High School Girls Basketball: No. 10 Mark Morris scores 'home' game to open State
'Gut Check'– Monarchs fall 72-38 to W.F. West in District title tilt; set for return to Kelso for Regionals
Jordan Nailon for BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com
2A Prep Girls Basketball / Report
BIG-K COURT — There’s little time for the Mark Morris girls basketball team to feel sorry for itself following a lopsided loss in the 2A District IV championship game last weekend.
The Monarchs, champions of the 2A Greater St. Helens League, were overmatched over the final 24 minutes of a 72-38 loss to W.F. West in the District title tilt on Saturday at Kelso High School. It was the Monarchs’ worst defeat of the season, and while it did not bring their campaign to an end, the scowls on the faces of MM players afterward said all that needed to be said about their performance in front of a packed house at Kelso High School.
A victory, or perhaps even just a close game into the second half, could have propelled the Monarchs into a Top-8 seed, and thus an automatic bid into the final rounds of the state tournament at the Yakima Valley SunDome. Instead, the Monarchs wound up ranked No. 10, with an elimination game back on Big-K Court this week in the Regional round.
“It’s a gut check for them,” MM head coach Sean Atkins said. “The nice part of them is how competitive they are and I believe they are going to be rearing and ready to go versus being sad and disappointed… They have a goal of getting to The Dome, and that’s still on the table.”
— Content below this line is reserved for paid subscribers. Thank you for helping sustain Blast Zone Media. We depend on your support in order to continue reporting on local athletics. Consider showing your support today. —
