By Nick Nunn
Staff Writer

Last week, the MCHS basketball programs took on two region opponents, the Jackson County Panthers and the Franklin County Lions. The boys and girls varsity beat Jackson County 68-18 and 59-53, respectively, but the girls lost to Franklin 27-44, while the varsity boys stood victorious, beating Franklin 67-53.

The girls team created a 14-point lead in the first quarter while keeping Jackson County to only three points.
However, the Panthers fell into a groove in the second quarter and began to catch up with the Dogs, and, by the end of the third quarter, Morgan County’s lead had almost been eliminated.

Beginning the last quarter 38-35, Morgan County was able to hold on to their advantage until the end of the game, winning 59-53.
Alexis Brown made 17 points for the Lady Dogs against the Panthers. Tyra Smith had an unusually productive game with 12 points.

“The girls picked up a big region win last night and put us in position to apply some pressure to the other teams in the region,” said Coach Joshua Reeves.

“We were also playing at a very high pace with lots of pressure on defense.  We knew Jackson would make a run and when they did, we weathered the storm and finished the game the way we wanted to.”

No one could have predicted the boys varsity team’s eventual 50-point lead over the Panthers from the first quarter.
Although the Panthers showcased a slow, deliberate style, their defense was mostly solid during the first eight minutes; Morgan County was only ahead 13-7 before the second quarter.

After eight minutes, however, Jackson County fell apart. They only scored one point in the second quarter and two points in the third quarter.

During the Dogs’ offensive rampage, each member of the team was able to score at least once. Jailyn Ingram, who led the team, in scoring with nine points along with TJ Starks, was able to make two three-point shots in the fourth quarter.
“Our strength as a team is our depth,” said Coach Charlemagne Gibbons. “Tuesday night we really showed our depth on how K’Darius Dennis, TJ Starks, Joseph Rogers, Rasheed Harris, Anfernee Waller, and Devon Gibbs came off the bench.”
Last Friday night, Franklin County was able to take a 12-26 lead during the first half against the girls, and Morgan County wasn’t able to close that gap before the end of the game, losing 27-44.

By the end of the first quarter of the boy’s game, the boys were down a single point, 12-13, but the score was tied 39-39 at the end of the third quarter.

During the last quarter, the boys were able to overpower Franklin County, eventually winning 67-53.
Tuesday, all three MCHS teams played against Oconee County at home, and they will also be playing Hart County at home on Friday and Putnam County at home on Saturday. Take one of these opportunities to come out and see the Hoop Dogs play in Morgan County this week.

Printed in the January 17, 2013, edition.