Morton coach JaMesha Harris was quick to point out junior forward Kymora Baker’s facial expression during a sequence at a recent practice. “Look at her smiling — she’s smiling on a layup,” Harris said. “She just does it. I ask her, ‘What are you smiling about?’ She’s just smiling. She doesn’t know.” After all, the 5-foot-7 Baker and the Governors have plenty of reasons to smile. She has made significant strides, and Morton (11-1) is in position to increase its win total for the fourth time in as many seasons under Harris. Baker was averaging 7.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.6 steals before Morton’s two victories over the weekend during a tournament in Chicago, solidifying her spot as a key player alongside star junior guard/forward Kylah Patterson. Harris took another moment during practice to highlight Baker’s development. “She literally just made a three,” Harris said. “Her freshman year, she wouldn’t even shoot that three. Barely her sophomore year would she shoot that three. She didn’t have that much confidence in her game. She didn’t have as much confidence in her game as I had in her game. “Overall, her coming in every  day in the summer and offseason, she’s improved so much. The offseason was her best season. She worked on her game, and she just got more confident.” Indeed, Baker’s elevated skill and self-assurance are products of the time she has invested. She averaged 4.1 points and 6.3 rebounds last season, when the Governors went 16-6. “Freshman year, I was just out there,” Baker said. “I really started taking it seriously my sophomore year and really junior year. I’ve just been in the gym doing whatever I can to get better. “It’s confidence and just pushing myself as far as I can without giving up. I’ve improved tremendously. My mindset changed, my dribbling changed, my shot changed.” The Governors, whose only loss this season came against Marquette and who have victories against the likes of Crown Point, Lowell and Andrean, aim to change their recent postseason history. They last won a sectional title in 1983 and haven’t won any sectional games since 2017. But Harris downplayed talk of those possibilities. “I’m focused on short-term goals,” she said. “I don’t want to get out to the big picture yet. Our big goal is defense. We want to play the best defense that we can. Last year, we were going to outscore you. But this year, we don’t have to do that. We don’t want to do that. “Our focus has to be on playing defense and stopping teams. People want to see you score a lot. But it’s about solid defense, doing the basics. Offense sells tickets, but defense wins games.” Morton’s Kymora Baker, right, guards Crown Point’s Ava Richie during a nonconference game in Crown Point on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune) Baker contributes mightily in that area. “Kymora is a go-getter,” Harris said. “For her first two years, she was learning. She was giving me defense — defense only. But she worked really hard over the summer on her offensive game, getting her confidence in her dribbling and her shooting, shooting her threes. “Overall, her game is better. But she’s still going to be that one if I need a defensive stop, she’s going to give it to me.” Harris and Baker continued to build that relationship and trust in the fall. Baker was the quarterback for Morton’s flag football team, which Harris also coached. In the inaugural season of the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s emerging sport, the Governors went undefeated until losing to Munster in the sectional. “I always wanted to play,” Baker said of football. “I love sports. I was like, ‘Why not?’” Baker also was a regional qualifier in the long jump last spring, and she’s part of Morton’s cheerleading team. But basketball tops Baker’s pecking order. “I knew I wanted to play,” she said. “I like to play aggressive sports. That’s why I knew basketball was for me.” Baker’s passion has translated on the court. “She’s a great leader,” Morton senior forward/center Dalanie Jones said. “She gives us our energy.” Baker also puts a lot of energy into attending the Area Career Center on school days. Studying cosmetology, she’s gaining hands-on experience. She has a particular interest in hair styling and aspires to own a salon. Harris believes Baker has the personality to excel in such a people-driven business. “She’s really funny,” Harris said. “If we’re having a bad day, she’s going to make us laugh. She’s going to laugh regardless. No matter the situation, Kymora is going to laugh. She’s going to find the humor. “She has that light that we need when we’re having a bad game or a bad practice.” ...read more read less