Morgan boys make enough plays to top Lisbon Beaver
ZANESVILLE – Changing the culture of Morgan's boys basketball program has been a significant task for coach Adam Copeland.
The fruits of his labor were on display Friday night.
The 12th-seeded Raiders used an 11-2 run to seize control in the fourth quarter, and sophomore Jordan Work made 6-of-8 free throws in the final 1:25 to secure a 62-56 victory against 10th-seeded Lisbon Beaver Local in a Division II sectional semifinal at Zanesville's Winland Memorial Gymnasium.
"This is a great program win for us, and we appreciated the community's support," Copeland said. "We found a way in those last four minutes. We called a timeout, and our guys settled down and relaxed. We executed when we needed to.
"No one knows the adversity our seniors have been through, but this validates all our hard work."
The Raiders (10-13) will face No. 1 John Glenn at 7 p.m. next Friday in the sectional championship.
Advancing was not an easy task. The game was tied at 43 entering the fourth, and a Christian Cooper bucket made it 45-43 in favor of the Beavers.
Mason Edgell's jumper sparked the game-changing run in which five different Raiders scored. Marcus Mayle put the them up for good on the next possession, while Logan Meadows found Work for a layup to cap the spurt, making it 54-47 in favor of Morgan.
Chase Hilliard made sure the Beavers (11-12) didn't scurry away. He had four straight points, and a Cooper 3-pointer cut the deficit to 54-52 with 2:40 remaining.
Morgan then turned over the ball on the ensuing possession, but the Beavers failed to capitalize before Work sealed the victory.
Work finished with a team-high 15 points, including a 9-of-12 performance at the foul line.
"This was Jordan's first tourney game, and he had ice in his veins," Copeland said. "He held the streak for most consecutive free throws in practice at one point and made some clutch ones. Even the official said you have the right guy at the line, and I said I believe I do."
Copeland credited the Beavers' effort. They had a 39-37 edge on the glass and forced 15 turnovers.
"Their coach (Jeremy Christen) is tough-minded, and they played with toughness," he said. "We wanted to control the tempo, but they didn't let us. They made hustle plays that kept them in it."
Morgan led 16-10 after one quarter, but the Beavers used an 11-0 run to take control in the second and led 31-27 at the half on Hilliard's half-court heave at the buzzer.
The third featured four lead changes and four ties, including a Clifford Holmes hoop to bring the Raiders even at 43.
Mayle chipped in 14 points and Weaver added 10 for Morgan, which made 23-of-50 field goals and 4-of-14 on 3s.
Copeland also highlighted Meadows' defensive effort as the Raiders forced 13 turnovers.
"He stepped up and we had guys do what was needed to win in the tourney," he said.
Hilliard scored a game-high 23 points, and Cooper added 18 for the Beavers, who were 23-of-62 from the field and 4-of-19 on 3s.
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