By David Gross ’22

Leo’s victory over Hansberry in an IHSA Class 3-A Regional opener at Leo on Wednesday was a sight to see if you were a Lions fan.

Seeking a third straight regional title, the Lions opened the game with a 15-0 run and went on to bury their Auburn Gresham neighbors 71-28. Improving to 24-6, Leo will face Southland College Prep (16-14) for the regional title on Friday in the Lions Den at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the Hillcrest Sectional.

With scoring leader Brian Kizer sidelined by a sore ankle, freshman big man Elon Henderson stepped up and made his presence known early for the Lions with seven points, four rebounds and a block in the first quarter. Junior Asa Harris had seven points and three steals in the period, which ended with Leo on top 24-4.

By halftime the lead had grown to 44-10 as Leo took advantage of its superior talent, creating offense off defense with constant ball pressure and converting the turnovers that resulted into points. Offense off defense was the formula that carried the undersized Lions to the Supersectional round of the state tournament in 2022, and it could fuel a similarly deep run for this year’s team.

With the game in hand, Leo Coach Jimalle Ridley emptied his bench. Every player who was in uniform got to play, for the second game in a row, and the regulars will be well rested for Friday’s title game.

Henderson finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in one of the strongest games of his freshman season. Junior Jeremiah Echols led the Lions with 14 points. Harris had 10 points, four assists and four steals, and Karon Shavers filled the stat line with three points, three rebounds, five assists and six steals.

A 24th win enabled the Lions to surpass their victory total from last season, when they finished 23-12 and lost to eventual state champion Dyett in a Class 2-A Sectional title game. 

Southland College Prep held off TF North 55-50 in the second game of Wednesday’s double-header and earned a spot vs. Leo in the regional title game. Tristan Garner led the Matteson-based independent charter school with 27 points, Xavier Lane had eight points,10 rebounds and five steals.