No. 5 LCA and No. 6 Morgan advance to faceoff in the championship game.
It’s a rivalry that’s gone back decades.
It’s known that Morgan and Grantsville have history with each other, and the two rivals went against each other for the third time this season on Friday for a spot in the 3A championship game against fellow region foe LCA after having split the regular season series.
Just three years ago the two sides met in the 3A title game, where Morgan eked out the win, and it was the Trojans who finished strong and came out on top again Friday
Offense did not come easy in the first quarter for either team, as Morgan led 10-7 going into the second quarter. The second quarter was similar to the first, although it was Grantsville that took a 22-19 lead into halftime.
The Grantsville offense was led by Sadee Castagno, who dropped six of her eight first-half points in the second quarter and helped key a 13-4 run to begin the frame.
“Its basketball, the runs will happen. Some games are just a run versus another run. You just have to stand the other team’s run and get some timely stops.” Said Morgan coach Sterling Mack.
“We foul a little too much, but we were able to fix that near the end of the game.”
The third quarter was basically even, with Morgan winning it 15-13 to trail by just a point heading int the fourth. Makayla Williams showed why she was the leading scorer for the Trojans all season long, scoring half of her points in the game up to that point in just the third alone.
In the fourth quarter, Morgan made the plays it needed to make to grab the win. The Trojans made four timely layups and went 7 of 12 in the final frame to claim the victory.
“You know, playing Grantsville, it’s a rivalry from not just football and basketball but every sport. I’m a southern Louisiana guy, and football is big there, so when you get to the rivals you take it serious,” Sterling said.
“You don’t know what will happen in that game. To have that type of battle in that atmosphere, it’s memories for both sides. It was a good game.”
Morgan will play against Layton Christian in the 3A championship game Saturday at SUU, with tip time scheduled for 5 p.m.
Layton Christian 52, Union 40
After a crazy Thursday night of upsets in the 3A tournament where all top four seeds lost, Friday’s first semifinal was a game between two up and coming teams.
LCA immediately came out with the same intensity that it used Thursday against Canyon View. Using a man defense, the Eagles got out to a 12-6 lead at the end of the first quarter as the Cougars made just three of 14 shots.
LCA wasn’t great offensively early but did make three 3-pointers in the first quarter, including one from 30 feet out as the quarter buzzer sounded.
The second quarter was when the Eagles really gained separation. In the quarter, they forced 10 turnovers, which led to 14 points. Senior Ava Smith had all 13 of her points in the quarter as LCA won it 22-6 to go up 34-12 at halftime.
“We knew that we had to have that defensive identity, out whole culture and identity is built off defense. Without that we aren’t talented enough offensively to carry the game. We had to get our offense through our defense,” said LCA coach Mark Burton.
Union cut into the deficit a bit in the third quarter as it started attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. The Cougars finished the quarter 7 of 11 from the free throw line and won the frame 13-6 as LCA shot just 2 of 10.
Five different Union players scored in the quarter as the Cougars trailed by 16 heading into the fourth.
Then in the fourth quarter, Union cut the deficit all the way down to five, led by Halle Oakley, but LCA’s Fabiana Lopez and Ava Smith were clutch at the line, making a combined seven free throws in the last 90 seconds to seal the win.
“I felt we went into a mindset just trying not to lose, not just playing the game and playing against the clock and conservatively,” Burton said. “ I told them that we needed to stay aggressive and take the game. Finish out the game so we can play tomorrow.”
With the victory, the Eagles advance to their first girls basketball championship game in school history, where they will face the Morgan Trojans.