Morton Ranch center Eddie Lampkin was on the verge of tears, furiously frustrated. The hallway leading up to the Mavericks’ locker room at the Merrell Center was solemn and desolate, other than a random coach here and there running around, looking to track down players who wished to be on their own.

Inside the locker room after the game, coach Khris Turner said it was as quiet as he’s ever heard a locker room; a group of players and coaches struggling to come to grips with what just took place.

Elkins 70, Morton Ranch 66. A game that saw Morton Ranch lose a 15-point second-half lead as quickly as it had gained it. A game that prematurely ended a promising season for a Mavericks team that had aspirations of a state championship, yet one that only lasted three games into the postseason.

“It was hard,” said Lampkin, then a junior. “That team was not better than us. We were up the whole game, and towards the end they started coming back. Me and (then-junior guard) Westley (Sellers) were talking about it the other day … the time just started going by so fast. They got the lead and the game was over so fast, it was like we couldn’t even do anything about it.”

They did, however, learn from it.

“From previous experiences,” Sellers said, “we know in order to get the job done, you have to keep your foot on the opponent’s neck at all times.”

This year’s Mavericks are ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 6A in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches preseason poll. For the second straight year, Morton Ranch, which entered last season ranked No. 3 in the state, has hype and potential surrounding projections of it as the best team in Class 6A in Houston.

That’s because of the ridiculously talented and veteran core.

Senior guard L.J. Cryer is a Baylor verbal commit who surpassed the 2,000-point career scoring mark last year. He and Sellers, a senior guard who does a little bit of everything for the Mavericks, have been on varsity since their freshmen years.

Lampkin is a senior center and TCU verbal commit who has been on varsity since his sophomore year, a nightly double-double threat who is one of the best passers in the city, not just among bigs.

Cryer averaged 27.5 points and 5.8 assists last season while shooting 54 percent. Sellers averaged 10.5 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and two steals. Lampkin averaged 14.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Remarkable talents, indeed.

Still, this 2019-20 season is the final chapter for Morton Ranch’s three stars. The sense of urgency is palpable.

“It was tough,” Cryer said of the Elkins loss. “We learned that when we’re up, have some poise and patience. Keep the lead. Down the stretch, I missed some shots because I was fatigued, but this year I’m trying to push through mentally, staying focused when I’m tired.

“It’s not a good loss, but it made us hungrier this year. It’s our last shot. We’re giving it all we’ve got.”

The Mavericks talk a good game. They show it as well. During practices, Cryer takes aside some of the new players on varsity and shows them what to do on certain plays. He corrects them and re-runs through plays until they get it right. On the other end of the court, Sellers works with post players on how to correctly execute a drop-step.

Turner said the Elkins loss has undoubtedly had an effect.

“That loss opened our eyes,” Turner said. “We’d spent most of the season playing behind in games, and we’d always make that comeback to win. When we weren’t able to make that comeback, it made these guys understand that this is about now. You can’t wait until the fourth quarter to make it happen. Get it done now. That should be the theme.”

So how does that happen? Turner said it starts with his seniors. Sellers has to understand that as the team’s defensive stopper, there are “no days off,” Turner said. Lampkin has to continue crashing the boards and seeing the floor offensively.

And L.J.?

“L.J. just has to be L.J.,” Turner said.

Turner said this group understands that it’s “now or never.”

“It was 2011 since we were as successful as we were this past year,” Turner said. “So we know it’s possible that it may be another 7-8 years before we have a special group again like we have now.”

The Mavericks have two Power-5 Division I talents in Cryer and Lampkin, and another probable DI player in Sellers.

“I don’t think any other team has three like we do,” Lampkin said. “We should want to win a state championship, and that’s what we should do. That’s the goal.”

The Mavs don’t need inspiration. But if they do, all they have to remember is that dark, cold Feb. 26 night when Elkins stole their season right out of their hands.

“That was a game I put out of my head, because it was more painful than any of the other ones,” Turner said. “The locker room was the most silent I’ve ever seen. You don’t even know what to say when it comes to the postgame speech. How do you say that we handed them the game?

“But the beauty of it is, it made the returners hungrier this year than ever before.”