Southeast Missourian Player of the Week: Leopold's Kyle Stroder

Senior Kyle Stroder averaged 27 points in a pair of victories that sent Leopold to the championship of the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament last week.

Stroder connected for five 3-pointers and 26 points in a 32-point victory over Zalma in the semifinals, then struck early and often in the top-seeded Wildcats' 74-39 win over Meadow Heights in the championship game.

Stroder hit 4 of 7 3-pointers in the first quarter. He scored 15 points in the period, which ended with the Wildcats holding a commanding 28-7 lead.

"I wanted to come out and just set the tone for me and our team," Stroder said. "We just wanted to jump on them early."

Stroder finished the game with 28 points for his fifth consecutive game with at least 21 points. The victory was the ninth in succession for the Wildcats, who improved to 19-2 on the season and remained unbeaten in the 2013 portion of their schedule.

Leopold, which opened the season with a 10-game winning streak, encountered its only two losses in back-to-back games in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.