Author: Matt Jones

Friday, December 30th, 2016 was Day 4 of the 2016 State Farm Holiday Classic (SFHC).  Championship Day and Game 4 of the tournament for the Morton Lady Potters.  The Lady Potters have played in the SFHC tournament 11 straight years and this was their 3rd trip to the Championship Game (06′, 14′ and 16′).  Last year the Lady Potters finished 5th at the SFHC, losing in 4 OTs to the eventual Champion, Chicago North Lawndale in round #2. Obviously, Morton went on to beat Chicago North Lawndale in IHSA Class 3A State Championship last year in the rematch.

The tournament field was loaded again this year with very good teams including some of the very best Class 4A and 3A teams in the State of Illinois this year.  Rock Island, Morton, Rochester and Normal U-High finished 1st-4th, but teams like Peoria Richwoods, Springfield, Normal Community High, Chicago North Lawndale are all among teams that will likely win a lot of games this year and have potential to go far in their respective post season tournaments.  Of the 16 teams in the Large School Girls Bracket, it is very likely that 15 of the 16 will finish the season with winning records.

Of all of those 16 teams, Rock Island proved to be the best in the field at this tournament.  Rock Island is largely thought of as one of the top 3 girls teams in the IHSA Class 4A this year, along with Montini and Edwardsville.  With a 1,710 enrollment, and some very talented players within that enrollment, Rock Island showed that they were every bit as good as advertised coming into the tournament as they had been assigned the #1 seed.

Morton had been assigned the #2 seed coming into the tournament and they proved that they deserved that seeding as well, but while Morton had fought and clawed their way to the Championship game, winning each game by 3 points, Rock Island had averaged beating their three SFHC opponents by 26 points per game.  Morton came into the tournament without the availability of their best individual player (2015 PJ Star Player of the year and All-Stater Brandi Bisping) due to illness, and had been adjusting their style of play to learn to play without relying on Bisping.  Rock Island didn’t care about all of that and, at full strength, was looking to take advantage of the situation.

Both teams have very talented young rosters and the game started with Morton jumping out to a 4-0 lead.  Rock Island pulled ahead by the end of the first quarter and lead 9-8, but Morton hang tough and limited the high powered Rock Island offense to 20 first half points to go into the halftime break trailing 16-20.  Morton had contained Rock Island’s All-State super sophomore guard and had her a bit frustrated offensively.  Unforunately, Morton didn’t capitalize offensively in the first half.  Without Bisping in the line-up, Morton’s second chance points and rebounding were too few and their shooting was sub-par throughout the game.  Credit Rock Island’s defense for much of Morton’s offensive struggles, as they made Morton lose their patience periodically and rush into some questionable shots.

Rock Island’s size and ability to attack the glass for second chance points started to take it’s toll in the third period.  Morton was still within striking distance at the end of the third quarter, down 36-27, but shots that normally fall for the Potters were not dropping throughout the game.  In the end, rebounding and missed shots sealed Morton’s fate on this day.  Two elements that they desperately miss without their own All-Stater (Bisping).

Morton ended up losing the game 40-60, but there were some very good things that came out of the tournament for the Potters.

 

 

#1 – All of the players did an excellent job stepping up their games at different points throughout the tournament to make up for the absence of Bisping. Much like last year when Chandler Ryan was injured.

#2 – The team showed a lot of fortitude and a positive mental approach in close game situations.  This team may be young, but they have a lot of experience in big game situations.  It showed in these SFHC games and Coach Becker gave them a chance to prove themselves and play through some mistakes.

#3 – Morton proved they can compete at the highest levels, even without Bisping.  This bodes well for the future of Lady Potter Basketball.  The team is not the same team without Brandi, but can be an excellent different team without her, when that time comes.  Finding that formula is likely at the top of the Lady Potter coaching staff’s minds until Brandi returns.

So for the 3rd time in 11 years, the Lady Potters come away with 2nd place at the State Farm Holiday Classic.  I think the players probably wanted more, but they have plenty to be proud of and gained much experience for future games.  Congrats Lady Potters!!!

Thank you to Don Pyles Photography for sharing the following photos from the SFHC Championship Game. If you would like to purchase originals from Don, you may contact him directly at snazy85@mtco.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The State Farm Holiday Classic (SFHC) has always been a tournament that tests most every team.  The ‘Large School Girls Bracket’ competition is among the best in the Midwest and this year has been no exception.  It is a 3-4 day gauntlet of games against formidable teams and tournament play seems to bring out the best in all teams.  For one thing, all the teams have at least 4-6 weeks of games before the tournament begins.  Teams have had the chance to get to know who they are as a team, work on their deficiencies and fine tune their chemistry.  In other words, even those teams that struggled out of the gate are given new breathe when the tournament begins, so you can throw out the seed # in front of their name when tournament play begins.

Like most teams, the Lady Potters had 4-6 weeks to prepare.  They pretty much steamrolled through the first 11 games of the season, making good opponents look out of their league.  The Potters looked as if they had it all figured out and the last quarter of most of those first 11 games was reserved for peacefully enjoying the last remnants of popcorn in your bag, without any fear of indigestion.  So the Lady Potters were poised and ready to pounce on anything that SFHC could throw at them.

Then, much like last year…  adversity hits right before the tournament.  For the second year in a row, the Potters lose an All-State, do everything player just prior to the tournament.  Last year, it was Chandler Ryan with a season ending injury a couple weeks before the tournament and this year Brandi Bisping is diagnosed with mononucleosis just days before the tournament.  These just aren’t any star players, these are two players that will likely be mentioned forevermore as all-time Lady Potter greats.

I don’t know how that conversation between Coach Becker and the Potter players went when he told them they would be entering the SFHC without Brandi Bisping.  My guess is that most teams would immediately walk to the closest corner and curl up in the fetal position.   Knowing this Potter team, I think their reaction was more like, “Oh, that’s too bad for Brandi, who do we have first?” That’s the mentality of this team.  What they weren’t 100% prepared for was the fact that they were going to need to reinvent themselves, by adjusting to the loss of their superstar.  Think of it this way… if the Potters are your dominant hand, Brandi Bisping is the thumb.  Cut off the thumb on your dominant hand and see how functional your hand is (sorry Brandi for calling you a thumb, but I meant it in the most respectful way).  You get my point though don’t you?

In the Lady Potter’s case,  they have the added hurdle of, well being the 2x Defending State Champion, which means everyone wants a shot at the Champ (cue Marlon Brando’s voice in ‘On the Waterfront’).  So Morton entered their first contest against the Normal West Wildcats, probably thinking that this game would go much the same way as the past 11 games did.  Apparently they forgot that they were without their “Thumb”.   I don’t know how many turnover the Potters had against West, but it had to be a season high.  The Potters had not allowed more than 40 points all year, and in this game they allowed 59 points.  Fortunately, the fingers found a way to win the game without their thumb and were able to score 62 points to win the game by 3.  Kassidy Shurman caught fire and drained 4 treys and the Potters hit 9 treys in all to fend off the upstart Wildcats.  Even in defeat, the Wildcats looked like they had just won the Superbowl (losing to Morton by 3).

Game 2 was the Tigers from Wheaton Warrenville South.  A Class 4A school with over 2,000 students from the Chicago suburbs. The Tigers had just cleaned the clock of the team Morton was seeded to play (Geneseo), beating them handily.  A scrappy team, with a pretty decent strong left handed guard/forward and a couple of quick guards that passed the ball well.  Should be a cakewalk right?  Wrong! The Tigers were mean and scrappy and were not going to back down the Defending 3A State Champions.  They were in it to win it and decided to zone the Potters the entire game.  The Potters defense did step up and only allowed 32 points, but the tough zone confused the Potters and they seemed hesitant to get the ball into the heart of the zone.  7 three pointers (4 again by Shurman) saved the day and the Potters again battled their way to another 3-point victory.

Game 3 was against the #4 ranked team in the latest AP Class 3A State rankings.  A familiar team to the Potters, the Normal University High Pioneers (UHigh).  The Potters and Pioneers have played each other now 6 times in the last two and half years and half of the Potters have played with half of the Pioneers in the summer.  The teams know each other well and the coaches know each other well.  Morton entered the game 13-0 and UHigh 11-0.  The game was the typical Battle Royale that has become expected when these two team meet up with one another.  The Potters defense contributed to the Pioneers’ poor shooting and the Lady Potters showed a lot of grit, determination and mental focus in battling through a series of obstacles throughout the game.  Morton lost the rebounding battle (what UHigh does best), but ended up winning the nail biter in the second overtime by guess how many?… Correct, 3 points.  Heroics and miscues from every Lady Potter, but Tenley Dowell led the way in scoring for the Potters.

Next up is the SFHC Championship game vs the Rock Island Rocks (14-1).  The Rocks are one of the top couple of teams in Class 4A this year and feature the #4 ranked sophomore guard in the nation in Brea Beal.  They have 6′-4″ coming off the bench and lightning quick guards that know how to put it in the basket.  I would estimate they have at least 5 Division 1 prospects on the team.  The Potters Play the Rocks at 6:30pm tonight (Dec 30th) at the Shirk Center on the Illinois Wesleyan campus in Bloomington/Normal.  Come cheer on the Potters if you can as they look to win their first SFHC Championship ever.  They may not have their ‘Thumb’ back yet, but they are getting some help from some additional fingers and are learning how to win regardless.

 

 

The Morton Lady Potters barely broke a sweat before putting away Canton Little Giants on Tuesday night, December 20th.  Morton quickly jumped out to a 15-0 lead to start the game, which was pretty much over midway into the 1st quarter.  The Lady Potters cruised to 64-28 victory, advancing their conference record to 5-0 and their season record to 11-0.

The players can now concentrate on finishing up their semester finals, getting some rest and working on their games to prepare for the upcoming State Farm Holiday Classic, December 27th-30th.  Oh yeah, and spend some time celebrating Christmas with their family and friends.  The Lady Potters will face some very good competition at the SFHC tournament and get to see where they are as a team against some of the better teams in Illinois.

Did you know – MaxPreps computer rankings has your Morton Lady Potters ranked 24th in the nation and #2 in Illinois (all classes) as of December 20th.  They will have to keep improving as a team and individually to prove these rankings prophetic at the end of the year, but they have certainly shown they have the potential to be listed with this elite group of teams from across the country.

The Morton Lady Potters soared past the Dunlap Eagles Tuesday night (12/13/16) by a score of 54-37, though the game wasn’t really that close.  Up 47-19 at the end of the 3rd quarter, Morton let up off the gas early in the 4th, and cleared the bench for most of the final quarter.  Dunlap elected to leave their primary players in to reduce their deficit and outscored the Potters by 11 in the 4th, but still came up 18 points short of victory.

The win leaves the Lady Potters with a record of 9-0 at the start of this young season and they stand alone in first place with a 3-0 conference record. Three teams are tied for second place… Metamora, Limestone and Pekin, with conference records of 2-1.  Pekin is Morton’s next opponent and that game will be Saturday, Dec. 17th at Pekin High School (6:30pm).

This Potter team has been impressive on both ends of the court throughout their first 9 games and have overwhelmed teams with their length, speed, court savvy, shooting and hustle on the court.   The most amazing thing about this team is that they haven’t begun to reach their potential yet.  If they do, even the sky may not limit these Lady Potters.

The Lady Potters will look to stay healthy and keep building momentum as they prepare for their next two conference opponents (Pekin & Canton) and then the State Farm Holiday Classic, Dec. 27th-30th.   Good luck with those semester Finals Lady Potters!!!

The Morton Lady Potters (6-0) dismantled a scrappy Metamora Redbird team in their first Mid-Illini Conference bout of the 2016-17 Season, winning 49-26. The reigning PJ Star Player of the Year, Senior Brandi Bisping, led the Lady Potters’ offensive efforts with a game high 17 points. While the game was never in doubt, the Lady Potters took a few lumps in the contest, which included a stagnant offensive 3rd quarter and saw Sophomore sensation, Tenley Dowell, go down with an apparent ankle injury late in the game.

The Lady Potters next will travel to Bloomington High School (4-2) on Tuesday, December 6th, for their first contest away from the Potterdome. Bloomington has played 2 teams that Morton has played this season, defeating Metamora 55-33 and losing to Normal Community High School 57-79.

Photos from the game compliments of Don Pyles Photography (snazy85@mtco.com):

Don Pyles: PDR_6927

Don Pyles: PDR_7011

Don Pyles: PDR_6927

Don Pyles: PDR_6930

Don Pyles: PDR_6995

 

The Morton Lady Potters improved their season record to 5-0 by defeating Glenwood Chatham on Monday, November 21st, and all of their opponents in the Morton Thanksgiving Tournament on November 25th -26th.  The Tournament field was loaded with teams that are expected to challenge for conference championships in their respective conferences.  Normal Community High School, Schlarman Academy (Danville), St. Thomas More (Champaign) and Peoria Richwoods all have the potential to be very good teams this season and each team has at least one D-1 prospect and some with multiple candidates.

Morton ran through this field with the same dominance they have handled most teams the past two years.  They showed some they are ready to compete on defense this year, though Head Coach Bob Becker feels there is definitely room for improvement on both ends of the floor.  Never-the-less, the Lady Potter coaching staff was pleased with the good start and is looking forward to helping this team reach their potential.  They think their potential rivals that of the past two seasons, but there is a long way to go.

Photo Credit: Don Pyles Photography (snazy85@mtco.com)

Ready to work hard and compete for Championships!!!

The 2016-17 Morton Lady Potter JV Team

Pictured:

1st Row   –   #42 Kaitlyn Johnson (Freshman)  –  #32 Makenna Baughmann (Freshman)  – #11 Kathryn Reiman (Sophomore)

2nd Row  –  #25 Emily Virgil (Sophomore)  –  #3 Ashley Monckton (Sophomore)  –  #10 Megan Mocilan (Sophomore)  –  #33 Christina Garcia (Freshman)

3rd Row  –  JV Head Coach Bill Davis  –  #44 Addi Cox (Sophomore)  –  #35 Danielle Simmons (Sophomore)  –  #44 Emma Heath (Freshman)  – Freshmen Head Coach Megan Hasler

 

Please join the Morton Lady Potters at their home game on Saturday, January 28th, to raise money for cancer care, education and research through the Illinois CancerCare Foundation.  The team is selling bandanas for $5, which serve as your ticket for admission.  Also, we will have raffle baskets, buttons, a bake sale and a 50/50 drawing.  Please join us in helping our community.