Huskies' big rally falls short

The results weren't what Hersey and coach Steve Messer had hoped for against Morton at the 35th annual York Turkey Tournament.

But the Huskies may have learned a valuable lesson in its 63-49 defeat to Morton on Tuesday night in Elmhurst.

Morton (1-0) jumped to a 19-13 lead after one quarter and extended its advantage to 39-16 at halftime, limiting the Huskies to 1 field goal in the second quarter.

But Hersey (1-1), after falling behind by 25 points early in the third quarter, made a valiant rally within 8 points with 4:26 remaining before Morton was able to close the deal.

"We showed a lot of life in the second half," said Messer of his team that outscored Morton 33-24 after the break. "We showed a willingness to learn and play as a team."

Hersey dug itself a deep hole in the first half by shooting 21 percent (5-for-23), while Morton was hitting 52 percent (16-for-27).

Guard Joe Belcaster (15 points) and 6-foot-7 center Luke Scarlata (14 points and 7 rebounds) led the Mustangs attack as each scored 10 points in the opening half.

"That was key," said Scarlata of the Mustangs' second-quarter explosion. "That gave us a margin of error, especially with that comeback."

Luke Fabrizius (14 points, 6 rebounds) showed the only sign of life for Hersey in the first half as the Dayton-bound senior hit four 3-pointers, including his final one for his team's only second-quarter points.

"It didn't matter what they were doing," said Messer of the Morton zone defense. "We didn't attack the heart of the defense."

Morton increased its advantage to 41-16 at the beginning of the third quarter, and held a 47-22 lead with 3:00 remaining in the quarter.

But Hersey and senior guard Griffin Dwyer came alive from that point and used a 21-4 run capped by Dwyer's 3-pointer to narrow the deficit to 51-43 with 4:26 remaining.

Dwyer scored 11 of his game-high 18 points during the run, and the Huskies defense came to life pressuring the Mustangs.

"He's (Dwyer) made some baskets, but he had been playing throughout, he's very consistent," added Messer, who believes the comeback gave his team a bit of needed confidence. "I think it should, it's just believing in a system of basketball that works."