North Kansas City girls get 23 points from Morgan Reid

Sure, the North Kansas City Hornets girls have started the season 3-4. Coach Jeff Klein realizes he has a young basketball team on his hands. That OK with him.

The good news is that Klein also knows he has as leader in veteran Morgan Reid.

It was Reid, a junior guard, who led the Hornets to a 58-37 win against Fort Osage on Friday night, scoring 23 points.

“Morgan is so strong with the ball,” Klein said. “She is so good at getting to the basket she can pretty much do whatever she wants. We definitely look for her on offense.”

Even though Reid said the offense is to pass the ball to the open player, everyone on the team knows that Reid is the go-to player.

That doesn’t bother her. Reid said she understands she has to show the younger teammates the ropes.

“This season started off slow,” Reid said. “It really has been a learning experience so far.”

The early part of the season hasn’t been kind to the Hornets with last-minute losses to Truman and Park Hill South.

“We had to come together after those losses,” Reid said. “I think everyone is starting to mature.”

Now three weeks into the season and having back-to-back, double-digit wins over Lee’s Summit West and Fort Osage, Klein sees his team improving.

“I’m happy with the win tonight, but I still don’t think it was our best game,” Klein said. “I think we’re capable of playing a lot better.”

The Hornets ran away from the Indians, 3-3, early in the second quarter by using a swarming defense that led to fast-break points. After a 20-8 first quarter lead, Reid went to work in the paint. In the second half, when Fort Osage started doubling down on Reid, she passed to open teammates like JaKyar Shelton, who scored all her eight points in the second half.

“This win gives us confidence that we’re learning,” Shelton said. “We know Morgan is a good leader for us younger players. At this point, I think we are starting to play as one team.”

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