Morgan Academy (5-5) raced up and down the floor in transition and made open shots in the first half of Saturday’s game against Sparta Academy. The Senators’ effort amounted to a three-point halftime lead and appeared to set up a competitive second half. 

Sparta Academy had other plans. The Warriors dominated the final two quarters and pulled away for a one-sided 85-60 win in each team’s opening game of the Morgan Pepsi Classic.

The difference in the two halves had Senators’ head coach Lee Tate scratching his head.

“I know late in the game there was a total lack of intensity,” Tate said. “We just basically quit.”

Both teams wanted to push the pace and early on it worked in the Senators’ favor. Behind a hot start from Woodham Kemmer, Morgan Academy jumped out to a 20-9 advantage in the first quarter.

Kemmer scored 10 of his 15 points in the opening quarter.

Sparta answered with a 24-5 run to take a 33-25 advantage. Zane Lambert scored 13 points in the first half to lead the Warriors back in front.

In what quickly became a game of runs, Morgan answered with its own late run to secure a 41-38 lead at halftime.

In the first half, the action on the court was fast-paced, but fouls kept the game moving slowly. A total of 43 fouls were called in the game and the majority of those were called in the first two quarters.

Morgan took advantage, going 14-for 20 from the free throw line in the first half. In the second half, the Senators were only 2-of-7 from the line made only seven shots from the field.

Sparta’s Griffin Weaver scored nine points in the third quarter, including knocking down a late 3-pointer, to help the Warriors take a 64-56 lead going into the final period. Morgan trailed by as many as 10 in the quarter, but managed to get within eight on a layup through contact by Sawyer Hopkins. Hopkins led the Senators with 17 points. Kemmer cooled down after his hot start but still ended up with 15.

In the final quarter, Morgan scored only four points, while Sparta seemed to do whatever it wanted. Seven different Warriors players scored in the fourth quarter as Sparta pulled away.

“They are a good team and we knew that,” Tate said. “At the same time, we’ve got to find an answer for things like that. It’s one thing to get crushed by a team you expect to get crushed by and who you have no chance against. Sparta is a very good team. As you saw in the first quarter, we should’ve been in this game, and we weren’t even close to being in this game.”

Tate said he was hoping for better intensity from his team in Morgan’s second and final game of the Morgan Pepsi Classic Saturday night against Marengo Academy.

 

Sparta 62, Morgan 23 (Girls)

Morgan Academy found itself facing a big deficit early against Sparta Academy Saturday and the Senators couldn’t recover.

Sparta pulled away for a 62-23 victory during the opening girls’ game of the Morgan Pepsi Classic.

“In life everything is not going to be a peak,” said Morgan Academy headmaster Pete Williamson, who was coaching the team Saturday. “You are going to have some valleys. We are in a valley right now, but maybe we can come back this afternoon and peak.”

Anna Gayle Hubbard led the way for the Senators with 10 points. Emily Sherrer also had five points for the Senators.

Morgan (3-7) was scheduled to play Marengo Academy Saturday night in its final game of the Pepsi Classic.