TACOMA — Chris Morgan had plenty of reason to pull off his jersey and race around the Tacoma Dome court on Saturday night.
Morgan hit two free throws with 8.4 seconds left and Union rallied from down nine points entering the fourth quarter for a 51-50 win over Enumclaw and its first Class 3A boys basketball title.
Riley Carel missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds that would have given Enumclaw (27-1) the win and completed a perfect season.
“It wasn’t looking like we were going to win so it was not a planned thing,” Morgan said about running around shirtless. “A WIAA official told me I needed to put my shirt back on. It was a compulsive thing. I put it back on as soon as I could.”
Caleb Whalen had 11 points to lead Union (19-9), a third-year school from Camas. Whalen had confidence Morgan would make the free throws after he was fouled on a drive.
“I knew he was going to make them both,” Whalen said. “He’s lights out in practice and I could tell he was locked in.”
Carel and Taylor Myers led Enumclaw with 11 points apiece.
Union rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter and didn’t lead until the final margin. The Titans outscored Enumclaw 17-7 in the final quarter.
Morgan had eight points, 11 below his tournament average coming into the game. He had nine rebounds and four assists.
“I didn’t have my greatest game,” Morgan said. “But I had to have confidence I would make the shots (at the end). That’s what it takes to win a state championship.”
Enumclaw seemed to take control in the third quarter in its quest for an undefeated season. Coleman Clyde hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the second half to ignite a 20-12 run that put Enumclaw up 43-34 after three quarters.
Enumclaw also beat Union 62-58 in the West Central District title game on March 5.
Union
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