Keegan Deck leads Leopold to season opening win over Meadow Heights

Leopold went from winning 20 games in 2022 to only nine last season. Led by senior Keegan Deck, the Wildcats enter the new season with optimism with a close 51-49 win over Meadow Heights in the first round of the Woodland Invitational Tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 28, in Marble Hill, Mo.

Deck scored a game-high 22 points to push the Wildcats forward. He played the hero in the fourth quarter by scoring all eight of Leopold's points. He was the only Wildcat to score in double-digits. As a team, the Wildcats made 6-of-13 from the free-throw line.

Both teams found themselves tied 9-9 in the first quarter, but the Wildcats jumped ahead with a 24-9 second-quarter advantage to lead 33-18 entering halftime. Deck scored eight points in the second quarter while Preston Campbell and Brady Halter each put up five.

Meadow Heights came back in the second half to make it a close game. The Panthers made three baskets from the three-point line to take a 17-10 advantage in the third quarter and enter the final period down 43-35.

The Panthers made four more three-point shots in the fourth quarter, scoring 14, and held the Wildcats to only eight points from Deck, but it wasn't enough.

Free throws turned out to be the difference for Meadow Heights, who found the charity stripe for only nine attempts including four in the fourth quarter. The Panthers made only three, and in the end, lost by two.

The Panthers were led by junior Braeden Hays, who scored 16 points including four baskets from the three-point line. Fellow junior Maison Whitener also contributed 10 points with a pair of three-pointers.

Meadow Heights will now wait for the winner between Perryville and Zalma in the consolation round at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30. The fifth-place game will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1.

Leopold will take on defending tourney champion Greenville in the semifinal round at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30.