Red Bay's Morgan Duncan was a crucial piece of Lady Tigers' run to Wallace State

By Staff
Scot Beard
RED BAY – The Red Bay girls basketball program has a history of success, so making a splash as one of the program's elite players is difficult to do.
Morgan Duncan managed the feat by helping the Lady Tigers return to the Northwest Region Basketball Tournament in 2008 and 2009 to close out her Red Bay career.
"She was no doubt my best 3-point shooter," said Red Bay coach Donnie Roberts. "She is a complete player."
Duncan averaged 12.8 points per game during her senior season, hitting 54 3-pointers. She also averaged seven rebounds and four assists during the year.
She also showed quite a bit of effort on the defensive end of the court, averaging three steals per game.
"She was my best defensive player," Roberts said. "She guarded the other teams' best players."
With the effort, Duncan received several awards for her play. She was named to the All-Region Tournament Team and earned First-Team honors on The Franklin County Times All-County Team.
In addition to playing basketball, Duncan was also a member of the Lady Tiger tennis team.
Roberts said he will remember Duncan's competitive spirit, which was highlighted in a game during a Christmas tournament in which Duncan hit eight 3-pointers to help Red Bay win.
Roberts attributes Duncan's success to her hard work ethic.
"During the time she's been here with me, she's worked at it hard, even during the off season," Roberts said. "At the same time she has excelled in the class room. She earned the scholar athlete award at graduation."
Other coaches have taken notice of Duncan's abilities and work ethic. Wallace State coach Larry Slater offered Duncan a scholarship to bring her game to the Lions.
"The first thing about Morgan is she has a lot of intensity," Slater said. "She is good at the three, is a good defender and she hounds the ball well."
After signing in April, Duncan said it was exciting to sign with Wallace State and she was happy her hard work had paid off.
Roberts was proud of the accomplishment.
"It's always satisfying if any of the kids get to play at the next level," Roberts said. "I'm proud of Morgan. We're really going to miss her next year."