Sonoraville can’t keep pace in 1st-round loss at Morgan County

— After coming away with their fourth Region 8-AAA title in a row, the Lady Hoop Dogs eliminated visiting Sonoraville this week in a lopsided 61-26 win in the first round of the Class AAA State Tournament.

The win propels Morgan County into the second round where they will face off with Pierce County February 22 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dog House.

The Lady Phoenix came into the contest as the No. 4 seed out of Region 6-AAA with an overall record of 8-21 and 4- 9 in region play. It was obvious early on that the quickness and athleticism of Morgan County would be too much for Sonoraville.

With the first quarter scored tied at 6-6, the Dogs went on a 10-1 burst with Tatyana Davis taking over on both ends of the court. Along with teammate Lou Reid, the duo scored all 10 points. The energy on defense and a halfcourt trap created a number of turnovers that led to easy buckets. Davis also hit two 3-pointers in the quarter to take a 16-7 advantage.

Davis continued the onslaught scoring the first six points for Morgan in the second period. The scoring became balanced after that. Freshman Taylor Wilson, who is maturing as a floor leader and scorer, tossed in four points for Morgan County in the quarter while showing off her tremendous defensive prowess and quickness. The halftime score of 33-15 came off the 23-8 run that ended the half. Sonoraville struggled getting off good shots in their half-court sets and scoring against the trap.

Davis finished with a game-high 19 points for the Lady Bulldogs, and Reid added 11.

The second half was more of the same. Morgan County continued to feed the Lady Phoenix a steady diet of trap and man- to- man that they couldn’t solve. Aris Hubbard played well on the boards as did Salina Fortune with her shot-blocking ability. Morgan County coach Josh Reeves’ girls continued to watch the lead swell to 46-22 after three quarters to take the 61-26 victory and advance to the Sweet 16. Morgan Walker accounted for six points in the final eight minutes, hitting a three and making three free throws. Reid added four, and Kourtney Elder had three points off the bench.

No Sonoraville scorer reached double figures as freshman Maliyah Parks led the team in scoring with eight. Sandi McMullin added six. Sonoraville coach Stephanie Caudell said despite the first-round loss she is proud of what her team accomplished this year, fighting through adversity.

“I’m really proud of my girls,” said Caudell, who saw her team play in the state tournament for the fifth straight season. “They certainly could have packed it in a long time ago, but they chose to stick together and keep working. (Morgan County) was really good, maybe the best we’ve faced all year. (Tatyana) Davis was the real deal.”

Next up for Morgan County will be the Pierce County Lady Bears.