Morton College men's basketball coach Jon Rush devoted the week leading up to Saturday's contest against Milwaukee Area Tech about controlling the pace of the game.

It's easy to understand Rush's obsession. The eighth-ranked Stormers came into the game averaging 108.9 points per game, 115.8 over their last five contests and 121.3 in the last three.

Eleven minutes into the game, the Panthers (3-3) led 28-10. They briefly gave up the lead in the second half, but rode the gallant performances of Jordan Brooks, Kevin Cathey Jr. and Danny Thompson to defeat the Stormers in back-to-back years for the first time in program history by an 88-80 count at the Henry J. Vais Gymnasium in Cicero.

The trio combined to score all but one of Morton College's final 20 points as Thompson's three-pointer with 1:42 left extended the Morton College edge at 80-71 and all but secured the win. Brooks followed with a layup and two free throws to push the Panther advantage back to 11 twice.

It was a physical contest with both teams combining for 61 fouls and shooting 71 free throws. Cathey walked a tight rope, playing with four fouls but managing to post 20 points, 5 steals and 3 assists as well as going 8 of 11 from the free-throw line.

Brooks scored a career-high 30 points, making 3 three-pointers and going 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Thompson added 16 points.

"We talked all week about controlling the pace of the game," Rush explained. "A team like MATC, you want to limit their possessions. We knew if we took care of things defensively and rebounded, we'd be OK."

Rush was pleased with Thompson's performance, but turned the spotlight on sophomores Brooks and Cathey.

"Both are guys we rely on a lot," Rush noted. "I trust those guys to be good when it matters."

Panther Patter
Prior to back-to-back wins against 6-2 Milwaukee Area Tech, the Panthers were just 1-10 against the Stormers since 2013.
Stanislav Toderasco tacked on a pair of big free throws, pushing the Morton College lead to 68-62 with 6:47 left.
Javerion Banks (8 points, 4 rebounds) and Zion Young (6 points, 2 steals) rounded out the Panther scoring.

Women's basketball
Morton College battled Milwaukee Area Tech tough for a quarter before the Stormers emerged with the 89-35 win Saturday (November 22nd) at home.

The Panthers trailed 11-8 after one quarter. Catrina Sanders led Morton College with 10 points and 5 assists, while Charity Love added 9 points. Niema Adams had 6 points and a team-best 8 rebounds.

Morton College shot a season-best 78.6 percent from the free-throw line, making 11 of 14 attempts. Adams was a perfect 4 of 4.