Whenever Portal’s Stacy Morgan takes the floor, there is always a chance that the crowd is about to witness something special.
    That’s exactly what Morgan was able to do last Saturday as he exploded for 31 points in a 76-44 runaway victory over South Effingham in the Portal Holiday Classic.
    With the Panthers facing a bigger team in South Effingham and the Portal frontcourt in foul trouble, the Panthers looked to their outside scoring. Morgan responded with 21 points — including six 3-pointers — in the second quarter alone, then paced his team through the second half as Portal pulled away for an easy win.
    “He has the ability to be a special player,” said Portal coach Jeff Brannen. “When he gets going, he can take us to a win just about any night.”
    Morgan burst onto the Panthers’ squad two years ago as a talented freshman that was able to contribute immediately. With a few seniors gone from the 2011-12 squad, Portal has looked to Morgan to pick up the slack and become a leader this season.
    “He can do a lot, but we want to ask more of him this year,” said Brannen. “We know that he can score some points, but it’s a different challenge to be a leader on the floor. We have a lot of confidence in him and know that he can step up to that challenge.”

    Bulloch Academy’s Chelsea Ogelsby might be one of the newer faces for this season’s Lady Gators squad, but she hasn’t wasted any time in becoming one of the team’s most vital members.
    Ogelsby is new to the Gators this season after two years at Southeast Bulloch and is fitting right in.
    Ogelsby has joined forces with senior forward Anna Newton this season to give the Gators one of the most talented frontcourts in the entire state.
    “I think that we mesh really well,” said Ogelsby. “We’ve always got each other’s back. I think that we feed off of each other. When one of us does well, the other gets going.”
    All of the Gators have been going strong so far as the BA girls have rolled to a 12-2 start this season. After several successful seasons and deep playoff runs, the Gators are thinking that this season can be something special.
    “Anna and I both agreed that we think we can win state,” said Ogelsby. “She has been so great and this is her last season. I want to help her and all of the rest of us win it.”