Leopold Wildcats roar back from 14-Point deficit to defeat Oran Eagles in double overtime thriller

It’s not how a team starts but rather how it finishes.

Or, if there’s a substantial deficit early, that means there’s more for the comeback attempt.

The Leopold Wildcats trailed by 14 after the opening quarter but used a stingy team defensive effort to battle back and earn a 62-57 victory over the Oran Eagles on Friday, Jan. 31, at Leopold, Mo.

Oran jumped to an early advantage, leading 22-8 after the first quarter. Senior Cole Burger had two three-point plays in the game’s first 83 seconds while the Eagles hit 8-of-11 shots in the opening quarter. This included 4-for-6 on three-pointers.

Leopold was 3-for-11 in the first quarter but found itself behind 11-1 after a three-pointer by Parker Bryant.

Tommy Beussink converted Leopold’s first field goal with four minutes left, getting the home squad within 11-3, but the Eagles used an 11-5 run for the remainder of the quarter.

Leopold battled back with a 7-0 run to start the second quarter to get within striking distance at 22-15, then trailed by six (24-18) after a 3-pointer from Riley Engelen. Alex Hampton’s corner trey cut the Eagles’ lead to 29-23 but Oran converted 1-of-2 foul shots with 3.7 ticks left to take a 30-23 halftime lead.

Leopold limited Oran to just 2-for-13 shooting in both the second and third quarters and at one stretch the visitors missed 24 of 28 shot attempts until early in the fourth.

Oran head coach Corey Davis said foul trouble hurt his squad in the second half. Eventually, both Carson Kern and Cooper Bryant fouled out.

“We got in foul trouble in the first and second quarter, the second quarter we couldn’t score, we did a good job defensively but when you can’t score, it’s difficult,” Davis said.

“This was a big game for both of us after what happened in the Christmas tournament,” said Leopold coach Jimmy Lincoln. “They’ve got three really good seniors on that team that are three good leaders. They lead them in basketball and baseball. I just felt in the first quarter we weren’t ready for the intensity and the speed of the game. We got down. We talked about it at the end of the quarter, ‘Let’s peck away.’ Defensively, we did better in the second quarter.”

“Once our defense picked up, our offense got going and that got us back into it,” Lincoln said. “A big turning point was Drew Engelen’s offensive put back when we were down seven in the third quarter, and kind of got us going again,” Lincoln said.

Engelen’s rebound and field goal cut the Eagles’ lead to 30-25 and sparked an 11-3 run to begin the third, taking its first lead, at 34-33, on a basket by Hampton.

Oran took a 37-35 advantage into the fourth quarter but Preston Campbell’s free throws in the opening seconds of the final quarter provided the game’s first tie. Two free throws and another field goal after Oran split foul shots put Leopold ahead 41-38. It was back and forth from there, with Oran hitting a pair of shots to take a 42-41 lead, only to see Riley Engelen drain a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats ahead 44-42. A three-point play by Parker Bryant gave the Eagles a 48-46 lead but another field goal by Riley Engelen tied it at 48. Organ held for a final shot but Leopold grabbed a defensive rebound and called timeout. A 3-point attempt from Preston Campbell inside half-court was off the mark at the end of regulation. Each team was 1-for-5 in the first overtime, with a pair of turnovers hurting the Eagles’ chances on a couple of possessions.

In the second overtime, Campbell’s 3-pointer gave Leopold a 53-50 lead and it was later 54-50 after Horrell hit the first of two foul shots. Oran sophomore Brennan Cochran’s three-point play with 1:31 left cut the Leopold lead to 54-53. The Wildcats led by three at 56-53, 58-55, and 60-57 after converting six straight foul shots. A late 3-point attempt sailed out of bounds untouched and gave a late possession to the Wildcats. Tommy Beussink was fouled and made both free throws, putting any hopes of an upset by Oran to bed.

Preston Campbell paced Leopold with 10 points while Riley Engelen contributed 17 points. Beussink added 14 points. For Oran, Cole Burger had 15 points, Parker Bryant added 14 and Cole Diebold scored 11.

“Offensively, we struggled most of the night but then we started hitting some shots,” Lincoln said.

Leopold lost Drew Engelen as he committed his fifth foul with 5:16 left in the fourth quarter. Horrell also fouled out, committing his fifth personal with 90 seconds left in the second overtime.

Each side struggled at the foul line, missing 12 free throw attempts. Leopold was 15-for-27 while Oran was 14-for-26.

Leopold improved to 11-8 while Oran dropped to 7-10. The Wildcats take on hosting Zalma in the MVC Tournament on Monday, Feb. 3.