Boys Basketball: L-W West Attempts 31 3-Pointers in Loss to North

Facing an 11-point deficit at the half, got the road crowd roaring with an 8-2 run Friday in a cross-district rivalry game against .

That was the closest the Warriors would get, though, as the Daryle Morgan-led Phoenix pulled away late in the game to win 64-47. The excitement of the rivalry made the game feel closer than it was, with both student sections cheering loudly.

The shorter Warriors, whose tallest player is 6-foot-3, had trouble scoring inside and instead relied on its 3-point shot. But even with many open looks, West couldn't find its stroke, going 5-for-31 from behind the arc.

Morgan electrified the crowd with his stellar play, including a few slam dunks and harassing defense. Hayden Witt tried to lead the Warriors comeback, scoring six quick points early in the second half, but it wasn't enough down the stretch.

Patch’s MVP: Morgan was unstoppable. The junior forward scored 19 points and added 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. North switched to a man defense, allowing Morgan to pressure the West ball handlers.

Key Stats: North out-rebounded West 48-32. The Warriors shot just 16 percent from the 3-point line, starting the game 0-for-8 from deep.

LW-West Leaders: Witt scored 16 points and added five rebounds and two blocks while spurring a short-lived comeback. Senior Brian Skowronski also had 16 points with four 3-pointers. Senior Gino Manzella had six points and seven rebounds. Senior Cody James totaled nine assists.

LW-North Leaders: Besides Morgan, the Phoenix got scoring from junior Jake McCabe, who had 13 points with three 3-pointers. Junior Austin Olsen scored 11 points and had seven rebounds.

Quotable I: "We had a lot of opportunities offensively, but our lack ability to make shots really hurt us defensively. They get out in transition. We’re short, so we’ve got to be able to make our outside shots." —Warriors coach Eric Long

Quotable II:  "I kept telling them that basketball is a game of runs and we needed to continue to do the things we do well." —Phoenix coach John Terry, about what he stressed to his team when West cut the lead to six points.

Team Records: North improves to 6-12 on the season (2-2 in conference). West drops to 3-15 (0-5 in conference).

What’s Next: West participates in the MLK Day of Hoops on Monday at Joliet Central. The Warriors play LaSalle Peru at 10:30 a.m. North has a week off before playing Thornton at home in a 6:30 p.m. game Friday, Jan. 20.