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Prep Girls Basketball: Mark Morris puts press on R.A. Long to win Civil War
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Prep Girls Basketball: Mark Morris puts press on R.A. Long to win Civil War

Defense Contractors —Monarchs make Lumberjills uncomfortable in 57-38 victory

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Blast Zone Media
Jan 16, 2025
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Prep Girls Basketball: Mark Morris puts press on R.A. Long to win Civil War
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Alauna Brown (3) of R.A. Long rises above Mark Morris defender Kiki Makaiwi (5) for a tough mid-range jumper during the girls’ Civil War basketball game at The Lumberdome, Tuesday, Jan. 14. Brown scored 14 points for the Lumberjills but the Monarchs won 57-38. — Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media

Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com

LUMBERDOME — In the season’s first Civil War on the hardwood, Mark Morris proved that the best offense is a great defense. And sometimes, the two are so closely related that it’s hard to tell which is which.

Such was the case, Tuesday, when the Monarchs stormed the Lumberdome and deployed a full-court press for the majority of the game on the way to a 57-38 victory in 2A Greater St. Helens League girls basketball action at Longview’s original high school.

That commitment to end-to-end defense put the Lumberjills in panic mode early and often, resulting in 29 turnovers by the hosts and a smorgasbord of uncontested scoring opportunities in the paint for Mark Morris.

—The gritty teamwork of the Monarchs shines during the girls’ Civil War basketball game at R.A. Long, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Mark Morris players dive for loose balls and grab second-chance rebounds, setting up Kadence Gorans for a two-point conversion. / Framed Photography for Blast Zone Media —

“We got them so out of rhythm and so funky that that’s how we built up our lead,” Mark Morris coach Sean Atkins said.

The Lumberjills forgot to take their finger off the turbo button for most of the first half, which led to errant passes that were either tipped, intercepted or simply landed out of bounds. It was an unfortunate turn of events for a team that’s had a mostly positive trajectory this season.

“Part of it was we were trying to make passes that weren’t there and if just would’ve seen the court better, we had open people,” R.A. Long coach J.D. Ott said.

R.A. Long’s Briana Garwood (right) shoots a floater over Mark Morris’ Reese Johnston (left) during the girls’ Civil War basketball game at The Lumberdome, Tuesday, Jan. 14. Garwood scored seven points in a 57-38 loss. — Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media

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