Below these words is a photograph of a reporter’s notebook. Ruined by a hundred years of notetaking, he cannot do cursive. His printing is hieroglyphs legible to few people (one). As luck would have it, he is here to decipher the lower right quarter of that notebook page where IZ becomes famous.

IZ is code for Izzy Hutchinson, a senior Potter.

“IZ FBLU 7:43” is a layup off a fast break at 7:43 of the third quarter. Then comes a 3-pointer, 6:25. Followed by a layup, 6:02. (She made a pass to Katie Brock and got it back). Then another 3, 5:29.

In two minutes and 14 seconds, IZ racked up 10 points. Earlier, in the second quarter, she had scored 10 in a minute and 12 seconds. Four LUs and two FTs.

That’s 20 points in three minutes and 47 seconds. She scored on the run, off a steal, from outside and underneath, right-handed and left-handed. She took nine shots this game, made ‘em all. She had five steals, three assists and three rebounds. She seemed to be everywhere all at once.

But, hey, let’s play what-if. What if a girl did that all day? The iPhone calculator says if IZ scored at that rate for 32 minutes, she would score 169.16 points.

“Holy cow,” IZ said, a girl delighted with her mortal number, a career-high 22 points.

Or to quote her coach, Bob Becker, “That was fun.” Instead of the nervous-making, exhausting losses to very good teams in the season’s first week, today’s performances were walks in the park.

The Potters won running-clock games, in the morning over Champaign Central by 34 points, in the afternoon by 35. All 14 Potters played today, 12 scored, and Izzy agreed with Becker: “We were having fun on the court today, we were moving the ball, getting good shots. We got going on runs that pumped us up.”

Against East St. Louis, the Potters scored the game’s first 12 points, and they later had 10-0 and 14-0 runs. Do the math on that – oh, no, not more numbers! -- instead, let’s talk about the Potters’ last two games of the tournament tomorrow, in the morning against an old tormentor, Peoria Richwoods, and in the afternoon against Lincoln, runner-up in the Class 3A state tournament last season with all its starters back.

Today, Richwoods beat East St. Louis, 71-27. Hmm.

Also today, Lincoln beat Champaign Central, 88-19. Hmmm.

“Tomorrow,” Becker said, “gets tougher.”

“It’s nothing that we can’t handle,” Izzy Hutchinson said.

IZ’s 22 led Morton’s scoring against East St. Louis. Addy Engel had 18, Ellie VanMeenen 10, Abby VanMeenen 9, Paige Selke 5, Emilia Miller 4, Magda Lopko 3, Jorja Farrell 2, Julia Laufenberg 2.

Morning report follows….