MORGAN — After opening the second round of District 25-1A competition by avenging their only league loss, the Morgan Eagle boys basketball team maintain sole possession of first place with a hard-fought 59-51 victory over Bosque County rival Iredell last Friday night.
The Eagles (8-1 in district, 21-5 overall) knocked off Blum, 53-47, on the road Jan. 28 to send the Bobcats (6-3) down to fourth place behind co-runnerups Aquilla (7-2) and Covington (7-2) while Iredell (4-5) remains in the hunt for a playoff berth. Morgan visits Walnut Springs (2-7) Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
The Dragons enjoyed a 26-20 halftime lead over Morgan last Friday night before a 21-point fourth quarter propelled the Eagles to victory.
“Iredell has been very competitive in district, so we expected a tough game, which it proved to be,” Morgan boys basketball head coach Jeff Harrison said. “They were well-coached and played a tough, competitive game. My hat goes off to Coach Johnston and his boys. I was very proud of my boys. They played extremely hard, kept fighting and found the way to win.”
Junior Derik Davenport and sophomore Emilio Villalovos led Morgan with 18 points apiece, followed by sophomore Manuel Muniz with 14 points and six rebounds. Villalovos sank five three-points shots, while Davenport dished out four assists and grabbed three steals.
Morgan took over first place Jan. 17 with a thrilling come-from-behind 57-56 road victory over Aquilla behind a 32-point scoring effort from Davenport. Trailing 40-32 going into the final period, the Eagles rallied to outscore Aquilla, 25-16, down the stretch to steal the win.
“We knew coming in this would be a big game, and we would be challenged in every aspect of the game,” Harrison said. “I was very proud of my boys. They put their hearts out there tonight and gave me everything they had. They played through a lot of situational adversity and were able to persevere and get the win. This is what high school basketball is all about.”
Photos by SIMONE-WICHERS-VOSS
