Boys basketball: West Field moves the rock, Morgan hits the dock 61-50 in local feature
Saunders' 31-points not enough for defending 3A champs in road test
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- West Field’s Jordan Harrison (23) drives to the rim against Morgan during a nonregion boys basketball contest on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Taylor.
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- Morgan’s Bracken Saunders (5) brings the ball down the floor during a nonregion boys basketball contest at West Field on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field’s Cason Malan (21) battles Morgan’s Cade Spens (25) for a look at the rim during a nonregion boys basketball contest on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field’s Drew Faddis (24) and Morgan’s Mason Williams, right, contest a jump ball during a nonregion boys basketball contest Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field’s Daxton Laughter, left, faces off with Morgan’s Brody Peterson during a nonregion boys basketball contest on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field’s Daxton Laughter, left, drives by Morgan’s Brody Peterson, right, during a nonregion boys basketball contest on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Taylor.
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- The West Field student section roars in approval during a nonregion boys basketball contest against Morgan on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Taylor.
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- Morgan’s Jake Hansen (11) and Brody Peterson (3) exchange thoughts during a nonregion boys basketball contest at West Field on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Taylor.
TAYLOR — Sometimes, just one little nudge is all you need.
In the moments after Morgan won the tipoff, the reigning 3A tournament MVP Bracken Saunders delivered a two-hand jam in the very first possession to challenge West Field in the home team’s season opener Friday night.
Saunders went on for a 31-point evening, but the Longhorns had seen enough.
Spreading the wealth with four names scoring in double figures, West Field knocked off defending 3A champion Morgan 61-50 for a tone-setting win to begin the season.
“I think that we really came together after that,” said senior center-forward Cason Malan, who led West Field with a team-high 17 points. “We could’ve just let that destroy our confidence (and) kinda play worse, but I think we really came together and didn’t let it affect us.”
Led by senior Jaden Fowers (eight points) from a short distance early, West Field stayed in step with Morgan for a 12-all contest through the end of the first quarter. Seniors Daxton Laughter (14 points) and Jordan Harrison (10 points) piled four 3-pointers in the second quarter alone for a 30-27 lead before halftime.
Malan, recording just four points in the first half, joined sophomore Drew Faddis (10 points) and junior Karter Rich (four points) in fueling a 10-2 run to begin the third quarter. Saunders’ game-high production soon became overshadowed as the Longhorns outscored their opponent 31-23 in the second half.
Seniors Jake Hansen (seven points), Mason Williams (six points), Brody Peterson (four points), and junior Cade Spens (two points) found themselves locked up two nights separated from a 66-point win over 5A foe Hunter on Wednesday.
Third-year Morgan coach Scott Hunt, fresh off the fifth state title of his career, said their 1-0 start carried little weight in their first road test of the year on Friday.
“I think it gave us a false sense of how good we were,” Hunt said of the Hunter game. “I don’t think the game we played helped us at all, and it might’ve gave us a false sense of security a bit. … It’s great (Saunders) got those (31) points, but it’s not indicative of what we need to do as a basketball team to be successful.”
Saunders finished just 8 of 14 in eight trips to the free-throw line and would hit just 2 of 5 attempts in the fourth quarter, trailing by as many as 11 points with 5 minutes to play.
Malan visited the line just twice, but hit all four of his chances in the second and fourth quarters.
“(Malan)’s one of the guys that’s grown the most in our program,” West Field head coach Mike Russell said. “He played last year, started at times (and) he was one of our main contributors. He’s really grown into his role. I felt like maybe last year some moments were too big for him, but he’s a guy we needed on the floor tonight.”
It was a year ago that Morgan hung 15 on the Longhorns in the latter’s first-ever game as a program, and the foreword to the Trojans’ first title since 2019 (and the first for Hunt in 11 years).
But time flies, and Malan can speak firsthand to the significance of Friday’s win in hopes of giving West Field a strong start toward chasing that same sort of magic.
“At practice, our culture has changed a lot from last year,” Malan said. “We have leaders that stepped up this year, when last year we didn’t have much of a leadership. That helps hold people accountable, and I think it makes a whole team grow.”
Morgan hopes to reset after the Thanksgiving holiday with a road trip to Stansbury on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
“We have a lot of respect for Morgan,” Russell said. “Everything about their program is great. They’re well-coached, and their players are amazing. Coming in, we knew what we were facing but, like I said, we have lots of experience back and that’s the difference.”
West Field returns to action at Ridgeline on Tuesday, Nov. 25, for its first road test.
Connect with reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
