I love when these things happen. I have seen many things happen in basketball games. But never this one.

With a minute and some to play, Emilia Miller, from the right side, put up a 3-point shot that hit nothing but net. Three-pointers, I have seen a thousand, some by Emilia, who loves to shoot ‘em.

This, though, was new.

“When Emilia made that 3,” her teammate, Katie Brock, said, “I got super-excited.”

A teenager, super-excited, often makes noise.

“I was screaming,” Katie said.

And now we know what happens when a Lady Potter screams in celebration while chewing gum.

“Screaming,” Katie said, “and my gum went flying,”

Of all the flying objects I have seen in basketball – really big shoes, angry obscenities, and a chair launched by Bobby Knight – Katie Brock’s chunk of gum is now my favorite.

It produced smiles all around on another of those nights when the Lady Potters were brilliant except when they were so-so against a less than so-so opponent.

The brilliant came early. The Potters were coming off their best game of the season, Saturday’s 46-33 victory over a strong Galesburg team. Without a practice session either Sunday or Monday (school closed), they yet played with relentless precision tonight – for the first half, anyway.

It was 16-2 in the first 4 ½ minutes. Four starters scored – the VanMeenen sisters, Addy Engel, and Paige Selke – all at the rim. Three of the buckets came off passes from the fifth starter, Izzy Hutchinson. Midway in the second quarter, it got to be 33-15 on a 13-6 run ignited by a Brock 3-pointer and finished by the VanMeenens (Ellie’s 3 from the left corner, two Abby free throws).

It's possible, even probable, that I lost a smidgen of interest in the second half – until Magda Lopko took over. Magda is a senior. She is one of those invaluable, voluble cheerleading teammates that a Potter alum, Olivia Remmert, once glorified as a “Benchee.” From three rows up in the bleachers, folks can enjoy Magda's benchee oratory.

“We hype each other up,” she said.

Nice, then, that in tonight’s victory, right before Emilia Miller’s 3, Magda had scored the Potters’ previous six points. That gave her 7 for the night.

I asked, “Your career high?”

A smile. “I had 8 once.”

The victory made the Potters 19-5 overall and 9-1 in the Mid-Illini Conference. Pekin is 8-12, 2-6. Morton is on a four-game winning streak with four games to play before the regionals begin, with Morton, Galesburg, Peoria, Richwoods, and Lincoln all in the same regional.

Wait, I almost heard something.

I asked Magda, “What did you say about the regional?”

“We can win the regional,” she said.

Then, playing boy reporter, I went back to Katie Brock with one more question.

“The gum,” I said, “what kind?”

“Extra Spearmint,” she said.

Ellie V led Morton’s scoring with 16. Addy Engel had 11, Abby V 9, Magda Lopko 7, Paige Selke 7, Izzy Hutchinson 4, Katie Brock 3, Payton Hays 3, Emilia Miller 3. (The Potters had six 3’s tonight by six different people.)