Boys Basketball: Kaneland holds on to defeat Morris

Updated: December 27, 2011 4:35PM

Kaneland and Morris are no strangers to one another. Tuesday’s matchup at the Plano Christmas Classic Tournament was the second time the two conference foes have met this season. The result was the same as its first encounter as Kaneland went on for a 50-44 victory.

Morris was a much bigger team, but Kaneland’s (7-3) athleticism helped them win the rebounding edge 26-19. Rebounding turned out to be the key to victory in a close game.

When Morris and Kaneland met a few weeks ago, the game was quite physical which is something Kaneland coach Brian Johnson wouldn’t have minded seeing on Tuesday.

“Morris is a team you need to play physical against,” said Johnson. “Players like Jake Olson are so strong in the post and are really tough to stop unless you play physical.”

Each team missed several open looks Tuesday and the game remained tight until the fourth quarter. The Knights pressure seemed to start causing havoc for the Indians resulting in turnovers and contested shots.

Morris was able to close to within one point with three minutes left after a Jason Matteson three-pointer, but that would be the closest the Indians would get.

“Morris is a very-well coached team so you know they are going to still be in the game late,” said Johnson. “Our depth was huge for us today and I was pleased with how we defended most of the game.”

The Indians were led Tuesday by Jake Olson who scored 17 points to go along with six rebounds.

Kaneland got some clutch shots from junior Matt Limbrunner. When Morris got close at the end Limbrunner seemed to come up with one key jumper after another to prevent the Indians from taking control.

The Knights were led by Marcel Neil who scored 13 points. Tyler Heinle added 12 points for Kaneland.

Kaneland will face Streator in the quarterfinals Wednesday at Plano High School.

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