There was only senior in Munster’s starting lineup Friday night, a common occurrence this season. But some of those young players are starting to grow up.
Sophomore guards Jevon Morris and Tyler Zabrecky erupted on their home court, leading the Mustangs to a 71-62 Northwest Crossroads Conference victory over Lowell.
“We’re starting to show some signs,” Munster coach Mike Hackett said of his young team. “We’re not making all of the silly mistakes — the turnovers — and the things that young kids do.”
Morris scored a game-high 25 points to lead Munster (10-6, 4-0), while Zabrecky added 20 points and five assists.
More Top Picks Best Shop Vacuums For Dust Collection
Lowell (12-5, 3-2) was led by 24 points from senior Nick Mantis, while fellow senior John Cory added 17.
“I don’t want to say it helps to get beat by 30, but it teaches us the lesson that it’s not as easy as we might think,” Zabrecky said. “That’s when we started practicing harder and playing harder — especially on the defensive end.”
It was a close game for the first three quarters, with neither team moving ahead by more than five points. By the end of the third quarter, though, Munster grabbed a 52-47 lead.
“We were moving the ball very well and executing our offense,” Morris said. “I was getting easy baskets off of my teammates.”
Then in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs hit 11 straight free throws to keep the Red Devils in their rearview mirror.
“If you don’t make your free throws, you’re in trouble,” Hackett said. “Those were the big things in the fourth quarter: we didn’t take bad shots and we made our free throws.”
Lowell coach Joe Delgado pointed to his team’s struggles from 3-point range, especially in the second half.
After shooting 33 percent (4-for-12) on 3-pointers in the first half, the Devils shot nine percent (1-for-11) in the second half.
“Our shots didn’t fall and theirs did,” Delgado said. “We just can’t settle for outside shots. We have to keep working the ball and looking for a good shot.”
Delgado also lamented his team’s struggles in containing a Munster offense that scored over 70 points for the third time this season.
“(Munster center Jake) Strbjak is a big presence on the inside, so you have to honor that,” Delgado said. “And when they spread you out, you have to be able to close out on their shooters.”
Dave Melton is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.