Leopold’s physicality pushes Wildcats to consolidation championship in Christmas tournament

The Leopold Wildcats defeated the Advance Hornets 52-48 in the consolation semifinal of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.

Both teams headed to overtime tied at 44-44. Leopold outscored Advance 8-4 in OT, mostly from the free throw line, to take the win and head to Day 4 for the first time since 2009 and the consolation championship against Oran.

Wildcats head coach Jimmy Lincoln said those free throws were huge down the stretch.

“We hit the big one to tie it, which was huge. Preston went and got a big offensive rebound, because we shot and missed, and he got a big board, he got fouled, and he hit the free throw,” Lincoln said. “Once we got into overtime I felt like we really refocused, we got a good stop and once you get a lead in overtime it's important to hit those shots.”

Preston Campbell led the way for the offense, scoring 17 points, including the game clinching free throws in overtime.

Leopold was more physical every step of the way, with their rebounding and inside scoring ability leading to the victory.

Advance got things going early with a three from Brodie Rodgers before the teams traded baskets during small runs. Leopold got more offense by grabbing every rebound away from the Hornets and led 13-9 after one.

The second quarter was all Wildcats. They got inside and scored on nearly every possession, taking just one outside shot for three.

Leopold continued to control the boards, not allowing the Hornets many rebounds and holding a 26-13 halftime lead.

Lincoln said he liked his team’s ability to play through adversity, especially since two of his starters were injured.

“We played really well early, our kids came ready to play tonight. We built up a nice lead, and then I felt like Advance really picked it up in the second half, the press really hurt us. We got to do a better job on that,” Lincoln said. “It was the third game in three days and we lost two starters last week, so we're limited on the bench. I'm proud of our guys, when you're that limited on the bench, it's hard to come back here for three days. We’re just happy to be on to day four.”

The third quarter was all Advance as they outscored Leopold 16-6 to shrink the lead to 3 at 32-29.

Advance tied the game early in the fourth through a stout press defense getting them easy buckets. The Hornets ran into foul trouble putting the Wildcats on the line several times.