TAYLORSVILLE — Every time Morgan and Judge meet, it’s bound to be an intense game. The two schools played twice in the regular season, with the Bulldogs winning close games each time. When they met in the 3A quarterfinals on Thursday, the intensity was clear from the opening tipoff.
Both sides were hitting the floor, diving for loose balls and dialing up the pressure on defense. There was a total of 38 fouls and no love lost between the two programs.
“It’s the rivalry. Judge and Morgan have been going back and forth for years. I think no matter what talent is on the team, just that rivalry passion comes out, and I like it,” Judge head coach Josh Pike said.
Though the 54-47 final score was ultimately close after a wild final three minutes of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs won the contest in the second. After the two sides battled through the first, with Morgan holding a 12-11 lead, Judge exploded for 25 points in the second, outscoring the Trojans 25-11 in the period.
“We’re young. I think a lot of the hype gets to us to start games. We’re still going through some transition phases and stuff like that and trying to find ourselves,” Pike said. “We’re still trying to plug people in and find that rhythm. These guys fight. They have a lot of heart. They’re on a mission.”
Judge extended its lead to 20 points with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but Morgan staged a furious comeback attempt that whittled the final margin down to seven.
Teya Sidberry led Judge with 22 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and five steals. She was a graceful presence in the paint and huge on defense.
Judge 54, Morgan 47
Leading scorers
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Judge: Teya Sidberry, 22
Morgan: Ashlyn Morrell, 15
“Teya is a different creature. She has a dance background, so she’s very light on her feet. You see her contorting her body in different angles and the shot is still a decent shot. When you get a normal person trying to take those shots, it’s completely different,” Pike said. “I think just by her being light on her feet, being able to do that kind of stuff, allows her to do different things and we’re going to take advantage of that.”
Abbey Storms scored 11 points and Marika Collins chipped in six points for the Bulldogs. Ashlyn Morrell led Morgan with 15 points.
“Abbey Storms started hitting some shots there, we’re giving the ball to whoever’s open. Teya is our first option of course, but we’ve got Mia Tarver — she’s huge for our team on both ends of the floor. We’re going to pass to whoever’s hitting,” Pike said.
Judge, who narrowly lost to Juab in the quarterfinals last year, is on a mission right now.
“We missed the semifinals by a layup and I think that hurt. It should hurt. I think they know they have some unfinished business and they’re willing to put in the work for it,” Pike said. “A lot of these girls come early, stay late, ask questions, watch film. It’s a good vibe right now.”
The Bulldogs’ motto for this season is “Love the Process” and Pike says the team is “starting to love the process.”
“As soon as we can find ourselves and know what we are capable of doing. My famous words, ‘Slow down a little bit.’ That doesn’t mean slow, like the pace, but just mentally kind of slow down a bit,” Pike said. “When we finally put four quarters together, it could be a scary game.”