Leopards win showdown against Tidehaven Tigers
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Van Vleck's Kade Kucera drives for a layup and takes a hard foul from Tidehaven's Robert Cruz. The Leopards prevailed in the district showdown 43-39. Kucera finished the night with 7 points in the winning effort.
EL MATON – The Van Vleck Leopards survived being held to just three points in the first quarter to outlast the Tidehaven Tigers 43-39 in a District 29-2A showdown on Friday night.
Devin Ward proved to be the spark for the Leopards as he erupted for a game-high 20 points. Ward’s first three points of the night accounted for the only scoring by the Leopards in the opening period of play. Ward put Van Vleck on the board first with a steal and a layup just over a minute into the ballgame. But Tidehaven’s Colt Clontz took charge in the paint, knocking down a short jumper and adding a free throw to put the Tigers ahead early, 3-2. Clontz scored again less than a minute later with a layup to extend the early lead to 5-2.
Ward broke a four-and-a-half minute scoring drought for the Leopards when he sank a free throw at the 2:25 mark. It would pull Van Vleck within two points, but would also close out the scoring for the Leopards in the first eight minutes of play.
“They were a little bit intimidated,” Van Vleck Head Coach Randolph Brown said. “Clontz is six-foot-eight. He did a good job of blocking shots early and my guys were a little intimidated by the blocked shots. Nobody likes to hear the ooh’s from the crowd when your shot gets whizzed.”
Tidehaven was not done scoring in the first quarter, however. Aaron Fisher connected on a jumper and Marcus Lara broke away for an uncontested layup at the 1:12 mark to put Tidehaven on top 9-3. Both teams went cold for the remainder of the period, as Tidehaven held on to its early 6-point margin.
The cold streak continued for the Tigers as the second quarter began, but Ward was just heating up for the Leopards. Ward single-handedly brought the Leopards back to life as he scored the first 13 points in the quarter. Included in the run were a pair of 3-pointers and a free throw. After a Ward layup at 3:16, Van Vleck claimed a 16-9 advantage.
“I have been waiting on (Ward) to come on,” Brown said. “He’s been off-and-on all year. He stepped up big tonight and I really appreciated his effort.”
Ward’s run ended briefly, but the Leopards picked up where their guard left off. Terrence Alliniece registered a steal and layup while Odis Hawkins followed with a 3-pointer to cap an 18-point Van Vleck run. The Leopards had a little breathing room at 21-9 with 2:12 to go in the first half.
Tidehaven finally broke its scoreless streak at the 1:35 mark in the second quarter. Fisher recorded a layup to pull the Tigers back within 10. However Ward came right back for Van Vleck and knocked down a jumper to make it a 12-point game once again. The Tigers closed out the first half of scoring on a jumper from Lara and the teams headed to the locker room with Van Vleck on top 23-13.
Tidehaven started the second half by chipping in to the Leopards’ advantage. Fisher continued to have a hot hand and started the scoring with a jump shot at 7:24. Alliniece responded for the Leopards two minutes later.
Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm early in the third period. Ian Wade broke free for a layup and added a free throw to make the score 25-18 Van Vleck at the 5:22 mark. Both teams went scoreless until Ward put in a layup off an assist from Alliniece at the 3:57 mark.
The Tigers mounted a four-point run with help from a pair of Wade free throws and another jump shot from Fisher. Tidehaven pulled within 27-22 with 2:49 remaining in the third.
But every time the Tigers found some positive momentum, the Leopards had an answer. Van Vleck responded to Tidehaven’s four-point run by rattling off an eight-point run of their own. Chris Hawkins contributed a jump shot, while Kade Kucera connected on a jumper, a pair of free throws and a layup to give the Leopards some room to work with and a 35-22 lead at the 1:29 mark.
The Tigers continued to battle in the waning minute of the period. Tyler Rush and Wade scored on layups, both with less than a minute to go in the third, pulling the Tigers within nine after three quarters of action.
Tidehaven started the scoring in the fourth quarter with a layup by Clontz at the 6:19 mark. Jaylon Brinkley responded with a layup for the Leopards less than 30 seconds later. The Tigers still worked to chip away at the Van Vleck lead, and received a big boost from Wade as he knocked down a 3-pointer at the 5:28 mark. Fisher followed a few seconds later with a lay in to pull the Tigers within four points, 37-33.
However, Hawkins took a little wind out of the Tigers’ sails with a 3-ball of his own to extend the advantage back to seven for Van Vleck. Both teams continued to trade baskets over the next three minutes. Clontz put in a pair to pull the tigers within five, while Brinkley connected on a free throw for the Leopards. Fisher drove for a layup at the :58 mark, but the Tigers would never come closer than four points in the game’s final minute. Orrin King and Kucera both hit one of two free throws down the stretch and Cole Brecheisen closed out the night’s scoring with a layup for the Tigers at the five-second mark.
“We needed it big time,” Brown said following the game. “It was a tough win.”
Ward was the lone Leopard to score in double figures. Hawkins contributed 8 and Kucera added 7 for Van Vleck. The Tigers had two players in double digits – Fisher with 12 and Wade with 10.