This is November. We haven’t even stuffed the turkey yet. Basketball’s not supposed to get breathtakingly serious until February. Every night out, late in February, it’s like win or go home. It felt that way tonight.

Abby VanMeenen, about to shoot two free throws, was trying to breathe.

Not late. Third quarter, 45-apiece. Upset in the making. Undefeated in four games so far, Notre Dame might become a state champion, led by Mya Wardle, another all-state guard bedeviling the Potters. All their starters back from a team that beat the Potters last February, and do we remember that score?

“Forty-seven,” the Morton coach, Bob Becker, said, “seventeen.”

As if a guy could forget.

But here we were, same year, nine months on, mostly the same people on the same teams, and it was 45-apiece with a minute left in the third quarter, and Abby VanMeenen was at the free throw line to shoot two.

Not right at the line. A step and a half back. Heels almost against the circle. Head’s down. Shoulders come up. Trying to breathe.

Wouldn’t you? A freshman. Fifteen years old. Six feet tall, a star on her grade school team that finished second in the state. Started her first varsity game last week, with maybe three days of practice, coming from volleyball. This night she had been at the line a minute ago. Missed two.

“These free throws,” she said, is what she was thinking, “have to go in.”

Also, “Calm yourself down, and believe you can make ‘em, and help your team win.”

Swished the first, rattled in the second, and Morton was on an 10-0 run that gave it a 51-45 lead with 6:14 to play.

But then Notre Dame went 11-0 in the next 2 ½ minutes, 18-4 in 4 ½ minutes of the fourth quarter. It went that way all night. Morton good, Notre Dame good, the last team good wins it.

Morton was good early, February good early, even sensational. First three times Ellie VanMeenen touched the ball, she made 3-pointers. Early, Addy Engel and Izzy Hutchinson also made 3s. A 12-0 run gave Morton a 21-11 first quarter lead.

Halftime, Morton 35-29. Three quarters, Morton 49-45.

After that, Notre Dame got really good. But even its 18-4 run wasn’t enough to make Morton go away. An Engel 3-pointer at 1:22 cut Notre Dame’s lead to 63-59, and a Hutchinson attacking layup kept the Potters within four, 65-61, with 40 seconds to play.

They didn’t get another shot.

And now they’ve lost twice in three games, losing to two of the state’s best teams, Peoria by five and Notre Dame by the slimmest eight you’ll ever see.

Truth to tell, it was eight that left the Potters smiling, kind of.

Instead of the 23 and 21 turnovers of their first two games, they had 10 tonight. They lost by a slim eight on a night they made only 13 of 25 free throws. (Notre Dame was 11 of 13, 8 of 9 in the fourth quarter.)

“If you didn’t believe before,” Engel said, “you do now.”

“I feel like we’re one of the best right now,” Becker said. “Another month or so, we’re going to be very good.”

About then I made the mistake of suggesting to the coach that his team’s losses came to teams they might meet in the state tournament in February.

“Not Notre Dame, they’re in 2A this year.” The coach brightened up. “And not Peoria.” Becker smiled. Peoria is in the Potters region. They could meet in February. “That’s IF they get that far . . .”

Laughing now. “Just kidding,” he said, and I thought not kidding, kind of.

Addy Engel led Morton with 21 points. Ellie VanMeenen had 20. Izzy Hutchinson 10 (and a team high 8 rebounds). Paige Selke and Anja Ruxlow had 3 each, Abby VanMeenen and Katie Brock 2 each.