Morris and Preston closed out their home-and-home regular- season basketball series this past Friday at the Don Shoemake Sports Complex in Morris. In the first meeting (January 4) in Preston, the Preston squads came away with the home sweep, winning by margins of 60-59 and 56-46, respectively. On Friday, both county squads earned a victory with the host Lady Eagles topping the Lady Pirates 58-41 to earn a split in the series, while the visiting Pirates swept the season series with a 49-42 decision in the nightcap. (The Pirates also defeated the Eagles 64-54 January 20 in the Large School semifinals of the 2023 Muscogee Nation Invitational.) Both county schools were scheduled to be on the road Tuesday with Morris traveling to Eufaula and Preston heading to Henryetta and will be home this Friday against their arch rivals with Morris hosting Henryetta and Preston hosting Beggs. In Friday’s girls county battle, the visitors took the opening period by a 14-10 margin. The Lady Eagles sent the county meeting to the halftime break with the score deadlocked at 2828 following an 18-14 advantage in the second quarter. Morris doubled up on its county foes 12-6 in the third stanza, then took the final frame 18-7 to walk off its home floor with the 58-41 victory and a split in the season series. Skylar Phillips led the host Lady Eagles in scoring with a game-high 19 points. Maddie Moore also found her way into double digits on Friday, finishing with 13 points. Other Morris scorers against Preston were Emma Duclos with nine, Taylon Ray six, Kaleah Barnett four, Reagan Bowling three, and Jessica Wilson and Alexis Schell two each. Preston’s top scorer in the county battle was Jadyn Roberts with 18, followed by Adrianne Wilson with 10. Other Lady Pirate scorers Friday were Shaunassi Jordan with five, Emilie Stidman four, and Josie Cope and Savannah King two apiece. In Friday’s county boys showdown, the Eagles escaped the opening frame with a 16-10 advantage, while the visitors took the second stanza 9-5 to send the county squads to the intermission with Morris clinging to a 2-point lead, 21-19. The Pirates continued their comeback bid in the third quarter, outscoring their county foes by a 15-12 margin to take a 3433 advantage into the final eight minutes of regulation. The Preston gentlemen put the finishing touches on their 49-42 victory by edging the host Eagles 15-9 in the final period. Keyton Smith led the offensive charge for the Pirates, finishing with a game-high 15 points. Jervais Goree was next for Preston in the county battle with 10 points. Giorgio Dunn-Spencer just missed double figures for the Pirates with nine, while the remaining Preston scorers at Morris were Kareffren Bagby with six, Tucker Webb five, and Malachi Ligons four. The host Eagles were led in scoring by Tucker Kelsey with 13, followed by Cody Smith with 12 and Jerrick Raines 10. Ryan Benavidez and Race Casey rounded out the Morris scoring on Friday with four and three points, respectively. --- Girls Game Morris 58, Preston 41 Preston: 14 - 14 - 6 - 7 (41) Morris: 10 - 18 - 12 - 18 (58) Preston Scoring: Jadyn Roberts 18, Adrianne Wilson 10, Shaunassi Jordan 5, Emilie Stidman 4, Josie Cope 2, Savannah King 2. Morris Scoring: Skylar Phillips 19, Maddie Moore 13, Emma Duclos 9, Taylon Ray 6, Kaleah Barnett 4, Reagan Bowling 3, Jessica Wilson 2, Alexis Schell 2. --- Boys Game Preston 49, Morris 42 Preston: 10 - 9 - 15 - 15 (49) Morris: 16 - 5 - 12 - 9 (42) Preston Scoring: Keyton Smith 15, Jervais Goree 10, Giorgio Dunn-Spencer 9, Kareffren Bagby 6, Tucker Webb 5, Malachi Ligons 4. Morris Scoring: Tucker Kelsey 13, Cody Smith 12, Jerrick Raines 10, Ryan Benavidez 4, Race Casey 3.