Waubonsie Valley’s Ryan Morton portrays the role

with glasses Ryan Morton While he doesn’t make headlines for his high-wire athletic skills, Waubonsie Valley’s opponents are smart not to overlook him.

If they do that, the 6-foot-10 senior guard can set them on fire with a reliable 3-point shot.

Indeed, Morton has come a long way from the youngster who was mostly on the bench last season and is now starting a record-setting team.

“He’s just your typical glue guy,” coach Andrew Schweitzer said. “Talk about a kid maximizing his talent. He flies around, he flies around, he leads our team in blocks – Ryan Morton.

“The reason he didn’t get playing time last year was his defense. This year he’s been there most of the time for his defense and of course his shooting. “It’s an honor for him to understand what we’re doing and work without getting carried away.”

Morton was on target early Saturday, hitting a pair of three-pointers that helped the Warriors take a 22-21 lead in the first quarter before Bolingbrook rallied to take a 71-56 decision.

This was a highly anticipated matchup between two teams that were certain to take first place in the Class 4A East Aurora Sectional.

It was the first loss of the season for Waubonsie (23-1), despite the junior guard scoring a career-high 31 points. Tyreek Coleman10 of them are high-flying senior guards Treshawn Blissett and seven from Morton, who added a pair of blocked shots.

Freshman Davion Thompson scored 26 points to lead Bolingbrook (20-4) while holding the Warriors without a basket for 5:54 in parts of the third and fourth quarters.

“From a crowd perspective, it was fun to see two highly favored teams going back and forth,” Coleman said. “But we have to stop and we weren’t doing that. So it wasn’t fun for us.”

Bolingbrook made 19 of 21 free throws, while the Warriors made 9 of 14 free throws.

“We started out terrible on the defensive end,” Blissett said. “This is very different from us. We are a good defensive team. “It was uncharacteristic.”

Morton teams up with veteran forward Matthew Sessom With the young striker in Waubonsie’s 1-2-2 edition Moses WilsonOn one wing, he combines Blissett and Coleman up top.

“I see everything and try to communicate and be a leader defensively,” Morton said.

Morton confirmed that spotting outside on offense helps create driving lanes for Coleman, Blissett and Wilson.

“People know I’m a good shooter, so they don’t really help,” Morton said.

This is the last rush of playing team sports for Morton, who was also a pitcher and infielder for the spring baseball team.

“He brings leadership,” Blissett said. “He is a calming presence on the field with us. “He never accelerates, he’s always under control, and he almost always stays in the corner for a three-pointer.”

The black rubber-rimmed sports glasses he wears also appear to have made Morton a fan favorite on both ends of the court.

“I think the student body loves it,” Morton said. “As everyone says, glass or glasses. Rival students enjoy making fun of me and my glasses. I think it’s pretty nice what people are saying.

“Not everyone wears it, and I’ve never tried contact.”

And he’s enjoying his journey.

“I didn’t have a lot of expectations coming into this year, but the summer went well,” Morton said. “I love playing on a team with Tyreek, Moses, ‘Tre’ and Matt. These dunks are always fun to watch and be there for, too.

“There’s nothing I can say other than I love it.”

Overall, the Warriors suffered their first loss this season without any problems.

“What happened, February 3?” said Blissett. “And this is the first time we feel like this. “Not many teams can say that, so we have to keep our heads up.”

Schweitzer believes his team needs to tamp down that feeling.

“Let this motivate us to move forward,” he said. “I don’t feel any different about our team after this. I know it sounds ridiculous, but let’s get it off our chest now instead of doing it later.”

“We’ll be fine.”