|
|
|
The Morton girls basketball team will appear in a sectional championship game for the fourth time in the last six years.
The Potters blasted Ottawa in the Class 3A Galesburg Sectional semifinals Monday, 52-25, after building a 23-point lead by halftime.
Morton (30-2) will face Richwoods (27-3) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at John Thiel Gymnasium with a berth in the Pontiac Super-sectional at stake.
The Potters defeated the Knights, 43-30, Dec. 6 in the teams’ annual non-conference meeting.
Morton was ranked third in the final Associated Press 3A state poll, while Richwoods was No. 4.
The Potters’ superior athleticism and quickness sunk the Lady Pirates’ ship.
“I think our pressure was the key factor in taking them out of their sets,” MHS head coach Bob Becker said.
Ottawa had four turnovers before it even put up a shot. By that time, the combination of Cortney Allenbaugh, Lexi Ellis and Sarah Livingston staked Morton to a 7-0 lead before the game was two minutes old.
That trio led the Potters in scoring. Livingston had a game-high 16 points, 14 of which came in the first half. Allenbaugh added 11 of her 15 before intermission.
A Kate Byrne 3-pointer started a 9-0 Morton binge over the last 1:33 of the first quarter that made it 21-6.
The Lady Pirates’ fortunes did not turn around in the second period.
After the squads traded baskets over the first half of the frame, Livingston and Allenbaugh had all the Potter points during an 11-3 salvo over the final 3:30 that created a 36-13 cushion at the break.
“We executed very well in the first half,” said Becker, whose team also had a plus-9 rebounding margin over the first 16 minutes, led by Livingston’s six boards.
Allenbaugh, Erin Tisdale and Ellis, who totaled nine points beyond the arc, all provided field goals in the third quarter as Morton stretched its lead to 44-15.
Ottawa then cobbled together its only significant run (6-0) of the night, but it was far too late to make an impact on the outcome.
In a low-scoring fourth quarter, Morton strung together six straight points by Allenbaugh, Livingston and Liz Schultz to equal its biggest advantage at 52-23.
Livingston and Allenbaugh combined to shoot 15-of-24 from the floor. They shared the team lead with seven rebounds.
Kelcie Rombach’s seven points paced Ottawa.
The Morton girls basketball team will appear in a sectional championship game for the fourth time in the last six years.
The Potters blasted Ottawa in the Class 3A Galesburg Sectional semifinals Monday, 52-25, after building a 23-point lead by halftime.
Morton (30-2) will face Richwoods (27-3) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at John Thiel Gymnasium with a berth in the Pontiac Super-sectional at stake.
The Potters defeated the Knights, 43-30, Dec. 6 in the teams’ annual non-conference meeting.
Morton was ranked third in the final Associated Press 3A state poll, while Richwoods was No. 4.
The Potters’ superior athleticism and quickness sunk the Lady Pirates’ ship.
“I think our pressure was the key factor in taking them out of their sets,” MHS head coach Bob Becker said.
Ottawa had four turnovers before it even put up a shot. By that time, the combination of Cortney Allenbaugh, Lexi Ellis and Sarah Livingston staked Morton to a 7-0 lead before the game was two minutes old.
That trio led the Potters in scoring. Livingston had a game-high 16 points, 14 of which came in the first half. Allenbaugh added 11 of her 15 before intermission.
A Kate Byrne 3-pointer started a 9-0 Morton binge over the last 1:33 of the first quarter that made it 21-6.
The Lady Pirates’ fortunes did not turn around in the second period.
After the squads traded baskets over the first half of the frame, Livingston and Allenbaugh had all the Potter points during an 11-3 salvo over the final 3:30 that created a 36-13 cushion at the break.
“We executed very well in the first half,” said Becker, whose team also had a plus-9 rebounding margin over the first 16 minutes, led by Livingston’s six boards.
Allenbaugh, Erin Tisdale and Ellis, who totaled nine points beyond the arc, all provided field goals in the third quarter as Morton stretched its lead to 44-15.
Ottawa then cobbled together its only significant run (6-0) of the night, but it was far too late to make an impact on the outcome.
In a low-scoring fourth quarter, Morton strung together six straight points by Allenbaugh, Livingston and Liz Schultz to equal its biggest advantage at 52-23.
Livingston and Allenbaugh combined to shoot 15-of-24 from the floor. They shared the team lead with seven rebounds.
Kelcie Rombach’s seven points paced Ottawa.
