The Morton Indians hosted the #7 ranked Ropes Eagles for a district basketball matchup this past Wednesday night, and the Eagles came away with the road win, 62-48.
The Eagles bested the Indi- ans 51% to 32% in field goal shooting, 15-12 in transition points, 9-1 in second chance points, 46-22 in points in the paint, 47-18 in rebounds and 16-14 in assists.
While the Indians bested the Eagles 6-3 in threepointers made, 67% to 38% in free throw shooting, 2010 in points off turnovers, 9-6 in steals and they also won the turnover margin by 12.
The Eagles win marked their fifth in a row, improv ing them to 19-3 overall and 6-1 in district play, which puts them first in 2A District 5 standings.
“I was really proud of the fight and finish in the fourth quarter from our guys,” Eagles Head Basketball Coach Cameron Copley said. “It was a battle. Morton was extremely physical and made us work. They are well coached and play with a level of freedom that is dangerous. I thought our kids weathered the storms and did a great job of finishing."
Standouts for the Eagles included Cutter Stumbo with 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals, Kade Franklin with 22 points, 16 rebounds and two assists, Cason Kucel with six points, four rebounds and a steal, and Malikai Mendez with four points and two assists.
On the Indians side of things, the loss drops them to 8-15 overall and 3-4 in district play, which puts them tied for fourth in the 2A District 5 standings.
“We played tough for three quarters of the game, then just ran out of gas versus a deep and talented Ropes team that is dang good,” Indians Head Basketball Coach Andrew Brockman said. “We need to be more patient on offense and crash the boards more effectively in order to hang with a team as good as they are.”
Standouts for the Indians included EJ Rivas with 18 points, six assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block, Travion Holland with nine points, two assists, a rebound and a steal, Brayden Villarreal with eight points, three steals, two assists and a rebound, and Rafael Acev- edo with five points, five re bounds, an assist and a steal.
The good news for the Indians is they’re more than alive in the playoff chase as Seagraves, Whiteface, Sundown and themselves, all battle for the final two play off spots in the district.
Following the game, both teams are back in action over the weekend. The Indians travel to face Smyer and the Eagles host Whiteface.