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Raiders reveling in success on court

McCONNELSVILLE – As a senior for the Morgan boys basketball team in 2002, Adam Copeland helped lead the team to newfound success.

That year, the Raiders won the only district championship in school history.

These days Copeland is still leading Morgan to success, but as a coach. In his third year at the helm for the McConnelsville-based squad, Copeland’s Raiders find themselves not only tied for second in an extremely competitive Muskingum Valley League, but ranked 16th in the state. At 14-2 overall, it’s arguably the best Morgan basketball team since the early 2000s.

“It’s been an exciting journey,” said Copeland, whose team is coming off a dramatic win over Sheridan Tuesday. Senior Mason Edgell stole an inbounds pass and converted it into a buzzer-beating layup to send a packed MHS gym into a frenzy.

“It’s been a special year and last night capped that feeling,” Copeland said. “The atmosphere in that gym, I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life.”

Part of what’s made this season so special for the Raiders is the turnaround from where they were a few years ago. Since 2008, wins have been hard to come by for Morgan, but Copeland has helped lay a foundation and developed philosophies that kids have bought in to.

Edgell and classmate Marcus Mayle, Morgan’s top two scorers, are two guys that have made big contributions to the turnaround.

“Every senior class so far has bought in to what we’re trying to preach,” Copeland said. “Marcus and Mason were young enough and looked up to those seniors. They’ve continued to buy in.

“It’s been exciting to watch this team grow. It’s a fun group to be around.”

Along with Edgell and Mayle, Morgan’s other starters are Jy Mayle, Dre Norman and Jordan Work. Marty Penrod and Alex Clark are the first players off the bench with Tyler Hook, Cole Mayle and Zack Thompson occasionally getting minutes as well.

“With that mix of guys, we’ve created a special group,” Copeland said.

In most seasons, Morgan’s record would be good enough for first place in the MVL, but 2015-16 hasn’t been most seasons. At the top is John Glenn, which is ranked first in the state after a win over St. Vincent-St. Mary recently. Tri-Valley, tied for second in the league with Morgan, is also having a great year.

“It’s an exciting time to play in the league,” Copeland said. “John Glenn is obviously one of the best teams to ever play in the league.”

John Glenn handed Morgan one of its only two losses earlier in the season in New Concord, but the Raiders will get another shot against the Muskies Tuesday at home. They also visit Tri-Valley today in a battle for second place in the MVL, so it’s a crucial part of Morgan’s schedule.

If they can come out of it with a couple more victories, they’ll be sitting in a good position as tournament time draws nearer. Copeland talked about the goals his team set before the year.

“We said we wanted to be one of the best 16 teams in Ohio, one of the last 16 teams standing,” he explained. “That’s our goal and it has been all year.”

Jordan Holland is the sports editor for The Marietta Times. He can be reached at (304) 485-1891 ext. 256 or jholland@mariettatimes.com.

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