ROLE WITH IT
Morton helps Baylor defeat Blue Tornado
Robert Morton has waited patiently for his time with the Baylor School basketball program.
It only made Friday night that much more meaningful for him.
The senior sharpshooter was special in the first half as he made a difference in the Red Raiders’ 42-33 home win over McCallie.
Morton let his emotion show after he took a pass from Eli Sparkman in the left corner and drained his third 3-pointer of the game at the halftime buzzer for an 18-9 lead. In both of the first two quarters, Morton cashed in from long range just before time expired.
“Robert is a Steve Kerr-type guy,” Baylor coach Mark Price said. “He knows his role and doesn’t try to play outside of it. He defends, runs the offense and knocks down shots. He has been a fantastic teammate all the way through.”
Baylor improved to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in TSSAA Division II-AA East Region play with the win, with Friday’s game also Morton’s first big opportunity to show what he was made of in the rivalry with McCallie (8-4, 1-2).
“He didn’t play more than four to five minutes of varsity basketball until this year,” Price said of Morton, who has shot 45% from 3-point range this season and scored nine points in the victory. “He is a picture of delayed gratification, which is a lost thing in sports and pretty much our society these days. I am happy for him. What an important
role he has played on our team this year.”
Baylor junior guard Al Peciulis scored 10 points and leaped high under the rim for a block off the backboard late in the fourth quarter. It was one of three blocked shots for the versatile 6-foot-2 guard.
Peciulis also showed veteran leadership in a tight two-possession game as he drove to the hoop and drew a foul, then made both free throws to build a 39-33 lead with 1:54 left to play. In the last minute, he grabbed two key offensive rebounds to close out the victory.
“Al is from London, England, but he has a Lithuanian heritage,” Price said. “That’s a huge basketball country. He plays all four phases of the game well. He’s a good passer, rebounder, defender, and he can score in so many ways. I am really proud of how he has grown up, and I think he will make a really good college basketball player.”
The Blue Tornado were led by recent Memphis football signee Eric Rivers, who had a game-high 22 points and five steals.
Both teams were far from their best in the intense showdown, which is due for another edition Tuesday at McCallie.
“The tradition of this rivalry means a lot to everyone at both schools,” Price said. “In these type of sloppy games, it’s about gutting it out. I am proud of our guys. They aren’t thrilled about their performance but are very happy to beat their rival.”
› Cedartown 57, Heritage 54: The Bulldogs scored on a late offensive putback to complete a regular-season sweep of the Generals and earn the GHSA Region 7-AAAA tournament’s top seed. M.J. Holiday led Cedartown (10-9, 9-3) with 18 points, while Carson Snyder topped Heritage (14-7, 9-3) with 15, followed by Cade Kiniry (13) and Carson Palmer (nine). The Generals will be the region tournament’s No. 2 seed. The region’s higher seeds will host first-round games, with the semifinals and final at Northwest Whitfield.
› Signal Mountain 60, Hixson 45: Seniors Sam Witherspoon (17 points) and Benjamin Burns (15) led the way in the District 6-AA home victory. Braeden Wolford chipped in 11 points for the Eagles, who scored 36 after halftime.
› Knoxville Catholic 54, Chattanooga 30: Tink Scott led the Chargers with 11 points in a loss to the state-ranked Fighting Irish.
› Boyd Buchanan 51, Arts & Sciences 48: Caden Johnson led the Buccaneers to the win with 17 points and made seven of his eight free throws. Justin Brown led CSAS with 12 points.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
› Sonoraville 68, Ringgold 54: The Lady Phoenix (18-4, 14-1 GHSA Region 6-AAA) clinched the top seed in their upcoming region tournament as Abby Chambers scored 16 of her game-high 24 points in the second half and Sonoraville overcame a twopoint halftime deficit. The win also guarantees Sonoraville will host the region tournament and secures a ninth consecutive state berth for the program.
Alexa Geary added 11 points and Diana Smith 10 for the winners, while Riley Nayadley paced Ringgold with 15 points, Maggie Reed added 13 and Baileigh Pitts had nine with seven rebounds.
› Trion 59, Mount Zion-Carroll 43: The Lady Bulldogs (17-3) completed a perfect regular season in Region 6-A public at 10-0 as Summer Vaughn led a balanced scoring attack with 13 points, followed by Chloe Murdock with 12, Jaycie Helms with 11 and I’ziah McCutchins with nine.
› Bradley Central 98, Ooltewah 21: Hannah Jones and Anna Muhonen each scored 18 points while shooting 9-of-15 from the field for the first-ranked Bearettes (18-1, 10-0 District 5-AAA) who had a season-high 25 assists. Four players for Bradley Central had at least four assists.
Roundup reports compiled by Stephen Hargis, Patrick MacCoon and Lindsey Young. Contact Hargis at shargis@ timesfreepress.com or 423-7576293 and follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis. Contact MacCoon at pmaccoon@ timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon. Contact Young at lyoung@ timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.