By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
River Grove, IL---James Kelly had 28 points and 14 rebounds as the No. 17 Express men's basketball team came back from a 10 point first half deficit to defeat Morton College 86-72 in the Triton CC Tip Off quarterfinals.
It was the season opener for both teams.
The Express trailed 16-6 with 13:08 remaining in the first half before Justin Edmonds hit back-to-back threes to pull his team within four. After Morton pushed their lead to 28-21 with 5:26 remaining, the Express went on a 12-0 run to take a 33-28 lead with 2:52 left in the half. Kelly had a lay-up and a dunk, Edmonds hit a three, Andy Bachman hit a three and Kelly hit a jumper to complete the run.
Edmonds scored the final five points of the half for the Express, which included a deep straightaway three at the buzzer, to put his team up 38-33 at the half.
The Express then opened the second half on an 8-2 run to take a 46-35 lead thanks to back-to-back threes from Kelvin Clark and a lay-up from Kelly.
Morton College pulled within 49-47 at the 16:11 mark before tying the game at 55 with 12:31 remaining. However, after a free throw from Kelly, the Express never trailed again as they led by as many as 16 with 2:10 remaining.
The first of two highlights in the second half for the Express was a fast break dunk by Kelly with 6:22 remaining on an assist off the glass from Reneillio Morrison. That put the Express up 74-63 at the time. Edmonds then put a cap on the game with a driving one handed dunk from the left side of the lane with 1:17 remaining.
In addition to his points and rebounds, Kelly also had two blocks and one steal. Three of his rebounds were on the offensive glass.
Edmonds finished with 23 points, six rebounds and two steals, while Bachman shot 5-for-9 from three point range to finish with 15 points, one assist and one block. Both players came off the bench as the Express outscored Morton 42-25 in that category.
Joe Retic II led the Express with seven assists, while Clark had nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from three point range.
While Morton outscored the Express 42-32 in paint points, the Express won the points off turnovers (27-7) and second chance points (14-11) categories. The game was tied four times.
Morton College was led by Kijaune Leach, who had 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Morris Thomas added 15 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Demarius Miller added 13 points.
With the win, the Express advance to the semifinals and will now take on the Triton College at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Notes
In other quarterfinal matchups, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College defeated Oakton Community College 121-66, while Danville Area Community College defeated Lakeland Community College 78-70.
