By Dan McGrath
Intrigue over Leo’s 4-0 start and a matchup with fellow unbeaten Brooks College Prep brought a near-capacity crowd to the Lions Den on a cold December Tuesday night – a school night, no less.
The fans came for the basketball. What they got was a street fight.
The Lions prevailed 42-35 for their fifth win in eight days, interspersed with two round-trip bus rides from Chicago to Effingham – 840 miles total.
If fatigue was an issue – and it probably was – it was compounded by the visitors’ utter disdain for finesse. The Eagles were going to discombobulate Leo by playing bumper-cars basketball, and if the officials enabled it, so much the better.
The Lions didn’t help themselves by missing eight straight free throws in one stretch, committing a passel of turnovers and rebounding as if stuck in a snowbank. But Brooks (3-1) was even worse, managing just 13 points in a wildly erratic second half.
Junior Brian Kizer was Leo’s scoring leader for the fourth time in five games, going 9-for-9 at the free-throw line on his way to 14 points, with eight rebounds and three assists. Long-armed sophomore Aaron Torrence gave the Lions a lift with two layups, a putback and some determined rebounding, while fellow sophomore Brandal Orr buried two three-pointers and assisted on those two Torrence layups.
The Eagles got a game-high 15 points from Elijah Curl.
Coach Jimalle Ridley was back on the bench for Leo’s home opener after serving an IHSA-imposed four-game suspension over an improper scrimmage. Assistant Mario Pittman went 4-0 filling in for Ridley.
The Lion sophomores squandered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and dropped a 35-34 decision to Brooks’ sophs, preventing a three-game sweep. Leo’s freshmen won 40-33.
The Lions are back in the Den on Friday for their Catholic League opener with St. Rita. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.