The defending 3A girls basketball champions return several key players from last year
Dec 04, 2023 01:25PM ● By Brian Shaw
Last year, a community watched the Morgan Trojans lift another 3A championship, their second in three years.
For this Trojans squad gunning for a third state title in four years, there are still some familiar faces from last season. They opened their season Monday, Nov. 20 at home against Ridgeline.
The Trojans tipped off and started their season by shooting a bunch of bricks, falling into a 31-6 first-quarter hole. But, Morgan played a more competitive second period, peppering the nets for 14 points.
Trailing 45-20 at the break, the Trojans just never got rolling the rest of the way and fell in a 75-29 loss.
Morgan [0-1] returns several players who were key contributors to last year’s state championship drive.
For the Trojans, Keira Brewer led the way and scored a team-high 10 points. The 6-foot-1-inch junior found space inside the painted area for several putbacks and so did Abby Titus, who at 6-1 will give the Trojans some inside muscle.
Titus, who is a senior, scored five points for Morgan; like Brewer, she’ll be counted upon more than she was last year when both were role players on the Trojans’ championship-winning team.
Another player who will be stepping into a larger role will be Kaydence Wardell; the senior was a key contributor to last year’s squad and she added four points for the Trojans.
Eva Birkeland was also a part of the Trojans’ state championship-winning team; the junior splashed one three-point shot for Morgan as did senior Leah Birkeland in Monday’s loss. Senior Ashlyn Noss and sophomore Kamry Wardell each contributed two points.
The Trojans’ schedule is filled with non-region matchups that will serve as benchmarks for the coming season. The home game against Ridgeline was the first of several on the schedule.
For the rest of November, Morgan will hit the road for two games: one at Bountiful on Tuesday, November 28, and wrap the month at Sky View on Thursday, November 30.
In no particular order, the 2023-24 Morgan Trojans girls basketball varsity team is Eva Birkeland, Kaydence Wardell, Ashley Burt, Alexis Burt, Kamry Wardell, Leah Birkeland, Makayla Williams, Audrey Fisher, Abby Titus, Ashlyn Noss, Keira Brewer, and Lillian Tatton.
They’re coached by Sterling Mack, who has a career 82-48 record. λ
