By Bobby Narang
Just a few days away from February, Morton High School is one of the surprise teams in Chicagoland.
Morton is riding a strong group of players, often utilizing a rotation of 12 players in games to be on track for a winning season after several down years.
Morton is riding a strong group of guards to a potential 15-plus season, most notably the play of juniors Angelo Lazo and Jeramyah Tucker to make some noise in the West Suburban Gold Division.
Lazo said he benefitted from playing on the varsity last season for Morton (12-9, 3-5). His toughness down low – 11 rebounds against Willowbrook – combined with a solid perimeter shot and driving game bodes well for the rest of his career, especially for Morton coach Tony Martinucci.
“I started little bit last year, but I got hurt,” Lazo said. “After that, I didn’t start the second half of the season, but I’ve started every game this year but one so far. Last year was definitely different. It was my first year on varsity and I learned a lot. I had to get stronger because it’s lot tougher on the varsity. I did a lot of lifting and getting shots up to get ready for this year. I worked on my weaknesses.”
The 6-foot-1 Tucker is another intriguing player, capable of slashing to the basket or hitting 3-pointers.
“I’ve been playing hard but at the beginning of season I didn’t start,” Tucker said. “I worked hard and now am a starter. It’s been a fun year and a good experience.”
With just three seniors on the roster, with one among the starters in forward Jamari Watkins, the Mustangs could be a team to watch in the Gold Division next season, according to Lazo.
“Next year is going be good,” Lazo said. “We should be good in conference because a lot of teams are losing their seniors and we have a lot of juniors.”
Martinucci said Lazo has the chance to be a special player.
“I’ve yelled an awful lot at him,” Martinucci said, while flashing his trademark smile. “He’s come a long way. He can play. Sophomore Miguel Gasper is another good player. He did his job. Lazo got us off to a good start against Willowbrook and Jeramyah hit some big shots at the end.”
In the West Suburban Silver, Downers Grove North (11-9, 2-4) is slowly getting healthy late in the season.
“We’ve been battling some ups and downs because of injuries and the season,” Downers Grove North coach James Thomas said.
The Trojans reside in fifth place in the West Suburban Silver, but they hit the key part of the conference schedule aiming to move up the standings. Junior forward Colin Doyle, a Duke baseball recruit, is having a banner season, according to Thomas.
“We had a good showing against Rockford East,” Thomas said. “Colin Doyle had a monster weekend with multiple double-doubles. Despite being down an important player, we continue to build off the little bit of depth over the last week and a half through the face of adversity.”