(Naylon Thompson had 27 in the loss)

 

Two of the best 3A teams in northeast Indiana squared off Tuesday night as No. 8 Leo hosted No. 5 Bishop Luers. It was the fourth game of the season for Leo, all of which have come against SAC competition. Tuesday was the opener for Luers.

 

It was apparent from the start what the strategy for Leo was - get the ball to the front of the rim and let their 6'5" twin towers DJ Allen and Zach Troyer go to work. The Lions accomplished the first part of that plan, but several attempts from in close found their way to the rim and bounced off. That created offensive rebound opportunities, which Leo took advantage of. Offensive rebounding kept Bishop Luers out of transition and gave Leo many opportunities in an extremely physical first half.

 

The teams traded leads in the second quarter before an Ayden Ruble three-point would put Leo ahead 20-19. It would be the final lead change of the game. An 11-2 run to end the first half gave the Lions a seven-point lead entering halftime, as Luers struggled to find offense outside of senior guard Naylon Thompson.

 

Bishop Luers struggled to get others going after halftime as well, as Naylon Thompson would score their first five points of the third quarter. The lead would balloon back to seven points entering the fourth period, and Luers would get to within two points at 40-38, but Leo would once again repel any further damage but extending their lead out to seven. Offensive rebounding was again a key in the fourth, as Allen and Troyer combined for 9 of Leo's 17 second-chance opportunities. One of those was a backbreaker for the Knights, as Carson Hart missed a free throw that would have given Luers a chance to get within a single possession, but Zach Troyer fought his way through two Bishop Luers players to snag the miss and lay it in.

 

Leo put three players in double figures, led by Blake Davison's 15 points. Ayden Ruble added 11 points while notching 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The frontline of Allen and Troyer combined for 18 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks, all from Troyer.

 

Naylon Thompson had a game-high 27 points, while younger brother Nick Thompson posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. No other Knight scored more than 4 points, however.