Morgan Lady Trojans drop second in a row at top-ranked Grantsville but cruise by Union

For the Morgan Lady Trojans, top-ranked Grantsville is indeed their kryptonite. 

The Lady Trojans may have been feeling superior heading into the showdown in Tooele County, but they found out quickly that they were dealing with a difficult foe in Grantsville, Jan. 30.  

Morgan [8-12, 6-2 Region 13] has been rolling through the rest of Region 13 and has been riding a five-game win streak. But unbeaten Grantsville dropped the Lady Trojans into a 10-28 hole by the end of the first quarter and it proved to be too difficult to get out from in a 12-point loss, 51-63. 

For the Lady Trojans, Ashlyn Noss scored 11 points and Alexis Burt buried two threes for 10 points. Morgan also got nine points apiece from Kaydence Wardell and Abby Titus. Eva Birkeland chipped in six points on two threes while Keira Brewer and Leah Birkeland each added three. 

Two nights later, Morgan welcomed Union into the Lady Trojans’ lair, Feb. 1. 

3A’s defending champs got out to an 18-6 lead in the first quarter, allowed Union back into the game in the second quarter, and pulled ahead to stay with a 20-point third quarter that gave the Lady Trojans a 46-28 lead after three. 

After that, Morgan simply kicked it into cruise control and coasted to a 13-point win. For the Lady Trojans, Abby Titus had a monster game, scoring 20 points. It was the senior’s second 20-point outing in the past five games. 

Eva Birkeland also had a nice game for Morgan, scoring 14 points, most of which came from leaping leaners and midrange jumpers. It was also the junior’s third game in the last four that she’s had 13 or more points. 

Kaydence Wardell and Leah Birkeland each scored six points, Ashlyn Noss had four, and Alexis Burt two. Kamry Wardell, Ashley Burt, and Keira Brewer also contributed one point apiece for a Lady Trojans squad that went to the free throw line 23 times and made only 10 of their shots from the charity stripe. 

For Morgan, just two games remain in the Region 13 campaign, a home tilt Tuesday [Feb. 6] night against South Summit and another home clash Thursday Feb. 8 versus Ben Lomond. Though the region title might be out of the question, earning a good seed in the upcoming 3A tournament is now a top priority. 

The 3A girls basketball tournament will begin on Feb. 13 at home sites, and play will continue there in the second round on Feb. 16. 

The quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship/3rd place games of the 3A tournament move to the Sevier Valley Center at Snow College, Feb. 22-24. λ