After tonight’s 80-33 victory, junior guard Kassidy Shurman said the Morton High School Lady Potters’ offense was good. “We moved the ball better, had better spacing, knew where people were.” She also said the Potters played better defense because they communicated better, they were “hedging and helping better,” they were “trapping better.” What she didn’t say was that the best thing they did was get on the bus and motor 15 minutes west on I-74. By taking Exit 96, crossing the railboard tracks and turning right, they wound up at East Peoria High School. Ah, feeling better already.
The Potters had lost their most recent game, a close one to Galesburg in which they performed uncharacteristically, not only failing to make important defensive stops but failing at their greatest strength on offense. That night the state’s No. 1-ranked Class 3A team — averaging 7 3-pointers a game – made none, nada, nothing. How bad a shooting night was it? So bad they were able to get off only 3 3-point tries. Instead of their customary 23 points a game from behind the arc, they got zip, zilch, zero.
If anyone believed that off-night would have lingering ill effects, the Potters offered an emphatic answer: NOT ON YOUR LIFE.
Tonight, the Potters shot it 31 times from out there.
They made 13 of them, a sensational 43 percent.
The Morton coach, Bob Becker, was a smiling man. “They put on something of a shooting clinic,” he said.
Fewer than four minutes into the game, the Potters exceeded their Galesburg production. At 4:11 of the first quarter, Josi Becker made a 3 from the deep right corner. At 2:48, from the same spot, Shurman made a 3. By then the Potters were up, 14-1. Game Over.
I say “Game Over.” You may say, “Already?” I say, “Yup.” You may say, “But . . . wait . . .three quarters to play.” I say, “So?” You may say, “Can’t be over that quick.” I say, “It was 90-33 two weeks ago. Game Over.”
Yup. Morton is now 20 and 2 on the season. East Peoria is 4 and many. In two weeks’ time, the good team has slipped past the other team by the combined score of 170-66.
Thirteen players dressed for the Potters tonight; 12 of them scored. The 13 3’s were divvied up among six players; Shurman had four, Josi Becker three, Brandi Bisping and Maddy Becker two each, and Bridget Wood and Olivia Remmert one each.
Bisping led the scoring with 16. Shurman had 12, Josi Becker 11, Maddy Becker 10, Wood 9, Tenley Dowell 8, Caylie Jones 4, Remmert 3, Jacey Wharram 2, Claire Kraft 2, Lindsey Dullard 2, Courtney Jones 1.
About 12 hours after this one ended, the Potters were to get on another bus and go northwest on I-74 to Galesburg for two more games in the Martin Luther King Winter Classic – at 10:30 in the morning against Peoria High and at 5:30 p.m. against Peoria Notre Dame.