The Morrison Eagle defense stopped everyone on the Irving College Tiger offense except Trevor Wannamaker. But after four quarters it was all Morrison and the Eagles defeated the Tigers, 45-27.
Wanamaker led all scorers with a game-high 21 points. Despite his best efforts, the Tiger offense could not get it done.
The Eagle offense flew to new heights and was well out of reach of the Tigers. In the first quarter, Morrison played it safe and let Irving College work the ball around the floor without much resistance. Wanamaker knocked down a pair of free throws for his first two points.
Wanamaker drove the lane and pulled the defense in and then kicked the ball out to Abram Stinson who fired a deep 3-pointer behind the arch and hit his target to help Irving College stay within striking distance. Tanner Wanamaker added a free throw in the first, his only point of the game.
Parker Yates and Tyler Dunn each dropped in a pair of shots from short-range to help put Morrison in the lead at 11-6 after one.
Morrison revved up its defensive effort in the second and nothing came easy for the Tigers. Trevor Wanamaker was the only offense in the second quarter.
On offense, the Eagles wasted little time and pushed the tempo into overdrive. Kaden Desmarais picked up four points before the half and he got help from Hunter Musgrave outside and Dunn inside the paint.
At the half Morrison led 19-8 and it did not look good for the Tigers.
In the third quarter, Morrison came out with the same intensity and momentum as the first half. The Eagle offense continued to push the tempo and many times was way out ahead of the Tiger defense. Musgrave added four points in the third.
The Eagle defense had every nook and cranny covered and the Tigers struggled to get looks at the basket. Trevor Wanamaker found points in the paint and a deep three from beyond the arch. It was the only five points for the Tigers in the third. Morrison extended its lead to 29-13 after three.
Both teams had their best quarter of basketball in the final period. Morrison unloaded 16 points against a 14-point quarter for the Tigers. Desmarais led the Eagles and his connected on two separate three-point shots for six of his 14 points in the game. Connor Farmer got into the offense and scored his only basket of the game just before time expired.
Trevor Wanamaker had a 12-point fourth quarter and earned many of his points from the free-throw line. He shot 5-of-10 in the final quarter as time ticked off the clock and Irving College found ways to score. The Tiger defense just could not find stops on the other end and Morrison soared to a 45-27 win to move on to the second round of the post-season tournament.
EAGLE SCORING – Kaden Desmarais 14, Parker Yates 10, Tyler Dunn 8, Hunter Musgrave 6, Ethan Hillis 3, Conner Farmer 2, and Lorenzo Hernandez 2
TIGER SCORING – Trevor Wanamaker 21, Abram Stinson 5, Tanner Wanamaker 1