Morton point guard Miguel Gaspar considers it an honor to play varsity basketball as a sophomore. He and classmate Josiah Stokes are the youngest players on this year’s roster.
“It’s a big thing for me,” Gaspar said. “I’ve got to make the most of it.
“I know I’m playing up for a reason. I’ve got the skills, so I’ve got to show them.”
Gaspar did just that against host Addison Trail on Jan. 9. He scored 10 of his team-high 13 points in the final 11 minutes and added three steals to rally the Mustangs to a 48-42 West Suburban Gold victory in Addison.
“MG was the gamer today,” Morton coach Tony Martinucci said. “He hit a couple big shots, made his free throws.
“He played really hard. I’ve got seniors running from the ball, and he’s the sophomore going to the ball.”
The Mustangs (11-6, 2-3) came into the game still smarting from a 48-41 road loss to Hinsdale South on Jan. 6 in which they missed all 16 of their 3-point shots. They were a little better against the Blazers (5-9, 1-2), hitting 5 of 26 from beyond the arc, and that proved good enough.
“We needed (the win) a lot, because last game, we all played bad,” Gaspar said. “We couldn’t make any shots, so we had to come back and play harder.”
Gaspar made sure they did. He was a stalwart on defense and opportunistic on offense during a game of runs.
Morton scored the last nine points of the first half to go up 23-18, but the Blazers opened the second half with an 11-0 run to take a 29-23 lead.
That’s when Gaspar sank a floater in the lane which triggered a 19-2 run bridging the third and fourth quarters that gave the Mustangs a 42-31 cushion. He had seven points during the streak, including his second 3-pointer of the game and a layup to begin the fourth quarter.
“I made the first couple shots in the third quarter, so I had more confidence in the fourth,” Gaspar said. “I got some steals and I just went from there.”
Juniors Angelo Lazo, Chas Ontiveros and Jeremyah Tucker all had eight points for Morton, which also got seven points and five boards from Stokes. Ontiveros led all players with 13 rebounds.
Addison Trail sank a trio of 3-pointers to pull within 46-42, but Gaspar hit two free throws to cap the scoring with 30 seconds left, then made two steals in the final seconds.
“We just had to play better defense, play harder and hustle, and as we got some steals, that’s how it translated to offense,” Gaspar said. “I think I’m doing pretty decent, making my open shots and getting my teammates involved, getting some assists.”
And some valuable experience.
“He’s playing really good,” Martinucci said. “He’s smart and he’s steady. He’s a tough kid and in a couple years he’s going to be stronger.”