Takeaways: Metamora vs Morton

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a big time Tuesday night matchup between Metamora and Morton, the Redbirds pulled away late to win 67-48. These two teams are now tied atop of the Mid-Illini conference with just a handful of games remaining. Here are some takeaways from tonight's matchup!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Game Recap</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a fast paced boxing match throughout and Metamora (19-4), fueled by Iowa commit [player_tooltip player_id='1157231' first='Cooper' last='Koch'], threw the first punch with an 8-0 run to begin the game. Morton (20-3) was quick to respond with a run of their own thanks to a pair of threes from Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1598702' first='Evan' last='Barlow'], who is committed to Florida Gulf Coast as a preferred walk-on. The Potters stuck around in the first half and fought their way back to just a four point deficit at halftime, trailing 29-25. The second half was a different story as Metamora's physicality and depth outlasted Morton who battled foul trouble the majority of the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Metamora Star Power Prevails</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winona State commit [player_tooltip player_id='1750712' first='Tyler' last='Mason'] led all scorers with 23 points, finding his rhythm late in the first half scoring from all levels and getting to the free throw line often. Mason guards and rebounds well for his size and is a plus athlete who threw down a high flying slam in transition to ice the game. Iowa commit [player_tooltip player_id='1157231' first='Cooper' last='Koch'] was busy filling up the stat sheet all night as well, finishing with 21 points. Koch has such a smooth game and makes it look easy, comfortable rising up and scoring at any level. Unsigned senior big man [player_tooltip player_id='1750597' first='Luke' last='Hopp'] got going in the second half and finished with 12 points and several rebounds. Hopp is active on the glass and puts himself in the right spots for high percentage shots around the rim. Breakout junior [player_tooltip player_id='1545146' first='Matthew' last='Zobrist'] also added 8 points for the Redbirds and did a nice job facilitating- including a nifty behind the back assist in the lane. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gudeman and Rugaard Lead Effort for Morton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Morton, Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1232827' first='Wes' last='Gudeman'] finished with 14 points and provided the early offensive punch the Potters needed to stay within striking distance most of the first half. Gudeman does a great job playing off 2 feet in the lane and uses his footwork and physicality to finish around the rim vs taller defenders. Unsigned senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1750614' first='Gus' last='Rugaard'] started to find his groove in the second half, finishing with 10 points. While he had an off shooting night, Rugaard provides great versatility at the guard position with his ability as secondary ball handler and navigating off ball to find open looks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->