Author: Matt Jones

As the Fall sports seasons wind down, basketball open gyms have began for the Morton Lady Potters.  The sound of basketballs bouncing, shoes squeaking, nets swooshing and players chatting it up can be heard in the gym again and it’s a beautiful thing.

All of the returning Varsity players worked hard this past off-season, playing with their respective AAU teams, working summer open gyms and camps and with their individual workouts and training programs with a single goal in mind.  To get back to Redbird Arena for a 4th consecutive year.  No program in the State of Illinois has been as successful as our Lady Potters have been the past three years, with three State Championships and 100 wins.

With each successful year comes a mountain of expectations for the next season and the target on your back grows larger and larger.  Our three returning seniors (Josi Becker, Caylie Jones and Kassidy Shurman) have been through this before.  Every year in fact.  So they know what to expect and will be vital to passing on the ‘Tradition’, expectations and work ethic to the underclassmen.  I can’t think of three better people to lead the team through this season than these three seniors.  They are strong, focused, committed, unselfish winners.  They have been to the State Championships every year they have suited up in a Morton uniform, going back to Jr High Basketball, and have a record of 152-9 in their MJHS and MHS careers. They certain know what it takes and are aware of the pitfalls that can get in their way.

I was told that after the State Championship last March, the team was staying in a hotel in Normal that Saturday night with several of the other Class 3A and 4A teams.  While there the players were given some advice about how to approach this season from an interesting source.  Jason Nichols, the Head Coach of the powerhouse Lombard Montini program was there and was willing, at that moment, to share some valuable insight with the Lady Potters about how they could get back to Redbird Arena a 4th time in a row and win it all again.

Coach Nichols had been there before, in the same situation that the Lady Potters are in now (winning three consecutive State Championships 2009, 2010 & 2011), and was probably the favorite, certainly among the Chicago press, to win it all in 2012.  Winning 4 in a row, was, and still is, something that has never been done in IHSA history in girls basketball and only once on the boys side of things, by the Peoria Manual Rams (before our current Lady Potters were born). I’ll get back to them in a minute.  Coach Nichols warned of complacency, over confidence and players following the beat of their own drummer.  Something that he felt doomed his 2011-12 team from accomplishing 4 in a row.  Speaking directly to the girls, he said the number one thing is to completely “BUY IN” (to what the coaches are trying to do).  He went on to compliment Coach Becker as one of the best in the business and that he could take them to the “promised land” once again if they all buy in to his vision.  He also said it is important to not take anything or anyone for granted and to stay hungry.  He said he thinks they have the talent to do it again, but it takes more than talent.  It takes a totally committed team.  Humble Swagger, as Coach Becker likes to phrase it, remains a very important factor in making the dream of 4 a reality.

I think these Lady Potters teams that have won three in a row, have some things in common with the Four-Ever Manual Rams.  They have done it with a string of talent in multiple classes, passing on tradition, work ethic, team pride, stayed hungry, put ego aside and bought in to what their coach (one of the best ever) was selling.  Stars would graduate and new stars were born as the mantle was passed to the next season.   Sound familiar?  We will reflect on the comparison of these two teams once again after the season if the Lady Potters are to pull off a FourEver performance this season.

The focus this season, I’m sure, will be on one game at a time, and the team will probably suffer a few setbacks along the way.  As they have proved over and over again however, I believe they will find a way if they Buy In and do what they have done every year.  Win together.  The Lady Potters start the season off in their own Thanksgiving Tournament (November 24th-25th) against two of the best teams in the area, if not the State this year, in Normal Community High School and Peoria Richwoods.  All three teams should be State ranked this year and include some of the best talent in the state.  Champaign Central and St. Thomas More are also featured at the Morton Thanksgiving Tournament, both very good programs with a strong tradition.

Anybody ready for some Lady Potters Hoops yet?  I know I am!!!!

 

The Morton Lady Potters (32-2) have made it back to Redbird Arena for their 3rd consecutive trip to the Final 4.  They will play Chicago Simeon at 11am on Friday, March 3rd, at Redbird (Normal, IL) in game 1 of 2 of the IHSA Class 3A State Semi-Finals.  Winner advances to the IHSA Class 3A State Championship Game on Saturday.  This is the 5th time in program history that the Potters have made it to Redbird.

The first time was in 2007 with a talented and gritty team that included some of the Potter’s all-time great players, featuring Tracy Pontius & Brooke Bisping (both have had their jersey retired at Morton).  Coach Becker vividly remembers that team and the experiences they had together that season as he will share many a story if you ask him about it.  That team broke through the barriers and answered all questions as to whether or not a team, from the little township of Morton, could produce an IHSA Class 3A State Finals team.  They were the first Lady Potter team to have the ‘Redbird experience’, which includes all the fanfare that comes with advancing to the State Finals.  School spirit rallies, special dinners, the photo shoots, media day, the bright lights and the BIG stage.  It can leave a high school basketball player a little awestruck when they first experience it.  That team battled to a 4th place finish (31-3), wiped away the tears and then realized that what they accomplished was historic.   What they didn’t realize, was that they had inspired hundreds of future Lady Potters to dream big.  Future Lady Potter greats like Kait Byrne, Chandler Ryan, Brandi Bisping and Josi Becker all watched, with big eyes, what could be achieved and they started to set their goals.

The 2nd trip to the State Finals was in 2013.  Enter Kait Bryne (Jr) and Chandler Ryan (Fr), along with PJ Star POY Sarah Livingston (Sr) and an outstanding group of Morton Lady Potters that believed they could get back to Redbird Arena.  This team (30-6) faced two great non-boundaried powerhouse schools in Quincy Notre Dame and Lombard Montini.  They also placed 4th in the State, but made people start to stop and take notice that they could play some basketball down there in Morton, IL.  This would be the second time in six years that Morton had sent a team to the State Finals.  Watching this team of Morton heroes, were more Future Lady Potters, which included all of the current Lady Potters.  The tradition was starting to take hold and each class since has aspired to reach those levels of success.

Much has been written about the past two 33-3 State Championship teams of 2015 and 2016 (including two great books on each season by Hall of Fame Sports writer Dave Kindred – ‘Mighty In Heart’ & ‘True Grit’), and each of those teams’ belief that they could not only get to Redbird Arena, but win a State Championship were seeded by the success and traditions of the teams that had come before them.  The little girls in the stands had become the heroes of the moment because the teams before them had proved that those dreams were not out of reach.   You better believe that “little girls with big eyes” were watching those teams make history, just as they will be at these State Finals.  Passing on the Tradition and allowing dreams to blossom.

Good luck Lady Potters!!!

On Monday, February 20th, the Morton Lady Potters (30-2) were ready to play.  Ready to play defense. Ready to play offense.  Ready to beat the stuffing out of the AP 12th ranked Galesburg Silver Streaks (24-8) by the score of 54-24.  Yes, this was the same Galesburg team that beat Morton 37-40 back on January 16th, but it was not the same Morton team.  Not even close.  This Morton team played with a purpose on both ends of the court.  This Morton team looks polished, determined, focused and energized.  Galesburg, like Peoria Central, jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but like Peoria Central “that didn’t last long”.

Morton surged past the Silver Streaks on the strength of their swarming team defense and the return of Brandi “Beastmode” Bisping.  Yep, I’m declaring the Beast officially back (healthy) and that is not something that Lady Potters’ opponents want to hear.

Back during the State Farm Classic, I wrote an article about the Lady Potters learning to play without Brandi, who had to miss several weeks with mononucleosis.  In that article, I made the analogy that if the Lady Potters were your dominant hand, Brandi Bisping would be  the thumb.  The point of that analogy was the fingers were learning to play without their thumb.  Well the thumb is back and the dominant hand is now able to make a powerful fist and is in full working order.  So far in post season play, Morton has beaten Peoria Manual by 31, Peoria Central by 20 and now Galesburg by 30.  For those of you that slept your afternoons away in Math class, that is an average of 27 points per game. In the post season.

Now, this is IHSA Class 3A post season basketball, and traditionally, the road gets harder the further you march towards Redbird Arena, but I really like the way the Lady Potters are playing right now and I think they can even get better.  They weren’t perfect in any of these post season wins, but they were more than good enough so far. And if they can turn the teamwork level up another notch?  Well, lets just say the ring fitter is going to be busy again.

If you were one of the few that didn’t make it to the Sectional Semi-Final game, you missed an awesome display of support by the Morton faithful.  The Red Sea of Morton flooded the Limestone gymnasium to support the Lady Potters. It was a beautiful thing.  The student section was extraordinary and made their presence felt loud and clear.  As one fan put it – “We have the best damn student section in the State of Illinois”.  Hard to disagree with that.  Bravo!!!

Advancing to the Sectional Final on Thursday, February 23rd, the Lady Potters will face another familiar and formidable foe – The Normal University High School (U-High) Pioneers.  U-High (28-4) advanced to the Sectional Final game by beating a very good Peoria Richwoods team 27-26 in a defensive battle.  U-High is ranked 6th in Class 3A in the latest AP poll and two of it’s 4 losses have come by the hands of Morton 42-39 and 48-40.  Their other two losses were to #7 Rochester.

 

U-High is well coached and an experienced, smart team.  They hustle, are scrappy and play tenacious defense.  Morton and U-High traditionally play close games, so I don’t expect a 30 point win in this game.  U-High will prefer that the game is played in 30’s or 40’s and will likely try to slow the game down with long possessions, particularly if they jump out to a lead.  However, if the Lady Potters play with the intensity and focus on both ends that they have been playing with, and the Red Sea returns to Limestone on Thursday to help make that happen, I expect Morton will advance to their 3rd Super Sectional in the last 3 years and their quest for a 3rd straight State Championship will continue.

Thanks to Don Pyles Photography for providing these photos of the game.  If you are interested in purchasing any of these images, please email Don Pyles at snazy85@mtco.com

 

 

 

 

To view photos of the Sectional Semi-Final game taken by the Peoria Journal Star, click the following link: http://bit.ly/2mgMS9f

 

 

On January 21st, 2017, the Morton Lady Potters defeated the Peoria Central Lions at the Martin Luther King tournament in Galesburg 54-53.  That game was generally categorized by many as a bloodbath, due to the physical nature of the game and the aggressive intensity applied by the Peoria Lions.  Scratches, scrapes, bruises and sprains were abundant in the aftermath of that game.  Another by-product of that game was that the Lady Potters were given a chance to exercise their mental toughness against unrelenting pressure and against an opponent that is determined to exert it’s will and physical presence upon it’s opponent.  The Potters escaped with victory that day, but it certainly left an impression.

Flash forward 27 days (7 games) later to February 17th, 2017 and the Lady Potters found themselves with the opportunity to advance to their 3rd consecutive Sectional Semi-Final game (11th in the last 13 years) by winning their Regional Championship game.  Standing in their way were the same ferocious Central Lions, but this time the game would be played in the Lions Den (Regional was hosted by Peoria Central).  The IHSA assignment committee must have a strange sense of humor, or a dark side, depending on how you look at it.

Peoria Central (Peoria High School) was established in 1856 and is accredited, for better or for worse, as the oldest continually operating public high school west of the Allegheny Mountains.  In other words, it is a really old school and with that has as much basketball tradition as any school in the State of Illinois.  The storied gymnasium (Lion’s Den) has seen many great games and athletes throughout it’s history and 5 State Championship basketball banners hang from the walls.  Many great players like A.J. Guyton, Chris Reynolds, Shawn Livingston, Tony Wysinger, Curley Boo Johnson, D.J. Richardson (to name just a few) refined their games in this gymnasium.  Famous alumni also include U.S. Congressman Robert Michael (1923-2017), 2006 Olympic figure skater Matt Savoie, NBA commentator Ralph Lawler of the Los Angeles Clippers, and Harry Frazee (1880-1929), who was the owner of the Boston Red Sox that sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees.

The Lions Den is not necessarily the ideal place to be assigned to win a Regional Championship. As a Peoria High alumni myself, I can tell you, it can be an intimidating environment.  Particularly when you are facing a very good and very proud Lions team.  To the Lady Potters though, this was just another gym with another opponent.  An opponent that they respected, but an opponent that they were familiar with and knew, if they followed the game plan and played focused with determination, that they could beat.  That is just what the Lady Potters did. They were there to make a little history of their own in the Lions Den.

The game started with Peoria Central jumping out fast by hitting a 3 and forcing a turnover for a layup to take a quick lead 5-0.  I think at that point, many teams would panic in this kind of pressure packed moment.  Not the Potters.  They methodically took control of the game and relied on their grit, composure and experience to catch and slowly distance themselves from the Lions.  The Lions continued the all-out, full-court defensive attack on the Potters for almost the entire game, but Morton was determined, focused, disciplined and executed their game plan to the tune of a 20 point victory, leaving the Lions wondering what in the world just happened.

Peoria Central Coach, Meechie Edwards (an all-star player himself in high school), saw it coming as the game went on.  Coach Edwards pleaded with his players and officials to see things the way he saw things throughout the game, but what he feared may happen, happened.  The Potters displayed superior teamwork, overcame adversity and history, as well as very talented and determined opponent to march on towards March.

Their next opponent will be Galesburg High School at the Limestone Sectional on Monday, February 20th at 7pm.  The Lady Potters will have the opportunity to exact a little revenge on the Silver Streaks for stealing one away from them in Galesburg this season.  We will find out how much they have learned since their first meeting.

To see photo’s from the Regional Championship game vs. Peoria Central, click the following link: http://www.pjstar.com/photogallery/IP/20170217/SPORTS/217009995/PH/1?rssfeed=true&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

 

In front of a capacity crowd in the Potterdome, Seniors Brandi Bisping and Jacey Wharram, played their final game minutes on the Morton High School floor. They exited in grand fashion, to thunderous applause and once again in victory on the home floor, as the Lady Potters (27-2, 14-0) dismantled a beleaguered Washington Panther team by the score of 56-22.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect conference season for the Potters.

Prior to the game, Coach Becker introduced both Seniors and their parents and expressed his sentiments of Brandi and Jacey, including how important each has been to the Lady Potters throughout their careers.  Everyone in attendance was also treated to a tribute video of their remarkable basketball careers, which brought tears and cheers from the crowd. Click this link to view the video for yourself:  https://youtu.be/PXJJgQ6lvJ8

The Morton student section, which made an impressive showing, also had a special plan in store for the game as they perfectly executed their own version of “Silent Night”.  They remained perfectly quiet through the first 9 points the Potters scored, holding in their enthusiasm until the very next basket, and then went completely ballistic at that point.  The immediate change in atmosphere sparked the Potters and seemed to rattle Washington, as it lead to an immediate steal and assist for another score and started an avalanche, which stole the breathe away from Washington as Morton’s lead went from 9-6 to 25-8 at the halftime break.  The Lady Potters cruised through the 2nd half and ended the season perfect in conference play at 14-0 and for the second year in a row, perfect at home on the season.

After the game, the team and many fans gathered to celebrate the careers of Brandi and Jacey.  Stories, smiles and gifts were abundant and it was an indeed a perfect Senior Night for the Lady Potters.

The Lady Potters were certainly dominant in Mid-Illini play this year.  Dominant may actually be an understatement if you consider that they finished 6 games up on the three teams tied for second place (Limestone, Pekin and Dunlap) who all finished 8-6.  Their average point differential in conference play was a ‘merciful’ +28.7 points per game against conference opponents.  Their closest game was at Limestone, where they won by 15 points.  This in a conference where most teams would leave their starters in until the final seconds to boost their stats, even after the games were well beyond their reach.

Now all attention is turned to the post season and preparation for their first game of Regionals, which will be on Tuesday, February 14th, at Peoria High School (7pm) vs the winner of Canton and Peoria Manual, who will play the night before.  It’s no secret that the Lady Potters are looking to get back to Redbird Arena for a third straight year and they know the formula to getting there.  One game at a time.

 

 

 

On Friday, February 3rd, the Morton Lady Potters (25-2, 12-0) clinched their third consecutive Mid-Illini Conference Championship by defeating the Limestone Rockets (14-10, 8-4) 60-45 at Limestone High School.  The victory over Limestone put Morton up 4 games in the standings with 2 games left in conference play.

 

This is the 6th Mid-Illini Conference Championship for the Lady Potters in the last 7 years and 9th Conference Championship since 2005.   Some may think, with the Lady Potter’s dominance in the Mid-Illini the past 10 years, that winning the Conference Championship doesn’t mean that much to the team.  Those that think that would be wrong.  Winning the Mid-Illini Conference is always goal #1 at the beginning of every season.  It’s a 14-game marathon, that is typically the measuring stick that reflects how prepared teams are for the post season.

 

The Lady Potters finish the regular season this week with games at Canton on Tuesday, February 7th and at home vs. Washington on Friday, February 10th.  The home game against Washington will be Senior Night for Morton’s two Senior players, Brandi Bisping and Jacey Wharram.

 

Morton has been assigned the #1 seed in their Sectional and will begin Regional play on Tuesday, February 14th, at Peoria High School.  The Lady Potters get a first round bye and will play the winner of #7 Canton and #9 Manual at 7pm.

 

On Saturday, January 28th, the Morton Lady Potters accomplished several feats.  Most importantly, with the help of numerous individuals and businesses from the community, raised $2,500 for cancer care, education and research through Illinois CancerCare.  It was the Annual Pink Night game, that has become a tradition for the Lady Potters to find creative ways to raise money and awareness in the fight to stop cancer.

This year the team sold pink patterned bandanas, buttons and baked goods and organized and hosted prize raffles (prizes that were donated by local businesses and individuals).  Then they put on their pink uniforms and dismantled the Pekin Lady Dragons by a score of 68-50 in front of a fantastic crowd that came to celebrate and participate in the Pink Night Event.

In doing so, the Lady Potters raised their season record to 24-2 and a perfect 11-0 in the Mid-Illini conference.  The win clinched a share of the Mid-Illini Conference Championship, being 3 games up on 2nd place Limestone with 3 games left in conference play.  Morton plays Limestone on Friday, February 3rd, at Limestone High School, 5:30pm.  You can bet that the Lady Potters will not be looking to share the Conference Championship with Limestone and will be looking to clinch an outright Championship that night.  This is Morton’s 3rd consecutive Mid-Illini Conference Championship and 6th in the last 7 years.

 

 

The Morton Lady Potters have had a busy last 7 days.  Since the loss to Galesburg on January 16th, the Potters have won 4 straight games and have improved their season record to 23-2 and 10-0 in Mid-Illini Conference.

 

With three days to lick their wounds, after the Galesburg game, the Potters took out some of their frustration on East Peoria, Friday, January 20th, at East Peoria, winning 80-33.  There was to be no 5 point half this year at East Peoria as Morton displayed it’s dominance on the court early and often.  The three point shot returned, as well as the two point shot, and every other shot that was missing 4 days earlier.  The Lady Potters looked focused and determined to get the ship back on track, much to the dismay of East Peoria.

 

The very next morning, Saturday, January 21st, the Potters were back on the court at 10:30am to play one of the better Class 3A teams in the state.  The Peoria High Lions.  The Lions are currently ranked 12th, in Class 3A, in latest AP Poll and were licking their chompers to take a bite out of the 2x Defending State Champion Potters (currently ranked #2).  The Lions came out fast and furious and played a physical, in your face, fast paced game.

 

The difference between the East Peoria team (from the night before) and the Peoria High team was night and day and it took about a half for the Potters to adapt to the different style of athlete and game. Blood on both sides was spilled throughout the game. Coach Becker said “there was blood in the coach’s box” and he wasn’t kidding.  Peoria High saw their star player, Bradley signee, Jailynn Lawson, have a strong start to the game, hitting two deep threes (one that bounced in off the corner of the backboard) and seemed to penetrate at will throughout the first quarter and half of the game, before going down with an ankle injury.

 

Peoria High’s other senior star, 5′-11″ power forward Makenzie Jenkins, also gave Morton fits through the first half of play, scoring many of her game high 19 points in the opening half.  Morton battled through Peoria High’s 1-2 punch though and withstood the body blows they were given in the first two quarters.  They came out stronger and more dialed in during the second half and pulled ahead of the Lions to lead by a fairly comfortable, but single digit margin through most of the third and fourth quarters. Peoria High made one more push late in the game to cut the lead to 4 points a couple of times, but the Potters held on, and leading by 4 in the final few seconds, let Peoria High shoot an uncontested three pointer that ended the game with Morton winning 54-53.  It was a hard fought win for the Lady Potters and while they again were pressured into turning over the ball (23 times), I think they found a bit of toughness in themselves and the end result was a net positive for the Lady Potters.

 

With their next game not scheduled for 6 more hours (5:30PM), the Lady Potters took refuge at a nearby lake house in Oak Run, which was generously offered to them to stay and relax between games (thank you to the Kuhl Family!).  The rest was just what the doctor ordered after the physical game with Peoria High and the Potters looked energized and ready to go in the night cap vs. Peoria Notre Dame.

 

Peoria Notre Dame has everybody back from last year’s team that tested Morton in the Regional Championship in 2016 and this game was expected to be closer than it actually was.  While the East Peoria game may have dulled the Potter’s instincts against Peoria High, Peoria High had sharpened them for Morton going into the game against Peoria Notre Dame.  Peoria Notre Dame in no way could replicate the pressure and physical nature of the opponent the Lady Potters had just played earlier in the day and Morton came out playing with energy and sharpness to take a double digit lead early in the game and withstood a little Notre Dame push in second half to win the game 69-52.

 

That ended the week long Galesburg Martin Luther King tournament for the Lady Potters, winning 4 games (Lincoln Way Central 54-40, Normal U-High 48-40, Peoria High 54-53 and Peoria Notre Dame 69-52) and losing one to the tournament host Galesburg 37-40.  I’m still not sure who actually won the tournament, with Morton, UHigh and G-Burg all finishing 4-1 and not all teams playing the same opponents, but I suppose in the big picture it doesn’t really matter.  Fact is, the Potters were able to play against 5 decent opponents, each with different styles of play and were given the opportunity to learn some things about themselves that should prepare them well for the road that lies ahead.  Speaking of the road that lies ahead, the Limestone Sectional, which #2 Morton is assigned to, has #6 Richwoods, #8 U-High, #11 Galesburg and #12 Peoria High, along with Peoria Notre Dame and the Sectional host Limestone.  Limestone is currently 8-2 in the Mid-Illini and all alone in 2nd place in the conference.  Morton plays Limestone at Limestone on Friday, February 3rd.

 

Well that was a pretty busy week all in itself I would say, but the Lady Potters had one more conference road game on Tuesday, January 24th, to finish this 7 day stretch.  Morton travelled to Dunlap to play the Lady Eagles for the 2nd time this season.  Dunlap had been on a roll and were feeling pretty good about themselves coming into the game.  They were moving up the Mid-Illini standings and had played Richwoods pretty close a few days earlier.

 

The Potters gave Dunlap 15 minutes and 59 seconds of game time to feel good about their chances in this game, as they were only down 7 until that point (21-14).  In the final second of the first half, Tenley Dowell drained a three that popped out whatever air was left in Dunlap’s balloon.  Morton then outscored Dunlap 42-10 in the second half to win by 42.  The win sets the Lady Potters’ Mid-Illini record at 10-0 and two games up over Limestone in the conference.  Dunlap fell to 5-5 and in 4th place in the conference.

 

The Lady Potters host the Pekin Lady Dragons on Saturday, January 28th, at 6:30PM.  This will also be the Annual Pink Night game for the Lady Potters , which means they will be raising money for cancer research and support for Illinois CancerCare.  Please come out and support the Lady Potters and help them raise money for a great cause.

 

Special thanks to Don Pyles Photography for the fantastic pictures from these four games.  If you are interested in purchasing digital copy rights to any of these photos on the website, you may contact Don Pyles at snazy85@mtco.com

 

Don Pyles Photography: PDR_6528

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Morton Lady Potters (19-2) lost to Galesburg (18-5) by the score of 37-40 in Galesburg on Monday, January 16th, in their 3rd game of the Martin Luther King Classic.  On this day, the Lady Potters came out flat, allowed 26 points in the first half, turned the ball over 19 times, wasted shot opportunities and basically looked like a team that was not on the same page for most of the game.

I heard a lot of people talking after the game and asking a lot of questions…  What happened?  Was Galesburg really that good?  Why didn’t we shoot any threes?  Why couldn’t we score more?  What was wrong with us?  Will they still be #1? Where do they go from here?

I can’t say that I have the answers to all of those questions, but I think taking a step back and giving the loss some perspective is probably worthwhile.  Yes, the loss made a dreary MLK Day seem even drearier, but I wouldn’t go rushing out to sell your stock in the Lady Potters just yet. Each of the last two seasons (State Championship seasons) and every season since I have been watching these girls play basketball, there have been points during the season, usually resulting in a loss, that the team makes uncharacteristic mistakes, misses shots they usually make, and play back on their heals, rather than up on their toes.

Each of the last two years the 2x Defending State Champs have lost games during the season.  Who can forget losing to Canton twice two years ago (once at home after leading by 9 at halftime) and that same year taken to the woodshed and given a major butt whoopin by Normal UHigh at the State Farm Classic.  How about scoring 5 points in the first half at East Peoria and being down by 20 points at halftime, before losing that game to EAST PEORIA. Then the very next morning, losing again to a below average Quincy Notre Dame team. There was a lot of hand wringing that day, that is for sure. Two losses in a row!

What all those losses had in common is that they were used as building blocks for the team to reach greater consistent excellence and to correct mistakes.  Those losses lead to discovery, bonded those teams to revisit the goals they had as a team together and a new energy was born from the ashes of those losses.

Losing is never fun.  It’s always humbling.  But, it always gives teams the opportunity to learn, grow and become better.  Some teams take advantage of that opportunity and some don’t.  The teams of the last two years certainly did and I have a feeling this team will as well.

For one thing, this coaching staff is very good at refocusing teams after a loss.  They have been able to see where the shortcomings are and direct their efforts towards turning those weaknesses into strengths.  They have a good understanding of the opportunities that losing can bring.

Also, this team is full of talented, smart, committed basketball players that genuinely seem to care for each other and are capable of putting the team goals before their own.  They are all coachable players that have an incredible passion for team success.  I believe they are certainly capable and willing to learn from losses, embrace the opportunity to improve and find a way to overcome adversity in any form.  That, my friends, is why I’m confident these Lady Potters will bounce back and become the toughest out in the tournament come the end of the season.

A little more about the game.  Morton had beaten perennial power Galesburg 7 straight times.  Most of these girls had never lost a game to Galesburg, in the Winter and are now used to playing against the type of adversity that playing in Galesburg brings.  Were they overconfident?  Not hungry enough to focus and bring their best level of focus and execution?  Other distractions? I don’t know, but I do know this.  As poorly as Morton played as a team, consistently throughout that game, they still were in position to win it until the final seconds.

Galesburg is not a bad team.  They are 18-5 and one of the best teams the Lady Potters played all year.  They start 5 seniors and have been a top 10 team the past two years.  None of those seniors had ever beaten Morton in during their school season careers.  They played with more fire than Morton.  Played as a team and took advantage of the mistakes Morton made. So the point is, Galesburg was primed and ready to compete with the #1 ranked Class 3A team in the State.  That is the answer to the question, is Galesburg that good.

Morton showed only flashes of their potential throughout the game.  Coach Becker was quoted as saying it best I think.  He said something to the effect that you can’t turn the ball over 19 times in a low scoring game and expect to win.  That, in a nutshell, is the answer to the question, what happened.

Morton has been widely known for being a perimeter team.  A team that shoots 15-20 threes a game and makes 7-8 per game.  That is 21-24 points per game from behind the arc.  Morton averages about 60 points a game, so we are talking about 1/3 of their average points coming from the 3-point line.  Guess how many points Morton got from behind the arc in this game.  Zero.  In fact, they only shot three from behind the arc.  Was this Galesburg’s defense?  Probably some, Galesburg has a lot of quick athletic guards and they cover a lot of space.  But I don’t think that was the entire reason.  I think this also goes back to the turnovers.  19 turnovers means 19 less shot attempts.

Let me be clear.  Turnovers are typically a team issue and not a player issue.  Most turnovers occur because the team is not functioning as it should.  Some occur because of bad decision making, but most occur because the team’s offense is not clicking on all cylinders.  Fortunately, turnovers can be corrected easily and not something I expect to plague this team very often.

The team also could have rebounded better, gotten more loose balls, made some easy shots and played harder and more focused throughout the game.  I expect that these are all things that the coaches will have the team working on and the end result will be… an improved team.

This may not happen over-night, but it might and I expect it will sooner than later.  This Morton team is still very, very, very good and my expectations is that this loss to Galesburg will make them even better when it counts.

 

The Morton Lady Potters (19-1, 8-0) won games #18 and #19 of the season on Saturday, January 14th.  Two hard fought wins against two solid opponents that tested the Potters.  I’ll talk about those two wins in just a bit, but first I want to point to ‘The Man’ that has cultivated this Morton program into a juggernaut of Illinois high school basketball.   On this day, Potter varsity head coach Bob Becker (Coach Becker to most) achieved his 400th win at the helm of the Lady Potter program.  85 of those wins coming in the last 92 games and along with those 85 wins came 2 straight IHSA State Championships and an avalanche of memories.

Coach Becker told his team, after the 400th win, that he looks at the 400 wins as a “milestone”, but it’s those memories with his players, fellow coaches and the teams that fires his passion for coaching he indicated.  I don’t think there is any doubt that it’s that unquenchable passion for his teams that makes Coach Becker most unique among high school basketball coaches in the game today and it’s one of the primary things that makes him the best in the business.

Coaching the Potters for 18 years, Coach Becker has developed a keen insight into what it takes for teams to be competitive and play Championship basketball.  He has developed a winning tradition and culture that has been passed down from team to team.  Asking players to approach games with a “Humble Swagger” and drilling into them  the importance of “Sisterhood” are a reflection of his own personality and his passion for this program he has built, with the help of long time assistant coach and friend Bill Davis.

Congrats to Coach Becker, Coach Davis and all the players, coaches and fans that have helped reach this milestone.  May #500 get here in record time.

Now for a recap of those two games I refer to in the opening sentence. The Morton Lady Potters (19-1, 8-0) began play in the Martin Luther King Galesburg Classic Tournament Saturday morning. The Potters defeated Lincoln Way Central 54-40 in the A.M. and defeated Normal University High 48-40 in the P.M. for wins #18 and #19 on the season. In fact it was their 3rd victory in under 24 hours.

Coming off of their Friday evening win over Mid-Illini Conference rival Metamora (50-33), the Lady Potters laced them back up Saturday morning for their first game of the MLK tournament vs Lincoln Way Central (LWC). LWC, team from the Chicago suburbs, had some size and muscle in the post and a few guards that could shoot well from the perimeter.

They jumped on the Potters early hitting some early threes and getting the ball inside as well. Before the Potters could wipe the sleep out of their eyes, they found themselves trailing until about midway through the second quarter. Then, they woke up and went on a 38-4 run that turned the lights out for LWC. The Potters did it primarily by cranking up their intensity on both ends of the floor.

 

The afternoon game was against that all too familiar rival, Normal U-High. You know, that team that the Potters beat in double over time in the State Farm Classic a couple weeks ago. Yes, that one. Well the Potters took control a little earlier this time around, though this time they had someone named Brandi Bisping playing with them. Brandi was cleared to play this week after several weeks off due to mononucleosis, but has been easing back into the rotations until she is 100%.

The Potters jumped out to an 11 point lead early in the game, but UHigh kept clawing and scratching and rebounding their way back into the game. I think I mentioned before that UHigh does one thing exceptionally well, and that is rebound the basketball. They are also a tough team made up of primarily seniors. All 5 of UHigh’s starters from last year are back this year with a lot more experience. Well, not to break the tradition of closely contested contests between the Potters and the Pioneers, the Pioneers cut the lead to 4 late in the game. The Potters took care of the ball, made their free throws and won this one by 8. In regulation.

The Lady Potters started the week 15-1, ranked #1 in the State of Illinois in Class 3A in the most current AP Poll and undefeated in Mid-Illini Conference play 6-0. With 2 Mid-Illini road victories this week, over Washington 49-31 and Metamora, and the two wins on Saturday, the Potters will likely maintain the #1 ranking and their first place position in the Mid-Illini at 8-0. The Potters continue play in the Martin Luther King Tournament on Monday afternoon (January 16th), when they take on the tournament hosts, Galesburg High School in Galesburg at 2pm.

On Friday, January 6th, 2017, Morton Potter fans, friends and family came to the Morton Potterdome to recognize and celebrate one of the greatest Potters of all-time.  Potters of all ages didn’t want to miss the opportunity to applaud Brooke Bisping and watch her become only the 7th Morton Potter (3rd Lady Potter basketball player) to have their jersey retired in honor of their illustrious athletic accomplishments and outstanding representation of Morton High School.

On this night, Brooke’s #13 would forevermore join Cindy Bumgarner’s #22 and Tracy Pontius’s #5 as the only Lady Potter basketball players to receive this honor.  Brooke (2005-09), Cindy (1981-84) and Tracy (2003-07) also rank #1, #2 and #3 respectively in career points scored for the Lady Potters.

When given the opportunity to address the crowd, Brooke thanked everyone in attendance, and gave special thanks to her teammates, her family, Coach Becker and to God for making her into the person she has become today.  There is no doubt that she will always be remembered for her accomplishments and contributions to the program as well as her strength of character.

Well deserved congratulations are certainly in order to Brooke Bisping and THANK YOU Brooke for all that you have done for the Morton Lady Potter program!!!

 

On Friday, January 6th, Brooke Bisping will be honored by Morton High School and the Morton Lady Potter program in between the JV and Varsity games (approximately 6:45pm).  This will be a special event for a very special person.  I doubt that any words can fully describe the impact that Brooke Bisping has had on the Lady Potter program since she first appeared in a Morton Potter basketball uniform back in 2005.  Known for her legendary work ethic and unrivalled skill on the court, as fierce a competitor and consummate teammate, Brooke has inspired Morton players from the Class of 2009 to the Class of 2020 and counting.  She has set the golden standard that every player since she graduated has strived to achieve.

Brooke’s list of individual awards, records and honors is amazing to read through and we will attempt to revisit most of them here, but I believe Brooke’s most significant gift to the Morton Lady Potter program is how much she has given back to the players and teams that followed her.  In recent years the Lady Potter program has reached the pinnacle of success and has featured many great players, but I would venture to bet that every one of those Lady Potters hold Brooke Bisping in the highest regard.  Many of the current Lady Potters, most who didn’t even get to see Brooke play at Morton, have heard the stories, since they first picked up a basketball, about the Legendary Brooke Bisping.  The player that would become Morton’s all-time leading scorer (2,147).  The player, that in practice would win every competition, but refuse to let her teammates run without her.  The player that refused to give an inch, even at 5′-7″, becoming one of Morton’s all-time career leading rebounders (768) and in her senior year had 21 rebounds in a game and 20 in another.   The player that was the free throw machine once going 16-16 and made 234 in her senior season (.857%).  That is legendary and it has inspired an entire generation of Lady Potters to reach for lofty goals.

As I mentioned above, Brooke’s list of individual accomplishments is long indeed.  The following is a highlight list of some of those accomplishments while at Morton High School (some records have since been broken):

Two-time Peoria Journal Star Player of the Year, she was a two-time all-state selection by the Associated Press … Holds the state record for consecutive free throws (53) and shot a school-record 85.7 percent from the line … Morton’s all-time leading scorer with 2,147 career points … Holds school record for most three-pointers (185) and second in school history in both rebounds (768) and steals (233) … Named South MVP at the IBCA All-Star game … Helped her team to the Mid-Illini Conference championship in 2008-09 … Averaged 23.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game as a senior … Set school-season records for points (716) and rebounds (337) … shot 85.7 percent from the free throw line as a senior (234-for-273) … Had 41 points and 20 rebounds at Canton … Also named First-Team All-State by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association … Helped the Potters to the Class 3A sectional finals as a junior … Led Morton in scoring at 21.1 points per game in 2007-08 … Topped 30 points on four occasions as a junior, while averaging 6.1 boards per contest … Took home all-state honors from the Chicago Sun-Time and Champaign News-Gazette as a junior … As a sophomore, her team finished fourth in the IHSA AA state tournament … Averaged 14.3 points per game, while earning all-area honors … Scored 13.3 points per game as a freshman … Also lettered in soccer two years, where she was a Peoria Journal Star all-area selection and first-team all-conference pick at goal keeper … Played setter on the Potters’ volleyball team and earned special mention all-state honors, while helping the Potters to an Elite Eight appearance as a sophomore … Earned two letters in track. (Resource – www.bradleybraves.com)

I had the opportunity to speak with Brooke about her time as a Morton Lady Potter, both as a player and a coach, and wanted to share her thoughts with you.  I think you will get some insight into how great a person Brooke is and why she has been so important to the Lady Potter program…

Question: ‘Brooke, back in 2005 you stepped onto the floor for the first time in a Morton Potter uniform.  Do you remember that experience and what it was like?’

Brooke: “I remember that I was NERVOUS.  I felt like I was ready for the experience, because I had prepared quite a bit for it and my Dad had prepared me well, but I was nervous. I remember Coach Becker asking if I wanted to start the JV game as well and I said no, I was too competitive for that.”

Question: ‘Thinking back to the time you played at Morton, what were the most memorable times for you?’

Brooke: “Going to State!  That was just incredible and getting to do that with such a great group of teammates.  I remember most the fun things that we did, the ‘Shananigans’, like TP-ing Coach Becker’s house and goofing around in the locker room.  The fun times at practices.  I remember that much more than any single game.  That is what made the most memories for me.”

Question: ‘Brooke, you have all these kids that you have inspired over the years, was there anyone that inspired you as you were coming up and playing at Morton?’

Brooke: “My teammates probably inspired me the most.  I played with some really great players when I was there.  Of course Tracy Pontius was unbelievable.  She could have had every record in the book if she wanted, but she was more concerned with winning.  She definitely inspired all of us.  We could not have achieved what we did without all of my teammates.  Any record I have or had I owe to them.”

Question: ‘You hold so many records at Morton and achieved so much individual success.  How much value do you put on all of that and does it mean a lot to you?’

Brooke: “Quite frankly, I never paid much attention at all to any records.  I didn’t even realize what my numbers were until people started pointing them out to me once my playing days at Morton were over.  Records are nice, but records are only there to be broken and I wouldn’t trade my experiences with the people, my family at Morton for any records.  Those experiences I had far outweigh any records or achievements.”

Question: ‘Now that you have moved from being a player to being a coach, can you tell me what you like most about coaching?’

Brooke: “I just love being around this amazing group of girls.  They are so coachable and such a fun group that is committed to winning.  Brandi is my little sister, but they are all like my little sisters.  It’s just really fun.”

Question:  ‘What do you think the future holds for you here with the Lady Potter program?  Will you stick around once Brandi graduates?’

Brooke: “It’s funny you ask that, because the other coaches asked me that the other day.  Yes, I hope to coach here as long as they will have me and plan to coach at Morton as long as my career path allows it.”

Please come out to the PotterDome (Morton High School Gymnasium) on Friday night to help us all honor Brooke Bisping.  One of the very best that has ever laced them up for the Morton Lady Potters!!!