GALESBURG —
Morton’s “layups and free throws” game plan to counteract Galesburg’s unusual offense works better when the layups go in, but the Potters made enough of them Monday afternoon for a 43-33 win in the Martin Luther King Classic tournament.
The Potters (19-4) were 14 of 40 from the field on the Knox College gym floor and senior Sarah Livingston missed her first seven shots — all right under the basket — before making two layups in the fourth quarter. She finished with nine points.
“It was frustrating to watch — we did everything we needed to do right and then it wouldn’t go in,” said Morton coach Bob Becker, whose team has prevailed in this game three years in a row. “But I thought our girls brought a great effort and several of them played lots of minutes and this is our fourth game in a stretch of just a few days. This is a tough tournament — to win this is a big deal.”
Morton counters Galesburg’s “System” offense — mass substitutions and heavy reliance on 3-point shooting — with a patient, pass-oriented offense and man-to-man defense.
The Potters also rely on their height — 6-foot-1 Kate Byrne handled the ball and guarded Galesburg’s top scorer, 5-3 Jessica Lieber. And when the Streaks (17-9) tried to go inside, they faced 6-2 Livingston, who had 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Lieber finished with one 3-pointer and five points.
“Our defense kept us hanging around, but we needed to make shots,” said Galesburg coach Evan Massey. “And the problem was, we couldn’t get anything inside. I thought we got to the basket some, but Livingston took those away. So then you’re relying on perimeter things and we didn’t make enough shots to be a factor that way.”
Byrne scored 11 points for the Potters and Abbie Cox added 10 — including back-to-back 3s in the second quarter.
“Galesburg didn’t pressure us like they have in the past,” said Becker. “They came in with a little bit different game plan to countact what we do and they left Abbie Cox wide open and I thought, ‘We have to make an adjustment here.’ And Abbie can shoot it. And eventually, we had the green light to shoot whatever. ”
Hayley Kelso had success from the outside for Galesburg, hitting four 3s for 12 points. Sharron Diggins also had 12 for the Streaks and Casey Williams had five rebounds.
The Potters (19-4) were 14 of 40 from the field on the Knox College gym floor and senior Sarah Livingston missed her first seven shots — all right under the basket — before making two layups in the fourth quarter. She finished with nine points.
“It was frustrating to watch — we did everything we needed to do right and then it wouldn’t go in,” said Morton coach Bob Becker, whose team has prevailed in this game three years in a row. “But I thought our girls brought a great effort and several of them played lots of minutes and this is our fourth game in a stretch of just a few days. This is a tough tournament — to win this is a big deal.”
Morton counters Galesburg’s “System” offense — mass substitutions and heavy reliance on 3-point shooting — with a patient, pass-oriented offense and man-to-man defense.
The Potters also rely on their height — 6-foot-1 Kate Byrne handled the ball and guarded Galesburg’s top scorer, 5-3 Jessica Lieber. And when the Streaks (17-9) tried to go inside, they faced 6-2 Livingston, who had 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Lieber finished with one 3-pointer and five points.
“Our defense kept us hanging around, but we needed to make shots,” said Galesburg coach Evan Massey. “And the problem was, we couldn’t get anything inside. I thought we got to the basket some, but Livingston took those away. So then you’re relying on perimeter things and we didn’t make enough shots to be a factor that way.”
Byrne scored 11 points for the Potters and Abbie Cox added 10 — including back-to-back 3s in the second quarter.
“Galesburg didn’t pressure us like they have in the past,” said Becker. “They came in with a little bit different game plan to countact what we do and they left Abbie Cox wide open and I thought, ‘We have to make an adjustment here.’ And Abbie can shoot it. And eventually, we had the green light to shoot whatever. ”
Hayley Kelso had success from the outside for Galesburg, hitting four 3s for 12 points. Sharron Diggins also had 12 for the Streaks and Casey Williams had five rebounds.
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