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Consolation rise: Leopards blow out back end of tourney bracket
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Despite a rough start to the tournament, there was little resistance in denying the Lovejoy boys basketball team the consolation championship Saturday at the Avery Air Invitational.
The Leopards brushed off a first-round setback and flipped the switch for a pair of 20-plus-point victories to round out tournament play at 2-1 for a consolation title.
"It was a good tournament because we faced three different types of teams," said Kyle Herrema, Lovejoy head coach. "Going into district, it was really good to get some different looks, which is the advantage of playing in these tournaments."
"I thought we did a great job in the consolation finals," Herrema said. "We played a really smart game on both ends of the floor."
Senior Jake Flaggert led Lovejoy with 17 points while senior Trevor Eckard contributed 12 in the win.
Flaggert was a constant in the Leopards' run to the consolation title, scoring 20 points one round earlier to key a 60-36 win over Rockwall. Overall, the UTEP commit averaged 16 points for the tournament.
"[Flaggert's] playing with so much confidence right now," Herrema said. "I think anytime he gets a clean look, it's going to go from [3-point range]. He's playing with so much composure and I couldn't be happier for him."
That was plenty evident against Rockwall, where Lovejoy distanced themselves with a 21-4 third quarter that swelled a 25-21 halftime lead into a 46-25 advantage. Flaggert's 20 points were complemented by 11 from senior Chris Ford and seven from junior Jordan Reed.
Lovejoy's lone setback came about after letting a 39-35 lead slip through the cracks in a 55-49 loss to McKinney in Friday's opening round.
"It's always tough coming back from a break because you're going to be a little rusty," Herrema said. "We just didn't take care of the ball as well as we needed to and even though we were up by four going into the fourth quarter, we didn't rebound very well and they took advantage of the glass."
The Leopards were outscored, 20-10, over the final eight minutes to dash any early championship hopes. Eckard led Lovejoy with 13 points while Reed and Flaggert chipped in 12 and 11, respectively.
The 2-1 tournament slate was Lovejoy's final tune-up before District 13-4A play resumes. Already 2-0 in district with wins over McKinney North and Denison, the Leopards will host Sherman at 8 p.m. Friday.
"I think we're starting to play some of our better basketball now," Herrema said. "I thought we were really inconsistent at the start of the year ... I think we know what everybody's roles are and we understand who we are."
Lady Leopards split Prosper draw
The Lovejoy girls basketball team competed nearby, balancing a 2-0 start to the Prosper Holiday Classic with an 0-2 setback to close out the tournament.
The Lady Leopards' highs came in the form of two double-digit decisions over Lake Dallas (43-29) and tourney host Prosper (49-31), before dropping games to The Colony (43-29) and McKinney (40-38).
Lovejoy's two wins came about in markedly different fashion, with the team ripping off a 20-7 advantage in the fourth quarter to distance itself from Lake Dallas. One game later, the Lady Leopards sunk Prosper into a 26-9 hole by halftime and didn't look back.
It would be Lovejoy, however, that faced a similar fate at the hands of The Colony, limited to single digits in all four quarters.
McKinney provided the Lady Leopards' most competitive outing, with the latter erasing an 18-11 deficit after one quarter to eventually claim a 34-33 lead through three frames.
In the end, the Lady Leopards were only able to muster four points in the fourth quarter to fall short of the upset. Sophomore Paige Eberhart led Lovejoy with 15 points while sophomore Samantha Odom and junior Shani Rainey each dropped seven.
Lovejoy, 3-1 in District 13-4A thus far, continues play Friday at 6:30 p.m. with a home outing against Sherman.
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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