Morrison’s boys cold from floor in 1st-round loss
A woeful shooting night from the Morrison Eagles led to an early exit from the Warren Lodge Christmas Tournament Tuesday night.
The Eagles went cold from the floor after a close first quarter, falling in their first-round matchup to the DeKalb Middle Saints by an eventual 31-21 margin.
Tuesday’s contest, the second of a four-game night at the Charlie Dalton Gym, started as a close battle, with DeKalb relying on big man Jason Shepherd while Morrison benefited from Bobby Fults’ ability to penetrate to the basket. Shepherd and Fults scored four points each in the first period, which ended with the squads tied at 6-6.
The second quarter was a different story, however, as Morrison managed just two free throws and was unable to connect from the field, allowing DeKalb County to build an 18-8 lead by halftime.
The Saints’ advantage continued to grow in the third quarter, with a 5-0 run opening the period building a 23-8 advantage before Morrison finally got back on the board at the 1:34 mark. Zach West connected on four straight freebies, and Jonathan Holland stole and inbounds pass and hit to cut his team’s deficit to 23-14 heading into the fourth.
Although the Eagles matched the Saints virtually point-for-point through the final six minutes, the damage inflicted by DeKalb in the first half was enough to seal the 10-point victory.
Shepherd finished as the only Saint in double-figures, scoring all 11 of his points in the first half. Anderson Webb had seven, while J.J. Herriott scored six on a night when he was also celebrating a birthday. Hunter Stewart had four points, while Carey Atnip scored two and Jake Puckett had one.
Fults led Morrison with nine points, while West had eight and Holland scored four.