Senior forward Bella Morey may very well be the antidote to injury for Providence in the playoffs.
With senior guard Sydney Spencer out for the season with an ACL tear in her right knee, Morey knows what has to happen. She has to play for two — for herself and for Spencer.
So do several others, but Morey is a captain, so the expectation is to lead as well as contribute.
“Syd brought really good defense every day,” Morey said. “So we all have to step up on that. She was good at attacking and getting in the paint, so we have to create for our teammates.”
Morey got creative Tuesday night for the host Celtics, scoring 16 points and adding three offensive rebounds in a 76-26 victory over Morgan Park in a Class 3A Providence Reginal semifinal.
That came in just three quarters, with her 3-pointer late in the first capping a 15-1 run that put Providence (17-15) on cruise control for Tuesday’s 6 p.m. championship game against Hillcrest (13-17), a 51-30 winner over Oak Forest in the other semifinal.
Junior guard Molly Knight had 21 points, seven assists and four rebounds for the Celtics, while senior guard Gabi Bednar added 18 points and five assists. Junior guard Anaya Haywood led Morgan Park (4-18) with seven points.
The person who might have the most insight, however, into how Morey handled things Tuesday was Spencer, who hobbled around on crutches with a big brace on her right leg.
“I thought she played a lot stronger and really helped with the rebounding aspect,” Spencer said of Morey. “We’ve been talking about that all season long, and I think she really helped the team out with that, especially with offensive rebounding.”
Sophomore guard Eilish Raines, who got bopped in the nose during that early 15-1 burst, pointed out that Morey is meeting expectations.
“She’s had a big impact on us, making sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to do while making it fun,” Raines said. “On the court, she’s always communicating and talking.”
Morey’s varsity career started around this time two years ago when her sister, Sophie, was a senior. Promoted for the playoffs, Bella started the following season for coach Eileen Copenhaver.
Morey credits her sister for helping her become a better leader, which is now paying off, especially considering Spencer’s injury.
“She was very vocal,” Bella said of Sophie. “I was always more quiet than she was. She was more of an extrovert. She was bringing people together, lifting people up, being a vocal leader.”
That would describe Morey’s effort Tuesday. One example was calling out Morgan Park’s defensive setup. And Copenhaver said she sees a lot of similarities between the sisters.
“They’re both built the same way,” she said. “Tall, lanky — both of those kids. Bella is probably a little faster end line to end line. Sophie had more of a reach as a shot blocker.”
Copenhaver said Bella, along with Spencer and senior guard Elaina Utz, had the ability to play on varsity as sophomores.
But because of an eight-member senior class, including her sister, Bella played the majority of that season on the JV level.
“Those two are good, scrappy players and really developed on that JV team,” Copenhaver said of Morey and Spencer. “When they came up, they jumped right in and were starters as juniors.”
The thing of it for Morey is every game from here on out could be her last. She started playing basketball in fourth grade but has decided to focus on her studies instead in college.
But 10 years from now, when she hopes to be an occupational therapist for a hospital, she will remember a bunch about her high school basketball career — with one thing in particular.
“My teammates and the family atmosphere,” Morey said. “It’s just a community atmosphere.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
