Thornton, Hawks avoid Morton upset

Kadeem Thornton was not going to let the opportunity slip away. "We were a lot bigger than them, and I had to take advantage of that," the Hillcrest senior forward said.

Thornton scored seven of his team-best 23 points in overtime and the No. 7 Hawks used a five-point play off a controversial technical against Morton coach Tony Martinucci to withstand the Mustangs 74-66 in the quarterfinals of the Proviso West Holiday tournament Tuesday night.

Thornton scored twice in overtime on putbacks and ripped down a game-high 13 rebounds for the Hawks (10-2). Amazingly, Thornton also registered seven steals. He made two critical steals in the fourth quarter when Morton was trying to extends its lead.

Hillcrest advances to play No. 3 Benet in the first semifinal Wednesday.

"In the overtime, we played with more energy than regulation and we also stopped making some of the mistakes, like trying to move too fast," he said.

The Mustangs administered Glenbrook North's first loss in opening-round action Monday. Behind senior star Jeff Jarosz, who scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs appeared ready for another monumental upset.

The Mustangs, 21-of-32 at the free throw line, missed seven free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime. Still, Morton (9-3) led 55-53 when Hillcrest star guard Julius Brown (14 points, seven assists) made a beautiful feed underneath to LeBarron Hull (10 points) with ten seconds remaining in regulation.

Morton turned the ball over attempting a shot and Hillcrest missed two shots at the buzzer.

The dynamics of the game changed with 2:31 in overtime with the Hawks up 59-57. Martinucci was assessed a technical for remonstrating against a foul call. Thornton's putback of his own miss capped a five-point possession.

Brown‘s layup provided a lead the Hawks never relinquished. "In the overtime we had a second chance to take control of the game," Brown said. Terez Haskins added 10 points before fouling out for the Hawks.

Rocco Belcaster contributed 17 points for the Mustangs. His three-pointer from the right wing pulled the Mustangs within 70-64 with just over a minute to play. Hillcrest's DeShawn Wash recorded the last of Hillcrest's 15 steals to secure the victory.

Tyshaun Eaton added 13 points for the Mustangs.

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