On Wednesday March 4 the girls basketball team celebrated their first Shoreline championship in 10 years, defeating North Branford Thunderbirds, 66-38. The last time the girls won was 2015, since then they have lost in the finals five times, losing to Cromwell, Coginchaug, and East Hampton three times.
Morgan looked to rebound after a crushing defeat to Coginchaug last year in the Shoreline championship, where late in the game, Morgan had the lead but failed to keep it in the clutch, losing 45-43.
“I think it just plays a role in motivation because we know [what] it feels like to make it all the way there and then lose. So, we were just motivated to get back here and win it this time,” said Passante.
Morgan looked like they were out for blood to start the game. Junior captain Emma Teuner won the tip and that was the closest North Branford got to winning this game. Morgan got a 17-0 lead and ended the first quarter leading 20-4.
Morgan was led by Shoreline Player Of The Year Sadie Passante who scored 11 points in the first quarter. She ended the game with 20 points. On the year, Passante averaged an impressive 24.5 points per game as well as an even more impressive 45% shooting according to MaxPreps.
“Sadie has always been a tremendous athlete, but her growth on the basketball court is a true testament to her on and offseason dedication. Year after year, she has elevated her game, and now she’s the dominant force in the league,” said Coach Caitlin Woods
Teuner and junior Maddy Grenon also showed why they were selected for all shoreline teams. Teuner ended with a 17 point, 15 rebound double-double, and Grenon ended with 21 points.
Morgan started the second quarter much slower than the first. They only scored 6 points in the first 3 minutes. The defense was still a huge factor though, holding the Thunderbirds to only 10 points compared to Morgan’s 19.
Morgan came into this game as one of the best defensive teams in the state. Through 22 games they allowed an average of 32 points per game. Throughout the whole season Morgan only allowed 40 or more points four times.
The second quarter was defined by offensive rebounding and three pointers, the combination of Teuner’s presence on the boards as well as Passante’s constant attacks toward the basket, opened up the three pointers. Grenon scored 9 points in the second quarter, helping Morgan continue to pull away and gain a comfortable lead of 25 going into halftime.
Their gameplan seemed to change when they came out of halftime. They were much slower and more cautious with the ball. They took their time passing it around before they found the best look they could. Morgan didn’t score until 4:39 left in the third quarter.
This seems to be a trend for the team under Coach Woods as we saw the same switch last year in the second half of
the final against Coginchaug, however Coginchaug, unlike North Branford, began to amp up the pressure and took back the lead because Morgan refused to play at the pace that originally got them the lead.
They stayed composed and under control throughout the quarter and ended with a still sizable 25 point lead going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter looked very much like the third, Morgan slowed it down on offense and took up as much time as possible. They were going to finish the game playing defense. They did just that, only allowing 10 points which was enough to give them the victory.
Now Morgan will turn its focus toward the state tournament where they go in as the number one seed in division IV. They go into this as one of the most complete teams in the tournament, scoring 55 points per game in their 22 games prior to the championship.
As the top seed Morgan is looking down at the rest of the bracket. Their first game of the tournament will be Tuesday, February 10 against Naugatuck. They will then most likely face teams like Weaver, Plainville, Canton, or maybe the 29 seeded Rockville who had a scarily large upset over the 4 seed Prince Tech winning by 43 points.
