Leopold claims Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament consolation title over Oran

Led by an unstoppable effort from junior forward Preston Campbell, the Leopold Wildcats went on a rampant run in the third quarter to claim a 50-43 victory over Oran in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament consolation championship game on Monday.

Though Oran’s own rally stifled Leopold’s rally efforts, another big push in the fourth helped the Wildcats to get over the hump and claim their first consolation championship since 2009 over a historically-strong Oran squad.

“It's a great win for us,” Wildcats coach Jimmy Lincoln said. “It's a great win for our program, but it's really good for these kids.

“We’ve had to adjust what we're doing, and they’ve bought into this. They believe in it.”

Carson Kern once again proved to be a critical fixture on Oran, scoring 22 points to guide the Eagles on their run back into the mix but they just couldn’t keep up with the Wildcats down the stretch.

Meanwhile, the trio of scoring talent leading Leopold – Campbell, along with Tommy Beussink and Riley Engelen – proved to be just too much for an Oran squad that looked to start picking up steam on the back bracket the past few days.

All three of those players finished in double figures for the Wildcats, and with a loud bench and a crowd just as rowdy, Leopold broke a 15-year championship drought at this tournament as it went out with an impressive victory over the Eagles.

That depth was a paramount factor in deciding this one, with Leopold’s multi-faceted attack and an energetic defensive effort pushing Oran into a rout.

Preston Campbell ended the first half with a buzzer-beating bucket to break the 22-all tie and give Leopold a 2-point edge going into the half, and Riley Engelen amplified that edge with a 3-pointer on the Wildcats’ opening possession.

Spending much of the second half in foul trouble, with the Wildcats getting into the bonus still with five minutes left in the fourth quarter when the Eagles were supposed to be in crunch time, the deck was stacked against the No. 8-seeded Oran.

The execution, however, was a different story. The Wildcats, who’ve done most of their work inside the paint all tournament, looked sharp as a tack in the fourth, and the only thing you could harp on was a slow start to their free-throw game.

For first-year head coach Jimmy Lincoln, it’s the perfect finish to his debut outing in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.

He spoke on the support he and his program have received as he’s been introduced to the ways of the Wildcats over the past few months.

“The community is 100 percent behind the school,” Lincoln said. “We had a really big crowd here tonight. Our people are excited.

“Our first junior high game, I know we got a small gym, but it was packed to the rafters.
These people love their school, they love their sports – They love everything about them.”

Leopold improves to 7-5 for the year, now on a string of three consecutive victories after an opening loss to Woodland, winning in dramatic fashion twice but ended on an emphatic note.

Preston Campbell led the Wildcats with 17 points in the victory, while Tommy Beussink and Riley Engelen chipped in 15 and 14 respectively to combine for a total 46 points, 92 percent of their scoring.

Oran drops to 4-6, having a chance to go 3-1 at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament but coming up short as the Eagles couldn’t handle the long haul with a fast-and-physical Wildcats squad.

Carson Kern’s 22 points led the Eagles, while another 9 points from Cole Diebold and 7 more from Kole Burger kept Oran competitive down the stretch.