By Dan McGrath

The shooting touch that went missing as the Leo Lions were going 2-2 at the Pekin Holiday Classic last week has yet to be recovered.

Facing a Hyde Park Academy team with similar physical dimensions in the Malcolm X Shootout at Crane Medical Prep on Sunday, the Lions converted just two of 14 three-point attempts and shot 34 percent (13-for-37) overall. Only four players scored. 

The final was 50-35 Hyde Park, and it wasn’t that close. Leo managed just 12 points while shooting 5-for-19 in a mired-in-mud first half, falling behind 19-12. When the Thunderbirds (11-4) opened the third quarter with an 8-0 spurt it was game over.

Lacking any semblance of an inside game, the Lions are reliant instead on outside shooting, and in all candor they don’t do it very well. Hyde Park came out in an active 2-1-2 zone defense that shut down driving lanes and almost dared Leo to fire away from distance, with negligible results.

On those rare occasions when Leo did get close, 6-foot-5 Jacobi Wells stepped up as an intimidating rim protector. Given the slow pace of the game, every possession was meaningful, and the Lions further inconvenienced themselves with 18 turnovers. 

Junior Asa Harris was Leo’s scoring leader with 11 points. Freshman Elon Henderson had 10; juniors Brian Kizer (nine) and Karon Shavers (five) were the only other Lions to score.

Kye Ward-Owens had a game-high 14 for Hyde Park, while Wells had 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Perhaps the Lions (10-4) will recover their shooting touch on the road to Lombard – they’ll travel there on Friday to face Montini (7-10) in the resumption of Catholic League play.