With Morton doubling Marshawn Cocroft, Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe figured Jeffrey Hassan would have a good look in the paint. He was right.

Hassan’s layup with 2.4 seconds left gave the Knights a 49-47 win over the Potters in the Class 3A NIU Supersectional and a trip to the state tournament on Monday, the first modern trip to Champaign for the Knights.

“It feels great,” said Hassan, who was also celebrating his 17th birthday on Monday. “Last year we came up short, so it just feels great to get this win with the team.”

Hassan finished with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He had nine rebounds and six blocks in the win.

Collin Burns tied the game for the Potters (30-5) with 17.5 left. Morton dominated the boards, finishing with a 47-23 edge on the glass, a 20-9 edge on offensive rebounds and a 16-7 second-chance point advantage.

Kaneland beat the Morton press and called a timeout with 5.4 seconds left to set up the play. Jalen Carter inbounded the ball to Evan Frieders, who had 11 points, at the top of the key. He lobbed it to Hassan for a two-handed layup.

“We saw they were doubling Marshawn on the plays before that, so we wanted to go inside to Jeff,” Colombe said. “So we cleared out with cutters, Evan made a nice post feed, and Jeff did the rest.”

The Potters scored the first 10 points of the game, which ended up being the biggest lead of the game for either team. A 3-pointer by Cocroft near the end of the first brought the Knights to within one, then they took the lead at the start of the second, 15-14, on a Cocroft layup.

Cocroft finished with 16 points, three assists and two steals. Kaneland remained in the lead until late in the third, when a layup by Owen Adams, who had a team-best 14, gave the Potters a 37-36 lead. Again, a Cocroft 3 at the end of the quarter made it a one-point game, setting up a Hassan putback at the start of the fourth to put the Knights back on top.

A 3-point play by Silas Steffan with 5:17 left put Morton back in front, but Frieders hit a pair of free throws with 2:27 left to keep Kaneland ahead. The Knights never trailed again.

Morton had a chance to tie things up after Alex McKie had a steal in the backcourt after a Kaneland stop with 0:28 left, but that led to Burns’ missed putback.

Class 1A Joliet Central Supersectional

Marshall 45, Indian Creek 31: Isaac Willis scored 16 points and Parker Murry scored 31 as the Timberwolves’ season came to an end.

For more info on both of these games, visit daily-chronicle.com.

https://www.shawlocal.com/sports/2026/03/10/jeffrey-hassans-17-points-late-putback-clinches-kaneland-trip-to-state-tournament/