Two minutes and 25 seconds into tonight’s game, Bob Becker, the Morton High School Lady Potters coach, crouched in front of his starting five. There he said, “Your season’s on the line with every loose ball.”

He didn’t mean it exactly. He didn’t mean it for this night. He meant that now, in late February, to beat a really good team in a really important game, they would need to chase down every loose ball they saw.

Still, remember those words.

“Your season’s on the line….”

At that moment in tonight’s regional championship game, Morton had a 9-0 lead and Herscher High School’s Lady Tigers had called a timeout. They should’ve called a taxi.

Soon enough, Morton led, 22-1.

And there came a loose ball at the Herscher end.

A loose ball!!

“ . . . with every loose ball.”

From five feet away, Caylie Jones dived at the treasure. Then came Tenley Dowell. They were wrapped around the ankles of the poor Herscher girl who had lost the handle on the ball. And here came Lindsey Dullard leaping into the scramble – all three Potters scuffling for the loose ball because, as we had heard, their season was on the line.

The melee turned into a jump ball, possession to Herscher, but the point was made. Whatever it takes, the Morton girls are giving it. Hearing Becker’s words and then seeing them put into action so vividly – even at 22-1 on the way to an 84-32 victory – I made a note:

“Have to laugh!!”

I wasn’t laughing at the downtrodden Herscher girls who, though 22-5 for the season and playing on their home court, had zero-nada-zilch chance against the Potters.

I was laughing because sometimes things are so damned good you just gotta laugh.

Look at the first quarter. That laugh-a-thon ended 28-1. The Potters’ pressing, trapping defense discombobulated Herscher in ways the Tigers had never been discombobulated: three traveling violations in its first six possessions, and two other times it threw passes that, except for bumping into walls, would have wound up in Cabery 10 miles west on Rt. 115. Offensively, the Potters were a highly polished machine running free and easy. They scored on beautiful fast breaks, in lightning-strike transition, out of patiently-worked sets, and on 4 3-pointers, each from a different point of the compass. Tenley Dowell once found herself turned sideways to the board on a drive down the right side of the key, so she put some pool-hall english on the ball to spin it in, the artist as a young woman.

Now winners of 27 straight games, the Potters take a 30-1 record to a Tuesday game in next week’s Dunlap sectional – a tournament likely to come down to a rematch of Morton’s only loss, in the season’s fourth game, to Peoria Richwoods, 53-45. That night, if it comes, will be a night when possession of loose balls matters greatly.

It says here that, just in time for Richwoods, the Potters are playing their best basketball.

In the last 10 games, they have established dominance immediately. They have left people breathless in the first quarter. Here are those first-quarter scores: 22-2, 14-4, 18-13, 13-8, 22-7, 22-4, 15-6, 25-5, 25-2, and 28-1. The average first-quarter score: 20-5.

In just the last three games, Morton has outscored its opponents in the first quarter, 78-8. It has allowed three field goals.

And how much fun is that?

“It’s been awesome,” Caylie Jones said, and Lindsey Dullard said, “We’re high-fiving out there,” and Kassidy Shurman said, “It doesn’t get any better. I’m a senior and I’ve been on great teams and had great teammates. But this year has been the best. It’s the most fun ever, hands-down.”

Dullard led Morton’s scoring tonight with 20, Josi Becker had 19, Maddy Becker and Dowell 10 apiece, Shurman 6, Courtney Jones and Peyton Dearing 5 each, Caylie Jones 4, Addi Cox and Clarie Kraft 2 each, and Bridget Wood 1. The Potters made 13 3-pointers, 4 by Josi Becker, 3 by Maddy Becker, 3 by Dullard, 2 by Shurman, and 1 by Dearing.

Oh, there’s one more indication of Morton’s merciless nature these days . . .

It came from a kindly lady in the bleachers, there to root for the Potters. At the end of the first quarter, with Morton on that 28-1 run, the lady said, “I feel sorry for Herscher.”

She was worried about the delicate sensibilities of the host Tigers.

But, hey. This is the post-season. It’s win or go home. The Potters now need to win five more games for an unprecedented fourth straight state championship.

So the lady’s neighbor in the bleachers said, “Not yet.”

Even at 28-1 she would not risk lending aid and comfort to the enemy.

“Maybe in the last minute,” she said. “But not yet.”

Atta girl.