The Morris Eagle varsity basketball team had their bid for a state tournament appearance in 2023 end with a 58-50 loss to Tulsa Central High School this past Saturday afternoon.
The Morris Eagle varsity basketball team had their bid for a state tournament appearance in 2023 end with a 58-50 loss to Tulsa Central High School this past Saturday afternoon.
Saturday’s 8-point setback to the Braves came in the consolation finals of the Class 3A, Area IV, regional tournament on the Eagles’ home floor - the Don Shoemake Sports Complex.
The Morris gentlemen finish 20222023 with a 12-14 record, which included third-place finishes at the J.T. Dixon Memorial Tournament in Haskell and the 2023 Muscogee Nation Invitational and a fourth-place finish at the Warner Eagle Cherokee Classic.
The Eagles began their regional tournament action last Thursday with a 54-38 loss in a winner’s bracket meeting with the 13th-ranked Keys Cougars, then rebounded last Friday with a 58-52 win over the Star Spencer Bobcats in the regional consolation semifinal round.
In last Thursday’s winner’s bracket battle with Keys, the Eagles trailed 10-6 after one and 27-14 at halftime. Keys increased its lead to 38-20 after outscoring the Morris squad 11-6 in the third quarter.
The Eagles tallied 18 points in the final frame, but saw the rally attempt thwarted, as the visiting Cougars countered with 16 points in the stanza to hand the Morris gentlemen the 5438 defeat.
The Morris offense was led by Tucker Kelsey with a team-best 14 points. Xavier Harjo and Cody Smith were next in the scoring column for the Eagles last Thursday with eight points apiece, followed by Ryan Benavidez with six and Jerrick Raines two.
In last Friday’s consolation semifinal showdown with Star Spencer, the Eagles trailed 20-18 after a backand forth first quarter, then went into the halftime break with a narrow 3130 advantage after taking the second frame by a 13-10 margin.
The Morris cage squad outscored the visitors 13-7 in the third period to extend its lead to seven, 44-37, with eight minutes remaining in regulation.
Star Spencer managed a 15-14 advantage in the final stanza, but it was the host Morris Eagles that kept their season alive with the 58-52 decision.
Cody Smith led the way offensively for Morris with a team-high 18 points. Tucker Kelsey and Jerrick Raines also finished in double figures for the Eagles against Star Spencer with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Other Morris scorers last Friday were Xavier Harjo with nine, Ryan Benavidez four, and Koen Burgess two.
In Saturday’s consolation title game with Tulsa Central, the Eagles trailed 20-11 after one and 34-22 at halftime.
The Morris squad cut the defict in half, 39-33, with eight minutes left in regulation, after outscoring the Braves 11-5 in the third peiod.
The Eagles’ comeback bid was thwarted in the final frame, as Tulsa Central escaped the quarter with a 20-17 advantage to hand the Morris squad the season-ending loss, 58-50.
Morris’ top offensive performer in Saturday’s contest was Cody Smith with a team-best 18 points. Xavier Harjo was next offensively for the Eagles against Tulsa Central with 16, followed by Tucker Kelsey with 11.
Jerrick Raines and Ryan Benavidez rounded out the Morris scoring on Saturday with three and two points, respectively.
--- Class 3A Regional Tournament First Round
Keys 54, Morris 38 Morris 58, Star Spencer 52
Morris: 18 - 13 - 13 - 14 (58) Star Spencer: 20 - 10 - 7 - 15 (52) Morris Scoring: Cody Smith 18, Tucker Kelsey 14, Jerrick Raines 11, Xavier Harjo 9, Ryan Benavidez 4, Koen Burgess 2.
--- Consolation Finals
Tulsa Central 58, Morris 50
T. Central: 20 - 13 - 5 - 20 (58) Morris: 11 - 11 - 11 - 17 (50) Morris Scoring: Cody Smith 18, Xavier Harjo 16, Tucker Kelsey 11, Jerrick Raines 3, Ryan Benavidez 2.
Keys: 10 - 17 - 11 - 16 (54) Morris: 6 - 8 - 6 - 18 (38) Morris Scoring: Tucker Kelsey 14, Xavier Harjo 8, Cody Smith 8, Ryan Benavidez 6, Jerrick Raines 2.
--- Consolation Semifinals
