Feb. 3, 2011 - The varsity and junior varsity Leonard basketball teams traveled to Cooper on Jan. 25 to face the Bulldogs in district play. The junior varsity boys, however, were the only Tiger team able to pull out a victory over the hosting school, but a big victory it was.
Varsity boys
Though the varsity Tigers led by three at the end of the first quarter against the Bulldogs, they would soon lose it and not regain it. The Tigers put up 11 to the Bulldogs eight in the first. A three-point shot by Blake Hicks, two-pointers by Tyler Turner and free throws by T. Turner and Jacob Redmon made up the quarter's scoring. Cooper, however, answered with 22 points in the second quarter to Leonard's 12 and pulled ahead 30-23 at the end of the first half. Leonard's scoring included two two-pointers each by T. Turner and Isaiah Turner and four freebies by Hicks.
Hopes of a Tiger comeback were diminished in the third when Leonard only managed six points and Cooper hit 12. Two-pointers by Hicks, Storm Taylor and T. Turner were the only three shots that sank for the Tigers in the quarter. Though the Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 10-9 in the final individual quarter, it wasn't enough to clear the 13-point deficit that stood at the beginning. The final score stood at 51-39.
Point totals for Leonard players were as follows: Blake Hicks - 9, Storm Taylor - 2, Jacob Redmon - 5, Tyler Turner - 16 and Isaiah Turner - 7.
Varsity girls
Despite a strong start and showing, the varsity girls were edged out in the final quarter of their game against the Lady Bulldogs. The ladies came out hot, hitting 12 points in the first, with two-point contributions by Abbey DeVincentis, Taylor Bishop, Katelyn Womack and Kayla Winkler (2). Winkler also pitched in two from the free throw line. The second quarter showed only half as many points from the first quarter, however, but the ladies still maintained the lead 18-12 at half time. Winkler added three more free throws, as well as one by Shelby Zumwalt and a two-pointer by Najwa Nwankwo.
After the break, the ladies were back to playing like they did during the first quarter, hitting 12 more points. Kacie McCarley led the scoring in the quarter with seven points - including one three-point shot. Bishop and Nwankwo added doubles and DeVincentis hit a solo shot from the free line. The team's roles, however, reversed in the final quarter, and the Bulldogs managed 19 points and clenched a two-point lead at the final buzzer. Contributing the final eight points for the Lady Tigers were McCarley, Zumwalt and Winkler.
Point totals for Leonard players were as follows: Abbey DeVincentis - 3, Taylor Bishop - 4, Kacie McCarley - 11, Katelyn Womack - 2, Najwa Nwankwo - 4, Shelby Zumwalt - 3 and Kayla Winkler - 11.
JV Boys
The junior varsity boys' team took the lead right out of the gate and never looked back in the second game of the night.
By the end of the first quarter, the boys had broken into double digits. Two-pointers by Justin Bennett, Scott Bratt, Alex Taylor and Bradley Dills and free throws by Dills and Bratt made up the boys' first 12 points, while they held the Bulldogs to only seven. The Tigers continued the holding into the second, where they only allowed two points on the opposite end of the boards, and managed another 14 on their end. Ty McKinney hit a field goal in the three-point range and teammates Taylor, Bratt, Preston Scruggs and Bennett assisted with doubles and free throws during the quarter. At the half, the Tigers led 26-9, already having more points than Cooper would put in the whole game.
The Bulldogs played their best quarter of the game after half time, but so did the Tigers, who posted 16 more tallies. Robert Greene and Bennett each hit a three-pointer while Jon Brady Campbell, Greene, Bratt, Scruggs and Bennett each contributed two-pointers, and led into the fourth quarter with a score of 42-18.
The Tigers maintained their record during the first three quarters of scoring in the double digits and pulled out 12 more points from two pointers tossed in by Richard Laster, Campbell, Greene, Scruggs - who had two, and Bennnett. The Bulldogs only managed a three-pointer in the final section, and the final score ended at 54-21.
Point totals for Leonard players were as follows: Richard Laster - 2, Bradley Dills - 3, Jon Brady Campbell - 4, Robert Greene - 7, Alex Taylor - 7, Ty McKinney - 3, Scott Bratt - 7, Preston Scruggs - 8, and Justin Bennett - 13.
JV Girls
The junior varsity girls started out on a good foot, ending the first quarter on top by three points, but were unable to hold onto the lead. Lady Tigers Jensen Sutton and Tenasha Ballard both chipped in two points in the first. Cooper battled back and had overcome the Lady Tigers by the end of the first half with an 8-6 score. Two-pointers by Kerbi Chennault - who had two - and Jensen Sutton made up the scoring for the second quarter.
After the half-time break, the Bulldogs increased their lead over the Tigers during the third, leaving the score at 25-18 when the buzzer sounded. Kami Parker had hit a three-point field goal while Chennault and Jordan Benton put up two-pointers. Ballard also added a point from the free-throw line. In the final section, the Lady Tigers scored as many points as the opposing team, but still fell seven points short at the final alarm - bringing the final score to a 29-22 win for the Bulldog home team. Ballard scored the final four points for the Lady Tigers.
Point totals for Leonard players were as follows: Kerbi Chennault - 6, Kami Parker - 3, Jordan Benton - 2, Jensen Sutton - 4, and Tenasha Ballard - 7.
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