High school basketball: Morgan shows maturity to rout defending 3A champs

MORGAN — There is one thing no successful girls basketball team needs — drama.

Last year, the Morgan Trojans resembled the cast of a daytime soap opera more than a hard-nosed, title-hungry basketball squad. This year, they're back to being the quick, hard-working team they've been in the past.

"I think it's maturity," said junior Ashley Garfield after the Trojans defeated the defending 3A state champion Wasatch Wasps 53-37.

The Trojans jumped out to an 11-0 lead, and despite a double-digit lead most of the time, the game felt like a nail-biter.

"(Wasatch) is one of the best programs in the state," said Morgan coach Brad Matthews. "It doesn't matter the athletes they have; it doesn't matter their skill level; they are just such a good, fundamentally sound basketball team. We just could never pull away from them because of that. It always seemed close to me."

The Trojans have also switched from zone defense to man-to-man this year.

"We changed to man defense because of the speed of our players," said Matthews.

It was effective in stopping any momentum the Wasps tried to build, especially in the first half and fourth quarter. Despite foul trouble, the Trojans dominated the defensive boards, rarely allowing Wasatch a second shot.

The Trojans used a very balanced offensive attack to beat the Wasps.

Chelsea Morgan scored a team-high 12 points, Becca Rees and Rachel Johnson added 11 each, and Angela Blazzard finished with seven points.

Garfield and Co. list the lack of drama as the biggest difference between this year and last year. Which means expectations are high this season.

"Last year, we had problems blending," said Chelsea Morgan. "This year, we've really come together."

Another thing this year's Trojan team won't do is underestimate any opponent.

"We know that any team that plays Morgan is going to play hard," said Rees. "They're all going to want to beat us."

The Wasps were without starting senior point guard Lynzie Baird, who blew her ACL out earlier this season. Forward Natalie Pennington led the defensive effort with six steals, while Jordyn Richardson led the offense with 14 points.

Wasatch lost most of its starters last season, including Kim Parker, who now plays at BYU. But the Wasps are consistently a program that is in the mix when it counts, and head coach Roger Pyper said he doesn't worry about playing too tough a schedule with an inexperienced squad.

"We're starting all over — and it shows," he said with a smile. "Our season starts Jan. 11. We don't shy away from anyone. We want to play the best teams we can home or away. That's how you get better."

Even if a team loses more than it wins, Pyper sees the experience as all positive.

"Adversity makes you better," said Pyper.

e-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com