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MORRIS — It’s not often that a basketball team wins a close game without making a shot from the field in the fourth quarter.
That is exactly what Streator did Saturday evening in a 52-50 win over Morris.
The Bulldogs (13-4) led 39-34 entering the fourth quarter and fought off a scrappy Morris team down the stretch, shooting 13 of 18 from the free-throw line.
In the game’s waning seconds with the score tied at 50, Morris had the ball. A Morris shot missed and, in the scramble for the rebound, a Morris player was whistled for fouling Nolan Lukach, sending the Bulldog senior to the line with :00.2 remaining.
Lukach, who led the Bulldogs with 17 points and nine rebounds, made both free throws to essentially win the game. Morris had a chance to throw a full-court inbounds pass and try for a tip-in, but Streator batted the ball away.
Lukach went 8 of 10 from the line in the fourth quarter, none bigger than the final two. In fact, he scored the final three points for the Bulldogs after Jack Wheeler gave Morris (7-12) a 50-49 lead with 27 seconds remaining.
“I was only nervous on the first one,” Lukach said about the final pair of free throws. “I actually tried to miss the second one because if Morris got the rebound, they wouldn’t have time to get a shot off. I short-armed it and aimed to the right, but it went in.”
The win capped a second half that saw Streator rally from a 28-25 halftime deficit. Morris got 13 points from Brett Bounds in the first half, eight from Wheeler and five from RJ Kennedy to help forge the lead. Bounds led Morris with 21 points, while Wheeler scored 18 and Kennedy finished with nine. Wheeler also had a team-high nine rebounds.
Morris started the second half with a pair of Wheeler baskets sandwiched around a 3-pointer by Streator’s Blaize Bressner to take a 32-28 lead, but Streator outscored Morris 11-2 the rest of the quarter to take a 39-34 lead into the fourth.
“We ramped up our defensive pressure a little bit in the second half,” Lukach said. “And we were able to get some 3-pointers to fall on offense. That opened things up a little bit.
“It’s always a tough game when we play Morris. I think the last three years it has been a one-possession game against them and we beat them on a buzzer-beater last year.”
Morris stormed out of the gate in the fourth quarter, scoring the first eight points, four each by Wheeler and Kennedy, to take a 42-39 lead with 5:28 left. After Lukach hit 1 of 2 free throws, Bounds delivered a 3-pointer to put Morris ahead 45-40. Streator’s Jacob Haige (9 points) went to the line and made the first of two. Lukach got the offensive rebound, was fouled going back up and made both. Lukach was fouled again after a Morris missed shot and made both free throws to tie it at 45 with 3:11 to play.
After a pair of free throws by Streator’s Matt Williamson (15 points), Bounds hit a 3-pointer with 2:05 left to put Morris ahead 48-47. Williamson made a pair of free throws with 1:12 left. Morris scored next with Wheeler’s pair of free throws before Lukach tied it and then won it.
“I can’t remember winning a game without making a field goal in the fourth quarter,” Streator coach Beau Doty said. “The kids did a good job of getting to the line. When you face a zone like Morris plays, you are going to get some open looks from 3. But we didn’t settle for those and we got on the offensive glass.
“We did a better job defensively in the second half. It’s nice to have a senior-laden group like we have with guys like Matt and Nolan and Tristan Finley. Nolan has been a beast all year, and we expect a nip-and-tuck game when we play Morris. We have a lot of respect for [Morris coach] Joe [Blumberg] and their program. There are no secrets when we play.”
Blumberg was happy with the effort displayed by his team.
“We had some empty possessions in critical situations and we gave up too many offensive rebounds,” he said. “But I am very proud of the way the guys battled. We have only won two of our last 12, but our guys continue to keep battling and fighting. I wish the outcome was different, but that’s how the ball bounces sometimes.
“RJ Kennedy stepped up tonight, and Colin Pfeifer played hard and had some real big hustle plays for us at big moments. We just have to keep fighting.”