‘Tall girl’ hits new heights
Johnson led Platte County to state title.
Special from the Columbia Daily Tribune
Like it or not, Morgan Johnson has always been “the tall girl.”
Growing up in Platte City, it was a difficult label to shake considering Johnson towered over all of her classmates and was taller than both of her parents by the time she entered high school as a 6-foot-3 freshman.
“I’m the tall girl,” Johnson said, acceptingly. “I’m kind of hard to miss.”
Over the past year, the now 6-4 Platte County High School senior has picked up a few more descriptive tags: She’s an Iowa basketball recruit; a three-time all-state selection; a state champion; and, to top it all off, Johnson has been named Miss Show-Me Basketball.
Johnson will receive the annual award, given to the top senior girls basketball player in the state, today in Columbia during the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Academic All-State Banquet.
She did plenty to deserve the honor.
Averaging 19.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.7 blocks, Johnson led Platte County to a 28-2 record and its first state title in girls basketball. Her semifinal and championship-game performances during the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown at Mizzou Arena in March will go down among the best in the 37-year history of the girls event.
Johnson totaled 41 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks in a 62-50 semifinal win over Miller Career Academy, before adding 24 points, 26 rebounds and 14 blocks in an 81-75 win over Webb City for the Class 4 title.
Her rebounds and blocks in the title game shattered the previous Show-Me Showdown records, and her points in the semifinal tied the scoring mark held by two other players. The triple-double in the title game is also believed to be a state first.
“I don’t think you could ask for a better senior year,” Pirates Coach Chris Stubbs said. “To be on that size of a stage and pull off a triple-double, that’s unheard of.”
Johnson’s dream season didn’t come without some adversity, though. In late January, senior teammate Cheyenne Verdoorn was sidelined with a season-ending knee injury. Verdoorn was Platte County’s second-leading scorer and top perimeter threat.
With only one other senior in the starting lineup and no other Pirates averaging more than seven points, Johnson knew her team’s title hopes rested squarely on her shoulders.
“I did what I could and realized this is the end,” Johnson said. “If I didn’t step up, who else would?”
Johnson, a four-year starter and the school’s career leader with 1,920 points, 1,209 rebounds and 421 blocks, saved her best for last. Avenging a regular-season loss to rival St. Joseph Benton in the district title game, the Pirates were propelled through the postseason by their senior leader.
“It was the best feeling ever to win that state title,” Johnson said. “That’s the way I always wanted it to end. Me playing well, my teammates playing well and ultimately getting that state title.”
Johnson’s height has clearly been a benefit to her during her playing career, although that wasn’t always the case when she first started playing in the second grade.
She said she didn’t initially care for the sport early on, but her superior size kept her going until she discovered how much basketball meant to her.
“There were so many times I wanted to quit, but I didn’t because I thought, ‘Hey, tall girls have to play basketball,’ ” Johnson said. “That kind of kept me in it, but then I realized that it wasn’t just because I was tall. It was because I actually liked it. When that hit, I realized it was something I loved.”