Notes, observations and other thoughts about men's basketball played at 38th and Central...
The best news for Morton College on February 11th came out of Moraine Valley where the Cyclones helped the Panthers get back into the Skyway Conference race by defeating previously unbeaten Waubonsee 92-88.

Morton College (8-2) moved a game back of Waubonsee (10-1) in the loss column. With four league games left, the Panthers still have a lot of business left before any thoughts of claiming the program's first Skyway crown since 2019. 

Tuesday's home game vs. Waubonsee is meaningless if the Panthers don't beat Oakton on the road tomorrow night.

Good bounce back
Morton College rebounded nicely from a tough 77-63 loss at Moraine Valley February 6th to beat McHenry 92-75 at home February 11th. McHenry, winless in the Skyway at 0-11, had a six-point lead with 8:58 left in the first quarter. A Jordan Brooks three-pointer and a Stan Toderasco's swipe and layup gave the Panthers a 43-34 lead at intermission.

Thanks to three-pointers from Brooks, Dre Nobles and Adrian Anderson, the Panthers went on a 15-2 run early in the second half to take control. The Panthers led by as much as 23 points, giving coach Jon Rush an opportunity to clear the bench.

One short, but still really, really good
Dre Nobles and Jordan Brooks both were super, but came up a point short of reaching impressive scoring milestones.

Nobles was a point short of his third straight 30-point game, but produced his third straight double-double with game-bests 29 points and 11 rebounds. He also had three assists and three steals.

Brooks had the touch from three-point land, making 5 of 7 in putting 24 points, one short of matching his career-best of 25 against NJCAA powerhouse South Suburban. It was his fifth career 20-point game at Morton College. Brooks also was 9 of 11 overall from the floor and dished out four assists.

As a team, Morton College's 13 three-pointers fell one shy of equaling the 2024-25 best of 14 vs. Oakton. The Panthers, 13 of 29 from three, reached double-digits in three-pointers for the fifth time this season.

Matching a season best
Morton College's 92 points matched a season-high and marked the third time this year the Panthers have put up 90 or more points in a game. It also was Morton College's second-largest victory margin in Skyway play for 2024-25.

Anderson hits century mark for career threes
Sophomore guard Adrian Anderson made his 100th career three-pointer in the second half vs. McHenry. He had four on the night and was Morton College's third player in double figures with 12 points. He has 101 career threes as a Panther, making 51 this year and 50 the season prior.

He's also a point away from 650 in his career.

Others contributing to Panther win…
Ethan Norman – 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 of 6 FG.
Nathanael Lewis – 7 points, 2 3-pointers, 2 blocked shots.
Stan Toderasco – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals.
Kevin Cathey Jr. – 4 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists