The Morton Indians played host to the #24 ranked Plains Cowboys for a district basketball matchup this past Tuesday night, losing to them 49-38.
The Indians played great basketball in the first and fourth quarters, outscoring Plains 29-18, but struggled too much in the middle quarters, being outscored 31-9, which was too much for Morton to overcome.
"It's a disappointing loss for sure. We played them pretty well the first time, but tonight I just think they were more prepared than we were,” Indians Head Basketball Coach Andrew Brockman said. “No one is to blame but myself. We have to do a better job at staying focused in practice and getting better every day.”
In the team statistics, the Indians bested the Cowboys 6-3 in three-pointers made, 8-5 second chance points, 12-8 in steals and 14-8 in deflections, while the Cow boys bested the Indians 38% to 27% in field goal shooting, six to four in free throws made, 16-6 in transition points, 34-14 in points in the paint, 44-25 in rebounds and 12-7 in assists. The teams tied 17-17 in turnovers and 10-10 in points off turnovers.
Statistical standouts for the Indians included Travion Holland with 13 points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists, EJ Rivas with seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Jaeden Alvarado with six points behind 2/2 free throws made, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Other Indians individual stat lines included Britton Boggs with six points, two rebounds and a steal, Brayden Villarreal with three points, three steals and two rebounds, and Rafael Acevedo with three points, four rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal.
The loss drops the Indians to 9-15 overall and 4-5 in district play, which ties them for fourth in the 2A District 5 standings.
It was also senior night for the Indians home matchup against Plains, as the senior group of Jaeden Alvarado, Britton Boggs and EJ Ri- vas were recognized in the pregame ceremonies, and Coach Brockman had a message for them.
"I'm very proud of these seniors and the leadership they have provided. These athletes have been contributors for multiple years on varsity, and they help to set the tone every day. My message is the same one we try to push every day, we have to be good teammates and support each other,” Coach Brockman said. “That applies to life and basketball.
We can't be negative; we have to find a way to get it done without excuses. I wish them the best in all their future endeavors, and hopefully we can continue this journey to the playoffs.”
The Indians have three district games remaining as the seniors look to close out their careers strong with a deep playoff push.
They'll face Sundown in a crucial district matchup over the weekend before a bye on Tuesday night.