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By Dan McGrath
Facing Bogan on Monday in the rubber match of a three-game nonconference set to open the season, the Leo Lions figured to land somewhere in the middle of the 53-point beatdown they put on Chicago Vocational on November 27 and the 27-point drubbing they took from 21st Century Charter three days later. They did, handling the Bengals 74-49 with guard Ethan Jackson taking center stage before another good crowd at the Lions Den. Jackson, a smooth-shooting left-handed junior, scored Leo’s first 12 points of the night and 21 in the first half, staking the Lions to a 33-19 lead at the break. Then, after some careless play by the hosts helped Bogan get within five, Jackson’s nine points fueled a 17-2 Leo run that broke the game open. Jackson finished with a game-high 32 points, including six three-pointers. Sophomore Brian Kizer scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half of a foul-a-thon that took nearly two hours to play thanks to a three-man officiating crew that seemed to believe they were being paid by the call – Dontae Bell, Leo’s leading scorer, played less than six minutes because of foul trouble. With whistles blowing so frequently, the game lacked any sense of flow or rhythm. Which may have been how Bogan wanted it, as its offense pretty much consisted of four guys watching Devin Nagle dribble his way into impossible shots. Nagle scored 17 points, but shot often enough to get 50. Teammate Danny Fasile added 15, 11 in the second half. Leo improved to 2-1, while Bogan slipped to 0-4, its days as a Public League powerhouse receding further into memory. It was a clean sweep for the Lions – the sophomore team (2-2) prevailed 53-33 in the preliminary game. Leo opens Catholic League play at De La Salle (3-1) on Friday, Dec. 6.