What we had here was a game in November, with all the messiness that means, a bajillion turnovers, a pratfall every other second, in total an epic of errors, an endless loop of visual disasters that made sore our sorry eyes . . . and yet, and yet . . . yes, to preserve some sense of well-being on a beautiful Thanksgiving’s-coming afternoon, let’s start by placing Ellie VanMeenen at the top left of the arc.

VanMeenen, a junior, a three-year starter, put up a 3-pointer that become more beautiful the longer it was in the air, becoming perfect as it tickled the twine (as sportswriters sang back in the day).

Only trouble was, even as the tickling happened, here came the cursed sound of a whistle. Traveling, the zebra said. Sorry, Ellie, no go.

That was at 4:41 of the third quarter, the Potters up 26-22. Anybody could win this thing, if anybody played a smidgen better.

VanMeenen even confessed to her violation, sort of. “I don’t think I traveled,” she said later, before adding, “I just got behind the line,” which she did without a dribble but with two steps back, not one.

The way things work in victory, redemption came VanMeenen’s way a minute and 16 seconds later. At 2:55, the ball found her again, this time as she flew downcourt at the front end of a fast break. This time she caught the ball a step behind the arc. This time she did what only the best shooters can do.

She caught it, and without a dribble, without a step, without a second’s pause of reconsideration, VanMeenen went up with it.

BANG!

Her 3 was at the heart of a 17-2 run that moved Morton’s lead to 41-24. Coming as it did so quickly after the traveling call added to her pleasure. “It did feel good,” VanMeenen said.

That was good because, shortly before that, Bob Becker did not feel all that good.

This is his 25th season as the Potters’ coach. His teams have won four state championships and soon will have won 600 games. One of his foundation beliefs is that good teams win the first three minutes of a game, the first three minutes of the second half, and the game’s last three minutes.

So, early in this afternoon’s second half, he was quite annoyed.

In those three minutes, Rock Island had outscored the Potters, 4-1. Now, four points is nothing, but, hey, it’s four times one. As his players sat, silent, during a timeout, Becker said:

“The first three minutes of the SECOND HALF . . .”

Buckle up, girls, here it comes.

“. . . IT MATTERS.”

The girls heard him. “Hopefully, it motivates everyone,” senior captain Addy Engel said. “But we should make it so he doesn’t have to do that.”

“We need to come out the aggressor,” VanMeenen said, “and not be intimidated, taking it right at ‘em.”

All that, they did. After Becker’s “little kick in the butt” (as Engel also said), the Potters went on that 17-2 run that featured VanMeenen’s game-turning 3.

At game’s end, if not earlier, Becker was well pleased.

“I do appreciate our kids’ effort, they gave it their best for 32 minutes,” he said. “We came out a little tentative. Like, we passed up open shots and traveled three times in the first half. Three times. And we’d drive and pass rather than take a shot.”

That said, the coach added, “I’m still thrilled and excited about our team. We have a chance to be good.”

Now 1-1 for the season, the Potters play at home again Tuesday, against Peoria Notre Dame, a very good team.

Addy Engel led Morton’s scoring with 14. Anja Ruxlow scored a career-high 11. Ellie VanMeenen had 10, Paige Selke 8, Abby Brooks 4, and with 2 each came Izzy Hutchinson, Julia Laufenberg, Jorja Farrell, and Magda Lopko.

**

Btw, my new book, “My Home Team: A Sportswriter’s Life and the Redemptive Power of Small-Town Girls Basketball,” is available at the Potterdome concession stand. It’s about my journalism career and my 13 seasons with the Lady Potters: $20, half going to the basketball program.