The Panthers moved to 3-3 in Skyway play after falling short Thursday night at home against Moraine Valley, 66-62.
The matchup was a thriller that came down to the wire. It featured seven ties and five lead changes, where the Cyclones never led by more than four points.
Morton College led by as many as 11 points in the second half with 11:53 remaining in regulation.
Both teams had their share of troubles from the free-throw line, but the finish came down to a few stops.
"We must be tougher down the stretch and finish defensive possessions with a rebound. This game was won on the glass in the last few minutes, and we will have to learn from it immediately," head coach Jon Rush said.
One player who came to play right after the opening tip was Kedric Anderson. There have been opportunities this season where he has come up clutch. It was against Rock Valley in their victory that featured a few made outside shots from the stretch forward.
He tied for a team-high 14 points and a trio of three-pointers that helped put the Panthers in front. Everything started the way the Panthers would have liked, but the Cyclones showed why they were unbeaten with a few impressive runs that put them back in the game.
"Kedric is a guy that allows us to be versatile with his size and skill set. His energy Thursday night was great after being inserted back in the starting lineup," Rush said.
The Panthers showed how far they have come despite not finishing the way they wanted. They stood toe-to-toe with the best squad in the Skyway and had their chances to close the door.
Defensively, they bothered the Cyclones for most of the night, allowing only four made three-pointers (4-for-16).
"Defensively, we try to find something we can exploit in our opponent. Against Moraine Valley, we decided to go zone at times because of their struggles recently to shoot the three. Our guys did a good job of taking away rhythm on the perimeter," Rush said.
There will be another fast turnaround with a home game on Friday night against Aurora University. For the Panthers, this will be the second week in a row where they have three games in a week, with two games within a few days.
Next week features a Tuesday road game at Elgin before hosting Oakton on Thursday. Currently 3-3, the Panthers would love to stay near the top of the Skyway standings with a few wins.
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