KENDALLVILLE-If there was ever a time for a statement win for the Leo Lions, Saturday night felt like a bigger win than what it looks. Needing a conference win to stay mathematically alive in the NE8 boys’ basketball race, Leo used a 13-3 4th quarter to take down rival East Noble 56-40 at the storied-rich Big Blue Pit.
Early on, this game was played like a track meet. Both teams were trading points and getting their shots at a high rate. Early on, it was Nathan Bowker and East Noble’s perimeter shooting that quickly jumped out to a 15-12 lead midway through the opening stance. However, Leo got some stops late in the first and went to Sol Richard and Jayire Sampson to finish the quarter on a 10-1 run. East Noble (6-7, 1-2 NE8) would never lead again in this one as Leo maintained this lead to the finish line.
All game long, Leo found success inside as the Lions shot 51% from the floor, 59% from 2, and out scored East Noble 30-10 in the paint. A lot of that came from the explosive senior wing Sol Richard who shined bright in Kendallville by leading all scorers with 27 points (11-13 FG, 4-4 3FG) and 8 rebounds. Jayire Sampson was just as impactful down low as he was the other Leo player in double-figures with 10.
East Noble scratched and clawed their way back for most of the game thanks in part to Nathan Bowker’s 17 points (6-10 FG, 4-8 3FG). The difference between the first and second half was how Leo’s matchup zone defense was able to cool off East Noble’s perimeter shooting, while denying any offense around the rim.
Leo held East Noble to just 29% shooting (7-24) from 2, which includes containing Kobe Ritchie to 7 points and 15 rebounds on 3-16 shooting. In the first half, East Noble shot 6-10 from the perimeter with Nathan Bowker scoring 15 points and drained four threes. On the contrary, the second half could not have been anymore different as East Noble was just 1-6 from three, while a heavily-guarded Bowker was limited to just 2 points on 1-3 shooting and zero threes.
The win by Leo (7-5) doesn’t fully help their situation in the NE8 as they are 2-2 in conference play, and New Haven’s win over Norwell cements the ‘Dogs at 4-0 in conference play. Leo will need at least two conference members to beat New Haven with just three NE8 games to go, and the Lions have to win out.