Morawski ‘can do anything’
Senior totals 28 points and 9 rebounds as Andrew tops Richards in D218 tourney final
Leadership can come through scoring, rebounding or passing.
Sometimes it can come through giving sound advice.
Andrew senior Michael Morawski checked all the boxes in a 71-48 victory against Richards in the championship game of the District 218 Thanksgiving Tip-Off Classic in Palos Heights on Friday.
“We had some good leaders last season,” Morawski said. “Them leaving kind of took a toll on us. So I decided to step up and be a leader myself.”
Morawski had 28 points and nine rebounds for Andrew (4-0). Junior forward Austin Kulig added 13 points and six rebounds, senior forward Joseph Dababneh contributed 10 points and senior forward Arnas Sakenis had seven points and nine rebounds.
Senior forward Deven Jiles had 14 points and seven rebounds for Richards (3-1). Senior guard Ladarius Kelley added 13 points, and senior guard Santiago Rios contributed 10 points.
Morawski, a 6-foot-4 forward, was a dominator across the board as the Thunderbolts went up by double digits early in the second quarter and cruised.
But a telling moment occurred when teammate Joey Burke was whistled for a traveling call. Morawski immediately raced over to offer a coaching tip.
“We knew going into the game Richards wanted to speed us up,” Morawski said. “I just kind of told him to slow down, play our game and go from there.”
Moments later, Burke converted a pass from Kulig into a layup.
Andrew coach Dave Wilson is a believer.
“Michael is a three-year starter on varsity, and you can just tell that his experience is head and shoulders above some of the younger guys,” Wilson said. “We’re relying on that experience.
“His key is his motor. He just doesn’t stop. When you’re the team leader and you don’t take a play off, that resonates through the whole team, the whole lineup. I mean, we played four games in five days, and we didn’t see him slow down the least bit.”
Morawski did all his scoring over the first three quarters. He ended each one at full speed.
In the first, he converted a pass from Sakenis into a layup. In the second, he drove around several Bulldogs for a score. In the third, he threw a perfect long-range strike to Kulig, who nailed a shot at the buzzer.
There was simply no stopping him, no matter what he tried to do.
“He can do anything,” Sakenis said. “When we need him the most, he steps up and helps. He’ll grab a rebound and scores at the best times.”
Morawski and Sakenis were a formidable rebounding duo Friday. Once, they even went head-tohead.
It happened midway through the second quarter. Morawski missed a shot from the left side
and made a beeline for the basket. The 6-5 Sakenis appeared ready to grab the ball, but Morawski outleaped him and scored on a putback.
“Ha-ha, me and him are mostly the rebounders on the team,” Morawski said. “Sometimes he outjumps me, and sometimes I’ll outjump him. It just depends on the day.”
Morawski took care of Sakenis on the next possession, however, spotting him with an inbounds pass on a play that resulted in an easy layup.
“It was wide open,” Sakenis
said, smiling. “We set good screens, and I got the ball easily. He looked out for me. We always share.”
For Richards, it was not a good day. But it was a good tournament for Jiles, who earlier in the week celebrated his return to the Bulldogs with a 35-point game against Eisenhower.
Jiles played at Richards
during his freshman and sophomore years. As a junior, he played at Corliss.
“He certainly is a handful when he gets it going,” Bulldogs coach Kyle Rathbun said. “He had a big game the other night. When he has a mismatch, he’s really good at attacking and being aggressive. He’s a special player.”