire Clark led all scorers with a game-high 13 points, followed by Emma Duclos and Alexis Schell with nine points apiece. Other Lady Eagles in Tuesday’s first-half finale were Skylar Phillips with seven, Asiah Barnett five, Kaylynn Lukenbill four, Lillian Giddens three, and Abby Long and Reese Pendley two each.
In Tuesday’s boys battle, the Eagles came out of the opening frame with a 16-10 margin. Liberty had a 29-24 lead into halftime after outscoring the host Morris squad 19-8 in the second period.
The Morris gentlemen escaped the back-and-forth third quarter with a narrow 17-15 advantage to send the hardwood battle into the final eight minutes of action with the Eagles trailing by three, 44-41.
In the final stanza, the Morris cage squad was unable to fully overcome the deficit, as the visitors took the final frame by a 19-7 margin, with most of the Tigers’ fourth-quarter scoring come in the final three minutes of regulation, to hand the host Eagles the 63-48 defeat.
Tre Robinson was one of three Morris players to finish in double figures on Tuesday, finishing with a teamhigh 13 points. Race Casey and Robert Woods also tallied double-digit scoring for the Eagles in the loss with 10 points apiece.
Other Morris scorers against Liberty (Mounds) were Koen Burgess with seven, Gage Adkins four, and Bobby Baker and Steven Bender two each.
— Girls Game
Morris 54, Liberty (Mounds) 20
Liberty: 0 – 4 – 8 – 8 (20) Morris: 23 – 6 – 11 – 14 (54) Morris Scoring: Fire Clark 13, Emma Duclos 9, Alexis Schell 9, Skylar Phillips 7, Asiah Barnett 5, Kaylynn Lukenbill 4, Lillian Giddens 3, Abby Long 2, Reese Pendley 2.
— Boys Game
Liberty (Mounds) 63, Morris 48
Liberty:10 – 19 – 15 – 19 (63) Morris: 16 – 8 – 17 – 7 (48) Morris Scoring: Tre Robinson 13, Race Casey 10, Robert Woods 10, Koen Burgess 7, Gage Adkins 4, Bobby Baker 2, Steven Bender 2.
