What happens in some games is that the other people think they have a chance against the good team until, suddenly, they don’t have any kind of chance and never did have a chance, really, because the other team is better in ways that turn bad nights into OK nights and OK nights for good teams are better than the other team’s wish/dream/hallucination that it has a chance.

Sorry about the run-on sentence. But some games are like that. They run on and on. They don’t tell us much about either side. And when it’s blessedly over – the Morton Lady Potters 49, Washington 31 tonight – what happens is we don’t have much to say about the game, except, perhaps, to thank whatever gods may be that the Washington pep band took the night off rather than commit its usual crimes against music. Other than that, we could go to the record book and find some interesting numbers.

Such as: 82 and 7.

And: 397.

After back-to-back seasons of 33-3 and with tonight’s victory raising their current record to 16-1, the Lady Potters have won 82 of their last 89 games.

The 397 is Bob Becker’s victory total in this, his 18th season, as the Potters’ head coach. With three more games this week, Becker’s 400th could come Saturday against U High at the Potterdome.

Washington’s idea it might have a chance this night came midway through the second quarter. Morton led only 14-12. The last-place team in the Mid-Illini (1-4 coming in) was only a bucket behind the state’s No. 1-ranked Class 3A team and conference leader (6-0). It’s usually true that it’s then OK to imagine an upset. Morton, for one, well remembers being 20 points down and losing by two to East Freakin’ Peoria last season.

But that was then, this is now. Next thing Washington knew, Morton’s 14-12 lead had become 37-16. In little more than eight minutes of game action, the Potters outscored their hosts, 23-4. There was a certain inevitability about it. The Potters had shot so poorly early that even a small improvement would create separation that, once established, would dishearten Washington’s day-dreamers.

The improvement was not small but substantial. At 14-12 the Potters had made only 5 of 19 shots. Worse, they were 1 of 9 on 3-pointers. But in the eight game-turning minutes, they made 6 of 8 long ones. The little junior guard, Josi Becker, made 4 of them, including two quick ones opening the third quarter. Courtney Jones made one with 7 seconds to play in the first half, and Kassidy Shurman capped the 23-4 run with a 3 from deep in the left corner at 3:44 of the third quarter.

The best news for the Potters was the return of Brandi Bisping, their all-state senior, back after missing five games to recover from mononucleosis. While Bisping was out of sorts — she put up two 3-pointers that missed most everything, was called for four fouls, and scored only a point – she soon will be ready, just as Becker suggested of his team in the dull wake of tonight’s victory: “We will be on an upswing.”

Some other numbers: 9 and 131.

That’s 9 3’s tonight, by 5 different players.

And 131 3’s for the season, an average of 7.7 a game, nearly 24 points a night.

Josi Becker and Tenley Dowell led the Potters’ scoring with 14 apiece. Jacey Wharram and Lindsey Dullard had 6 each, Courtney Jones and Shurman 3 each, Caylie Jones 2, Bisping 1.

Wait. Go back. How good is 82-7?

Well, here are things I have done 89 times.

I have set mouse traps. I have eaten chili while wearing a white shirt. Throughout last summer, I insisted the Cardinals could catch the Cubs.

And how often has it worked out for me?

Mouse traps, I get ‘em done about half the time without finger-snapping fright. Keeping chili off my shirt, the only hope is a bib. The Cardinals, I now know, will not catch the Cubs until the summer of 2020, if then.

So 82-7 is pretty good.