Karr is too much for Morgan City is 64-47 victory

No. 8 Edna Karr simply proved to be too much for No. 9 Morgan City High School to handle as the Tigers fell 64-47 in Class 4A regional round action Tuesday.
Karr’s inside presence, its length and its ability on defense to clog the paint was too much for Morgan City to overcome.
The Cougars also shot the ball well from the free-throw line as they hit 20 of 26 attempts.
“You got to credit coach Howard and Karr,” Morgan City coach Terence McCutcheon said. “Coach Howard had those boys prepared, and they stuck to their game plan. You could tell they had a solid game plan.”
Karr (19-14) will advance to face No. 1 Westgate, which topped No. 16 Plaquemine 75-57 in other Class 4A regional round action.
Things started slow between the two squads as they struggled to make shots early. Morgan City was plagued offensively by turnovers in the first quarter as the Tigers attempted just one shot within the game’s first 3:30.
The Tigers tied the game at 3 with 3:39 remaining in the quarter on a Morrquise Charles three-pointer.
Karr heated up in the quarter’s last 3:27 and took a 15-4 lead after a period of play, closing the period on a 12-0 run that featured back-to-back dunks by Marc Bowie and Trey Hughes.
“We defended well, but we couldn’t really catch the ball,” McCutcheon said. “Like there were moments out there where we got the stop, and then we couldn’t get the rebound.”
On offense, McCutcheon said Karr did an excellent job of keeping Morgan City guessing with switching defenses.
“A lot of teams are not able to go from defense to defense and still be good but that kept us off rhythm, offensively,” he said.
The defensive changes, Morgan City players trying to do too much and the tough, loud environment, all were key factors for the early miscues, McCutcheon said.
In the second period, Morgan City matched Karr with nine points, but the Tigers could not get any inside buckets to fall the few times they were able to penetrate the lane. Morgan City’s points came via a
three-pointer apiece by Tywaun Walker and Kerwin Francois and three free throws by Taaj Daniels.
While Morgan City cut its deficit to 22-13 on Walker’s three-pointer at the 1:43 mark, Karr converted a bucket on its ensuing possession for what was the eventual 24-13 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Morgan City’s deficit was between 11 and 18 points the entire period.
The Tigers got their first two-point shot of the game on a tip-in with about 5:15 remaining in the period to cut its deficit at the time to 28-15.
While the Tigers got more inside looks, Karr countered them offensively.
The Tigers got no closer than 11 in the final period at 48-37 after Charles’ inside bucket around the 4 minute mark.
Daniels led Morgan City with 13 points, while Jared Singleton also reached double figures with 12 points. Other Morgan City scorers were Francois, eight; Walker, six; Charles, five; and Ke’Sean Francois, three.
“I’m proud of the guys," McCutcheon said. "The guys fought hard. We had a good year. It didn’t finish the way we wanted it to finish, but one thing that I could hold my head up high about is I have a group of guys that (I) know that’s never going to quit, and if I can go to war with a group of guys that’s not going to quit on me, I feel good about it.”
Myron Green led Karr with 19 points, while Bowie added 16 and Quindell Johnson, 14.
Tuesday’s game was the final one for four Morgan City seniors: Ke’Sean Francois, Charles, Daniels and Walker.
“No. 1, these guys have had like four coaches in four years, so to get a new coach in their senior year, it’s tough, and they accepted me from the start,” McCutcheon said. “Those guys were hungry.
They wanted some coaching.… These seniors mean everything to us.
“We wouldn’t have had the success that we’ve had this year without those guys,” he added. “They believed in me, and when you get your older guys believing in you as a coach, it’s easy for everybody
else to follow suit. … I couldn’t ask for a better group of seniors, and the only regret that I have is I only get to coach them for one year, and that’s tough, but these guys are going to be successful in life.”