By Dan McGrath
The Pekin Holiday Classic, justifiably billed as one of the top Christmas-season competitions in the state owing to its deep, geographically diverse field, was a break-even proposition for the Leo Lions.
Newly promoted to Class 3-A via tough-to-decipher IHSA guidelines, the Lions looked the part of a Catholic League contender in a 56-36 dispatch of Springfield Lanphier on Monday in their opening-round game. They were just as effective, though a bit sleepy and sloppy late, in taking care of Crane Medical 49-42 in the second of two Tuesday games; Leo had needed a three-pointer at the buzzer to put down Crane’s Cougars 46-43 in last month’s season opener.
But puzzling stretches of offensive futility characterized their play in a 51-44 loss to Washington in a second-round game Tuesday morning. The stretches were longer and the play even more futile on Wednesday as defending tournament champion Morton dusted Leo 61-52, relegating the Lions to a sixth-place finish.
Here’s how futile: Leo didn’t score a point in the third quarter against Morton, allowing the Potters to stretch a 33-27 halftime lead to 49-27 after three periods. Sharpshooter Alex McKie buried three three-pointers before the Lions had their warm-ups off on his way to a game-high 19 points.
With Jeremiah Echols and Asa Harris providing some long-sought energy, the Lions made a fourth-quarter run and scored 25 points against a team of Morton reserves, but the final nine-point margin was as close as they could get.
The offensive yips struck earlier against Washington; Leo had just 13 first-half points and 20 after three periods, spotting the Panthers a 36-20 lead. This time it was Harris and freshman Andre Tucker who got them going in a 24-point fourth quarter, but again, the seven points by which the Lions trailed at the buzzer was as close as they got.
Given a lineup that’s guard-oriented by necessity, Leo lacks a reliable inside game, so it’s incumbent upon the Lions to shoot well from the outside. But their collective shooting eye did not accompany them to Pekin – Leo struggled from the field in all four games.
Offense from defense is another alternative, but that didn’t work either; maybe it was the demands of four games in three days, but Leo was a step slow in applying pressure and was beaten deep too often for its press to be a weapon.
Now 10-3 for the season, the Lions have three days to regroup before facing Hyde Park (10-4) in the Malcolm X New Year’s Extravaganza at Malcolm X College on Sunday at 4 p.m.