Wins come in twos for Morgan boys basketball before they fall

The week started for the Morgan Trojans the same way it ended – rough. 

Last week, Morgan [11-10, 5-3 Region 13] gave Ogden all it could handle early before falling by 17 points. 

The Trojans probably had that same feeling in the first quarter at Tooele Jan. 29. 

The good thing about this Morgan squad, though, is they are deep and can shoot themselves out of a slump.  

That’s what happened from the second quarter on, as the Trojans blasted Tooele, 67-44. They made 27 shots and buried seven of 10 free throws in the win. 

A team that seems to live and die by the three-point shot, Morgan got five of them from Kolton Asay who led the Trojans with 17 points. Bracken Saunders had Kaydence Wardell-like numbers with 12 points, four rebounds, and five steals. Derrick Tilby had nine points and four assists, Ben Russell eight points and four rebounds, and Jake Hansen eight points with four assists for Morgan. 

Two nights later saw the Trojans back at home against Grantsville, Jan. 31. In a physical battle, Morgan trailed 11-13 after one quarter but began to tighten the grip in the second quarter by cutting out entry passes and scoring in transition. After two quarters, both teams stood level at 31-31. 

Between frequent clock malfunctions and physical play shown by both teams, neither team scored for the first three minutes of the third quarter before they started trading buckets, giving Morgan a slim 43-42 lead after three. 

To open the fourth, two Grantsville turnovers led to a 4-0 Morgan run giving the Trojans their biggest lead of the night at 47-42 with 6:23 left in this contest. The next four minutes were a seesaw battle though, as Grantsville used timely stops to get back in the game. 

But, the play of the night was made by Mason Williams when he blocked an attempted three-point shot by Grantsville with 2:02 remaining. Down 50-49 with only 58 seconds left, the Trojans got another huge basket from Jake Hansen, who leaned into the lane and scored, giving Morgan a 51-50 lead. 

The Trojans upped their advantage to four points on their next inbounds play when Bracken Saunders heaved a pass the length of the court to Derrick Tilby, who drew the and-one on a layup and free throw with 26 seconds to play and would go on to win, 55-50. Saunders and Kolton Asay each had 16 points to lead Morgan. 

Two nights after the win over a gritty Grantsville team, the Trojans were back in the friendly confines of their own gym against Union. 

By most accounts, the Trojans should win inside their home gym – but nobody told visiting Union, who dropped Morgan 64-59 thanks to 13 three-point shots made by the visitors. For Morgan, Saunders led the way with 26 points while Tilby added 15. λ