But Stover raced the length of the floor and drilled an off-balance jumper just inside the three-point line with one second remaining in the game to send Milton past Holy Ghost, 55-54, in a PIAA Class AAA state semifinal game last night at Martz Hall.
"We wanted to play the guy man-to-man, and pressure the shot when it goes," Chapman said.
The Firebirds led by 45-43 with 5:35 left in the game, but Milton (30-2) ran off six straight points in less than a minute to take a 49-45 lead.
Holy Ghost (26-6) closed to within two points twice during the final minutes, and narrowed the gap to 53-52 on Morgan's three-point jumper with 1:18 left.
Senior John Volz and junior Jeff Ingram - both starters - fouled out with more than three minutes left.
"We were scrambling, trying to bring people in and out because of the foul trouble," Chapman said. "I think it's rather interesting that we seemed to be getting into foul trouble and they were playing a tight man-to-man, but that's the way it goes."
Things looked shaky right from the beginning for the Firebirds. Milton took advantage of early Holy Ghost turnovers and jumped out to an 8-0 lead with less than three minutes gone in the game.
After a Firebirds timeout, Jack Shouldis drilled a three-pointer in the midst of a nine-point run that gave Holy Ghost a 9-8 lead. But Volz and Ingram had drawn two personal fouls each in first six minutes of play.
Scott Kealick had a pair of baskets in the second quarter that helped Milton take a 32-25 lead into the locker room. Holy Ghost continued to have problems with the Milton press, and coughed up two straight turnovers off inbounds plays in the final 1:30 of the opening half.
Milton stretched the advantage to 12 points early in the third quarter, but Holy Ghost scored the final eight points of the period to enter the final eight minutes trailing by just 42-39. Morgan had eight of the Firebirds' 14 points in the third quarter.
And so, at the buzzer, Holy Ghost was eliminated from the PIAA playoffs for the fifth time in the last 10 years.
