Entering Tuesday’s nonconference home game against Pontiac, the Morris boys basketball team had won four of its last five and five of its last seven.

Tuesday night, Morris gave a talented Indians team everything it wanted before dropping a 56-53 overtime decision.

Morris (6-8) controlled the pace of play for most of the game, and its hard-nosed defense forced the Indians into eight turnovers in the first quarter, helping Morris to take a 15-7 lead at the end of the first. RJ Kennedy had seven points in the first quarter and finished with 13 points to go with a game-high 11 rebounds. Pontiac drew to within 10-7 late in the quarter before Kennedy scored on a putback before closing the quarter with a 3-pointer.

Pontiac increased its own defensive pressure to start the second quarter and opened the period on a 10-0 run to take a 17-15 lead after a 3 by Evan Wolf, who finished with 16 points. Morris countered with a basket and then a pair of free throws by Kennedy to move ahead 19-17, but Pontiac closed the first half on an 8-2 run to take a 25-21 lead into halftime.

“I thought we rebounded the ball very well tonight as a team,” Morris coach Joe Blumberg said. “I was proud of the way the guys battled back after being down in the second half. We had too many turnovers early and that put us in a hole, but we were able to break their pressure and get some easy baskets to get back in it.”

Morris started the second half with a putback by Hayden Macdonald and a 3-pointer by Brycen Johnson to take a 26-25 lead. Pontiac answered with baskets by Aden Brummel (team-highs with 17 points and 8 rebounds) and Cayden Masching before Amazin King hit a pair of free throws to put the Indians ahead 31-26. Morris got back-to-back 3s from Landon Norris (team-high 16 points) and Luis Loza (eight points) to take a 32-21 lead, but Pontiac ended the quarter with a 7-0 run, getting a basket by Masching and a basket and 3-pointer from Brummel.

Pontiac built a 46-38 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Morris did not back down. It responded with a 9-1 run, capped by a basket from Austin Delahera off an assist from Loza that tied it at 47 with 2:18 to play. Brummel hit a pair of free throws with 2:02 left before Norris tied it with a driving basket at the 1:35 mark. A Pontiac turnover gave Morris the ball with 25 seconds left, but Morris was called for an illegal screen with 2.9 seconds left. Pontiac’s Ben Melchers’ 3-pointer missed at the buzzer and the game went into overtime.

Pontiac never trailed in the extra session, taking a 51-49 lead on two free throws by Masching, then went up 52-49 on a free throw by Melchers. Morris got a basket by Loza with 2:00 left to pull to within 52-51. Wolf answered with a basket with 53.2 seconds left before Macdonald scored with 15.3 seconds left to bring Morris to within 54-53. Melchers missed both free throws with 13.7 seconds left, but Brummel was able to get the offensive rebound. He was fouled and made both of his free throws with 11.3 seconds left. A 3-pointer by Morris to tie it at the buzzer missed.

“As well as we rebounded all game, the irony is that a rebound we didn’t get after a missed free throw hurt us,” Blumberg said. “We can look at a few plays late because they are magnified due to the situation, but we had a few missed layups early that would have made a difference as well.

“We did a great job on the boards, but we were 4 of 7 from the free throw line and they were 16 of 22. Austin Delahera did a nice job for us off the bench. He gave us some points and rebounded well.”