David Walker pondered what might have been with more personnel changes and fewer defensive adjustments.

The Morgan Academy boys’ coach second-guessed himself on those two decisions following the Senators’ 65-53 loss to Cottage Hill in the AISA Class 3A semifinals Friday at Huntingdon College.

Walker reconsidered the several defensive changes Morgan Academy made throughout the game, alternating looks each time Cottage Hill changed its offensive strategy.

“We changed defenses so many times,” Walker said, “we didn’t know what we were doing half the time.

“I don’t think Cottage Hill ever got set in one type of offense the entire game,” he added.

The Warriors’ constant switching of offenses kept Morgan Academy on its toes, not knowing what to expect next. The Senators alternated between their man-to-man defense and several zone looks in an attempt to slow the speedy Warriors.

The Morgan Academy coach also pondered his decision to keep three of his starters on the floor after the Senators had rallied to tie the game at 50 midway through the fourth period. Rather than give Reid Buster, Eric Pilcher and Jeremy Smith time to rest after they ignited Morgan Academy’s comeback, Walker elected to keep the tired trio in the game. Each missed several key shots down the stretch.

“The kids played their hearts out,” Walker said. “We needed to give the wings a rest. But when you get something going, you don’t want it to end. The kids were playing well, so I decided to keep them out there.”

Cottage Hill also was strong on the boards, forcing the Senators to foul, sending the Warriors to the charity stripe. Thirteen of Cottage Hill’s final 15 points came from the foul line.

Early on, it looked as though Morgan Academy would be forcing the Warriors to make all the changes. Pilcher’s three-pointer and driving baseline lay-ups from Pilcher and Buster helped push Morgan Academy out to a 9-0 start.

Cottage Hill’s offense, however, did not stay docile for long. The Warriors eventually charged back and took a 17-12 lead on Trevor Holt’s three-pointer from the right wing. Cottage Hill maintained the lead at halftime when Ben Negus sank a three-pointer from the top of the key to put the Warriors up 20-18.

Cottage Hill stretched its lead to as mush as eight, 36-28, with a combination of four free throws and some nifty moves to the basket. Forward Sean McLaughlin faked to his left, then charged around two Morgan defenders for a right baseline lay-up that started a three-point play. The free throw put Cottage Hill ahead 33-26.

After Pilcher drained two foul shots for the Senators, Will Hightower hit the front end of two charity shots to put the Warriors up by eight.

That’s when Walker decided to make a switch. He brought in Will Summerlin to help shore up the Senators’ rebounding, and the move paid immediate dividends. Summerlin grabbed his first rebound just six seconds after taking the floor. The board led to a free throw that cut the margin to seven.

Summerlin then outjumped two Cottage Hill players for another rebound off a missed three-pointer, then drove the right baseline for a layup that made it a five-point game, 36-31.

“Will did a great job coming off the bench and getting those rebounds,” Walker said.

Buster sank a pair of free throws to close the quarter and bring the Senators back to within two, 40-38.

Cottage Hill once again widened its advantage to six, 48-42. But Pilcher knocked down a three-pointer from the right corner and Buster added a mid-court steal and driving lay-up to cut the margin to one.

After a Cottage Hill bucket, Smith hit a three-pointer from the right wing to tie the game at 50.

But when Blake Smith fouled out with 3:38 to go, it opened a flood gate for the Warriors. McLaughlin hit the front end of a one-and-one to give the Warriors back the lead. Cottage Hill got its only basket during its three-minute run when Phillip Cuccis stole the ball in front of the Morgan bench and went the distance for a lay-up and a three-point Warriors’ lead.

“When we started falling behind and missing shots, we were forced to foul,” Walker said.

The Senators tried to keep pace, but Pilcher’s three-point try from the left wing hit off the front of the rim, as did many of Morgan’s shots late.

Pilcher paced the Senators with 18 points. He was followed by Smith with 14 and Buster with 12. Reid Tolar also pulled down 17 rebounds for Morgan Academy.