Leesville Road completes sweep of Wakefield in boys, girls basketball
Leesville Road’s boys basketball team used a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter versus Wakefield, getting some much needed breathing room, enough to hold on for a 64-50 win.
The Pride got its biggest lead in the final frame after the Wolverines pulled to within two (45-43) after a triple from K.J. Finley.
After Finley’s triple, Leesville went on its scoring binge, led by junior guard Alex Hunter (23 points), who got the run started with a deep 3-pointer of his own. Ben Zemonek and Jonathan Mebane contributed with consecutive layups and the Pride didn’t look back.
“I feel like as a point guard it’s my responsibility if I see that we’re in a slump to get us going offensively and finish the game strong,” Hunter said. “It was in my mind that I needed to be more aggressive to help our team.”
Hunter said Wakefield caught them by surprise with their play early. The Cap-8 won’t be caught by surprise from the Pride, who sit tied atop the league standings with a 5-1 record.
Mebane contributed 15 points for Leesville while freshman Jalen Benjamin added eight off the bench. Wakefield was led by Phil Protz with 13. Burress added 12.
Pride’s girls get defensive
Two quarters that combined for seven points were ultimately what did Wakefield in during Cap-8 action versus host Leesville Road. The Pride held the Wolverines to five points in the first quarter and just two in the fourth en route to a 43-31 win.
“A team like Wakefield, who have so many good players, we have to be solid in all phases of the game,” Leesville coach Ben Daniels said. “We couldn’t have any mental lapses. That was the biggest thing.”
The Wolverines did not make a field goal in the fourth quarter, getting their two points from a pair of foul shots.
Leesville Road (13-2, 5-1) didn’t waste anytime establishing its post presence, scoring the first time points of the game in the paint before Allie Moss knocked down consecutive 3s to make it 16-4 in favor of the Pride.
Wakefield (10-6, 3-3) did muster some offense, outscoring the Pride 13-10 in the second quarter, but Shea Plocharczyk hit a baseline jumper at the basket, giving Leesville a life, and a 28-18 halftime lead.
“We’ve had a few games where we’ve come out flat, emotionless,” Wakefield coach Art Wollett said. “Scoring five or six points against a good team, you just can’t do that.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Leesville Road completes sweep of Wakefield in boys, girls basketball."