The Morgan Park Mustangs routinely run as many as 10 players in and out of the lineup at any given game. No. 8 Julian, on the other hand, has only seven players in uniform after 6-foot-8-inch center James Peters’ appeal on an eligibility ruling was denied this week.
So it should have come as no surprise that Morgan Park shook off a rough start and had several bench players make key second-half contributions in a 70-69 Public League Red South victory Tuesday over the visiting Jaguars. The win puts the Mustangs in sole possession of second place in the Red South.
“We didn’t play as many guys as we wanted to play,” Morgan Park coach Herb Ray said. “But what I wanted to do at the end was wear them down.”Julian (14-6, 4-2) got out of the gate in a hurry, with Anton Palmer scoring seven points in an 11-0 Jaguar run to open the game. By halftime, however, Morgan Park had trimmed Julian’s lead to 35-33, and the Mustang reserves took over in the second half.
Junior Lynell Ingram keyed an 11-0 third-quarter run by Morgan Park, hitting three of his four three-pointers to give the Mustangs a 44-38 lead. A 25-foot buzzer-beater by Palmer gave Julian a 55-50 lead entering the fourth, but reserve guard Charlie Hawkins and Ingram each drilled three-pointers in a 9-2 Morgan Park burst to opened the fourth that gave the Mustangs the lead for good.
Hawkins and Ingram combined to shoot 6 for 6 from beyond the three-point line in the second half. Ingram led Morgan Park (13-5, 5-1) with 18 points, while Quinnel Brown added 13. Palmer led Julian with 27.
Pat Rooney.
Simeon 85, South Shore 38: Dameon Gipson’s 19 points led four in double figures for No. 2 Simeon (19-2, 6-0) in the Public Red South rout. Lamar Dogan led South Shore (2-14, 0-6) with 15 points.
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Hillcrest 72, T.F. South 48: No. 3 Hillcrest (19-1, 6-0) cruised in the SICA Central behind 18 points from Monwell Randle and 13 from Odartey Blankson.
Homewood-Flossmoor 67, Hinsdale Central 65: T.J. Cummings scored 25 points before fouling out in overtime as No. 18 Homewood-Flossmoor edged No. 6 Hinsdale Central. Stephen Callahan scored 24 points to lead Hinsdale (15-2).
Thornton 64, Rich Central 54: No. 7 Thornton broke open a tight game with a 12-0 run at the end of the third quarter to grab a 43-31 lead in the non-conference contest. Rodney Rollins led the Wildcats (14-3) with 15 points and Christopher Alexander added 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Brother Rice 80, Gordon Tech 71: Mark Telander scored 25 points and Vince Greene added 23 as No. 19 Brother Rice (14-2, 8-0 in the Catholic League) won its 13th straight, tying a school record. Jitim Young led Gordon with 28.
Joliet 73, Kankakee 71: Roger Powell scored 24 points and Parnell Jones added 18, including eight of Joliet’s final 10 points, as Joliet (13-6) hung on in the non-conference contest.
Bloom 65, Crete-Monee 52: Phillip Alexander and Julian Miles each scored 13 points to pace Bloom (11-9).
Chicago Vocational 69, Calumet 57: Kevin Miller scored 19 points and Seneca Evans added 13 to lead CVS (13-5, 5-1) in the Public Blue South.
Crane 79, Curie 64: Anthony Allen’s 17 points and Will Bynum’s 16 points and 10 assists helped Crane (12-6, 4-2) win in the Public Red West. William Lewis had 21 points for Curie (12-10, 1-5).
Latin 70, Tabernacle Christian 46: Michael Rudoy and Tony Williams each scored 14 points to lead Latin (15-3).
Manley 86, Flower 71: DeShawn Davis scored 31 points and Luther Head added 15 points and 15 assists to lead Manley in the Public Blue West. Tyrin Buford scored 31 to lead Flower.
Marshall 64, Farragut 52: Justin Bowen’s 17 points paced Marshall (13-8, 3-3) in the Red West. Elliott Poole scored 17 for Farragut.
Near North 63, Orr 56: James Parker’s 16 points led Near North (15-4, 5-1) in the Pubic Blue West.
St. Rita 57, Marist 42: Andre Senegal scored 21 points and Bill Lauer added 18 to lead St. Rita (15-3).
Westmont 74, Yorkville 58: Pierre Pierce scored 27 points as Westmont (16-1, 10-0) rolled in the West Suburban White.