Hornets struggle against Morton
Paul Loth Contributor February 21, 2012 7:46PM
Hinsdale South's Johnnie Jasper battles Morton's Rocco Belcaster for the ball. | Steve Johnston~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 24, 2012 8:27AM
Morton guard Gregory Carter scored 11 fourth-quarter points to lead the Mustangs over West Suburban Conference Gold Division rival Hinsdale South (11-11, 6-6), 56-39, Friday night. The two teams ended the year in a tie for third place in the conference.
After Morton (11-11, 6-6) took a 23-17 halftime lead, they increased the defensive pressure in the third quarter to take control of the game. This caused Hinsdale South center Brock Benson to come out and put pressure on Morton’s David Chapman. The Mustangs were able to capitalize on that by stepping into the passing lanes to create turnovers and then getting open inside for easy baskets.
The Hornets were held to only seven points in the period, while the visiting Mustangs put up 13, thereby building up a 12-point lead. Hinsdale South never got closer than nine points the rest of the game as Morton eventually pulled away at the end.
“We knew they were trying to get the ball in to the middle,” Morton guard Anthony Lewis said. “Brock Benson gets most of their points so we were trying to clog up the middle and then guard (Phil) George and (Jerry) Stoltz on the outside.”
“In the third quarter we put our big men on top, attacking their guards,” Lewis said, “That allowed us to step into the passing lanes and get the steals.”
“Once we got a lead,” Morton coach Martin Ucci said, “Hinsdale center Brock Benson had to come out and guard David Chapman. That opened up the middle for easy layups.”
“Give Morton credit,” said Hinsdale South coach Vince Doran, “They made the plays and made us alter a lot of our shots. They did a good job of making us do things we didn’t want to do.”
George led all scorers with 17 points while Gregory Carter of Morton had 16 points. The Mustangs’ Waller Perez added 11 points.
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