The Morton boys basketball team performed well in late-game pressure to stave off upset-minded Limestone March 3.
The Potters outscored the Rockets 10-3 in the final to 2:35 to pull out a 40-36 victory in the Class 3A Limestone Regional semifinals.
“We’re still living another day and that’s what we want at this point in the season. Just very thankful to still be playing,” MHS head coach Steve Schupp said. “I don’t want this to end.”
Morton was led offensively at Vern Woosley Gymnasium by Brett Bisping, who produced eight of his team-high 14 points in the fourth quarter.
He twice brought the Potters within a point in the fourth quarter before a Drake Taphorn three-pointer at 1:36 gave the second-seeded team a lead it would not surrender.
“Schupp does a good job getting us ready for that,” said Bisping of late-game situations that are stressed at the end of practice.
Morton survived a harrowing final 25 seconds.
Limestone’s Kody Krupps, who led all scorers with 15 points, drained his fifth three of the night to get the hosts within 37-36.
After a Potter turnover in which an apparent foul on the No. 3 seed Rockets was not called, Akil Watkins was fouled driving to the hoop. He missed both free throws, however.
After Will Headean gave the Potters a 38-36 lead, Krupps badly missed on a trey in the final seconds. Bisping sealed the victory with two free throws at :02.2.
Tyler Lundeen provided seven of his 11 points in a first quarter in which Morton was ahead 11-4.
Limestone was 1-of-8 from the floor in the opening period, but started the second with a 8-0 spurt.
The Rockets also added 7-0 salvos in the third and fourth quarters when it looked like the Potters were poised to gain the upper hand.
Eric Waibel’s bucket in the waning seconds of the first half trimmed Limestone’s biggest lead of the evening down to two points, 17-15.
The third stanza was filled with runs. A 7-0 Morton spree, capped by a Taphorn triple, was answered by the same Rocket margin.
Two straight Austin Voeller field goals forged a 26-24 Potter edge after three periods.
Donivine Stewart and Dylan Hurst both gave the Rockets three-point leads in the fourth, but Morton was not to be denied.
“That was a good test of being mentally tough and hanging in there and giving ourselves a chance all the way through,” Schupp said.
Headean and Lundeen grabbed eight rebounds apiece, the most in the contest.
In three losses this season against the Potters, the high-scoring Stewart averaged only 11.3 points per game.
MHS 49, East Peoria 38
A move inside Friday meant the Potters will travel outside the Peoria area.
Morton (22-4) scored 15 of the first 17 points in the third quarter to overcome a 22-16 halftime deficit against the Raiders.
“It was a great team effort. We really stuck to our guns on defense,” Schupp said. “I’m elated to still be alive.”
The Potters, who were led by Lundeen’s game-high 15 points, won their second straight regional championship.
Bisping added 12 points in Morton’s fourth victory in a row. Lundeen and Bisping combined for 21 in the second half on 8-of-12 shooting.
After settling for perimeter shots in the opening 16 minutes, the Potters attacked the East Peoria (15-12) defense in the second half.
The Raiders were on a six-game winning streak, including a pair of wins over Washington.
“We knew they were good,” Lundeen said. “We were just focused on what we had to do.”
Fourth-seeded East Peoria did not look like it was playing its fourth game in the last eight days initially.
The Raiders went on a 7-0 run to end the first quarter with a 16-9 lead.
Morton’s deficit ranged from four to seven points in the second period as neither team found a rhythm.
Lundeen and Bisping both contributed a two and a three in the Potter third-quarter rush. Voeller and Waibel chipped in baskets as well. Even two East Peoria timeouts did not slow the gigantic momentum shift.
Voeller supplied the biggest highlight of the fourth quarter.
On a fastbreak with 1:25 left, he skied for an emphatic dunk while getting fouled.
The slam brought the Morton crowd to a fever pitch and created a 47-36 advantage.
Voeller had seven points and Headean and Waibel six apiece.
“We got a lot of contributions from a lot of people,” Schupp said. “They’re all trying to do something extra to help us win.”
Dylan Sparkman was the lone Raider player in double figures with 13 points.
Alex Cline had nine first-quarter points. The key East Peoria senior then was shut out over the final 24 minutes.
Bartonville, Ill. —
