The Morgan County girls and boys basketball teams have taken control of both sides of the Class AAA rankings ... and with good reason.
Girls coach Josh Reeves, whose team moved into the No. 1 spot this week, has been at the helm for six seasons and has been at Morgan for 13 years. In 2016, Reeves helped guide Morgan County to a state title with a 68-61 victory against Jackson-Atlanta. This year, Reeves has led the Lady Bulldogs to a 14-3 record.
The Lady Bulldogs lead the Region 8 standings at 6-0 heading into Tuesday's region game against No. 5 Hart County. Morgan County has lost three games this season to higher-classed competition, and since its 54-48 loss to Collins Hill in the War Lodge Invitational at Woodward, the Morgan girls have been flawless.
The streak of seven victories was highlighted by a 78-30 victory against Cambridge on the day after the Collins Hill loss. Morgan then turned its attention to its own tournament, the Sweet South Classic, where it beat Lambert 70-32 and Veterans 69-55. Back-to-back victories against Franklin County (60-46) and Salem (65-24) Friday and Saturday emboldened Morgan's confidence, heading into Hart County.
Morgan is led by Lou Reid, who is averaging 18.6 points, five steals and four rebounds a game. Miranda Powell averages 17.5 points with 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 steals.
Reeves answered a few questions Tuesday about his team and what they are doing to keep the momentum as the basketball season turns toward March:
Q. What's the focus going into Hart County?
A. Our focus for Hart is to be disciplined in our on-ball defense, specifically Torrion Starks and Taniya Alexander, defensive rebounding and our tempo, offensively and defensively. We cannot allow Hart to dictate the speed of the game. We like to play with pace on offense and speed the opposing team up on defense. Hart likes to play fast, anyway, so it maybe one of those games that is just off to the races.
Q. Now that the boys and girls are on top of the rankings, are you worried about over-confidence?
A. Not worried about getting a big head as much as our preparation for teams. We want the mindset to be how to prepare to win as opposed to (thinking) we should win. If we start thinking we should win every game, we will get ourselves in trouble. We have to get ready to get everyone's best effort because that No. 1 ranking puts a target on your back.
Q. Since the latest loss, the girls have been on a streak. What's the fuel?
A. Our last loss was to Collins Hill, and obviously they are a great program that has had a lot of success. We want to be the team that, year-in and year-out, has a program where people recognize what we do, and we compete for championships. Our fuel is to work hard enough and win enough to be in the discussion with the Bufords, Collins Hills and other perennial powerhouse programs.
Q. Looking back, what would you consider a successful season?
A. A successful season is being there at the end and competing for championships in the region, and hopefully, the state. Our girls have put in the off-season work, and seeing that pay off in state playoffs is the main goal. Also, I would like to get a couple of my seniors scholarships to play college basketball. They have the ability to play at the next level, and I want to do everything I can to get them there.
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