Leopold takes home MVC title

Nearing the end of the 2023-24 basketball season, the Leopold Wildcats turned up the heat on the court. The team played in the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament at the end of January.

Coming up against Zalma in the first game of the tournament on Jan. 29, the Wildcats took the victory with a 71-33 score. And they defeated Marquand 71-26 the following day.

In the highly anticipated final game of the tournament on Feb. 1, the Leopold Wildcats faced off with the Meadow Heights Panthers. Down by seven points at halftime, the Wildcats came back fiercely, scoring 18 points in the third quarter, only to be down by four points at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

By the end of the fourth quarter, the two teams were going basket for basket in the final seconds to claim the gold. The Wildcats pulled ahead right when it mattered to claim the tournament as their own, beating the Panthers 55-53.

The last conference victory the Leopold Wildcats celebrated was in the 2021-22 season.

The Wildcats play Meadow Heights at home today, Feb. 14, and conclude their regular season Thursday, Feb. 15, with a home game against Advance. The Wildcats begin their district tournament Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Richland.