2A/3A Prep Boys Basketball: Mark Morris aces first impressions in season-opener
Stepping Up — Stevens scores 40, Coach Kelly picks up first win against Mt. View
Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com
They say you only get one chance at a first impression, so the Monarchs came out and made their official debut count, Monday, with a 76-69 win over 3A Mountain View at Ted M. Natt Court.
It was a game of many firsts for Mark Morris, and they will be remembered fondly.
First and foremost, it was the first game (and first win) of the Ken Kelly era. The Monarchs new head coach now owns the highest winning percentage in school history at 1-0. He is also just the third head coach to call the shots for the Monarchs since the fall of 1975, having taken over for Bill Bakamus (1992-2024), who took over for Dave Denny (1976-1992). Assistant coach Steve Kloke is 3-1 all-time as an interim head coach.
And it was the first time that Dalton Stevens was called upon to be The Guy for the Monarchs, and all he did was go out and drop 40 points. It was a debut that managed to exceed already sky high expectations as Stevens showed off new additions to his game. He knocked down three 3-pointers, spent plenty of time posting up, worked his man baseline, and of course found his opportunities to come crashing through the lane with one emphatic dunk to show for it. Stevens was also 11 for 13 at the charity stripe.
“That’s what we've been working on is convincing him that his ability to play inside out is really going to benefit him, so he’s not a player who just plays downhill,” Kelly said of Stevens. “I’m not stunned. Dalton has come a long way even from last year… he’s been chomping at the bit to be one of the primary players for us.”
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