For most of Saturday’s 3A State Title game, no one watching could probably tell the Leo Lions reached this stage for the first time in program history. They narrowly won the turnover battle and scored significantly more points off the ones they forced. They shot the three-ball slightly better and were more consistent from the free throw line. The Lions had enough going for them to win.
They even had a chance to tie the game with 11 seconds left, when Silver Creek led by three points but missed a free throw. Leo head coach Cary Cogdell reserved his team’s final look for senior Blake Davison, who actually passed it inside to a wide open D.J. Allen. Allen scored, but the buzzer went off right after. Leo lost by one point, 50-49.
Silver Creek, in its second consecutive state championship game, had just a little more poise and claimed a second-straight state crown. More importantly, it had Kooper Jacobi, and he had a spectacular night.
The senior scored 18 points, topping the 11 he notched in the 2019 championship, to match his 18 rebounds. Six of those boards were offensive. He also logged two steals, two assists, and a block.
His fellow forward Trey Kaufman-Renn earned the game’s other double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kaufman-Renn blocked four Lion shots, including the potential go-ahead layup from Davison with 32 seconds left in the game. In all, the Dragons had seven blocks.
“We weren’t used to that length,” Allen said. “When we advance further in postseason play, they’re going to get bigger and stronger. It’s nothing we can’t handle. It’s just different.”
Despite failing to convert a number of second-chance points and facing a 10-point deficit with five minutes to play, Leo was never out of it. Davison, in his last game as a Lion, at one point scored 18 straight Leo points to make sure.
“He’s our leader. He’s a great player, and I know some times that term is used loosely. It’s not used loosely here. He did everything he could in that second half. Just kept battling and gave us a chance,” Cogdell said. “It was a game of runs. We made a run down the stretch, and we had some opportunities. Just a very good high school basketball game.”
Davison finished with 20 points, the only Lion in double figures. He made six of his seven free throw attempts too. Allen scored nine points, Ayden Ruble had eight, and Zack Troyer pitched in six.
Despite a selfless and gutsy performance, the Lions left their first trip to Bankers Life empty-handed. The trip, however, left the returning Lions with experience on the big stage and filled the community with more pride and promise than Cogdell, a 1994 grad of Leo, has even seen before.
“I’ve personally heard form people I haven’t talked to in years – high school teammates, people coming to the game today, people watching from across the country. This matters to a lot of people,” Cogdell said. “It’s funny that a sport can bring people together. I wish every fan base, coaches, and players would get the opportunity to come here just because of what it does for the community and the positive atmosphere.”
