Leopold boys basketball team overcomes slow sstart to dispatch Oak Ridge

It took Leopold a while to get going.

But Oak Ridge had no answer once the Wildcats hit their stride.

Sixth-seeded Leopold overcame a sluggish start to overwhelm the 11th-seeded Blue Jays 59-29 in Monday's opening round of the Southeast Missourian Christmas tournament at the Show Me Center.

"We came out a little tight. I don't know what it was," Leopold coach Andy Beck said. "It's a little different atmosphere than our gym."

Leopold's Kyle Stroder thought nerves got the better of the Wildcats (8-1) at the outset.

"We came out really flat," Stroder said. "It's a big stage. We just came out a little nervous. Once we settled down, we played our style of basketball."

Leopold's style of basketball usually means Stroder being heavily involved.

Stroder, a 6-foot-5 junior, got hit in the eye in the game's opening seconds. He struggled for a while, scoring only one point in the first quarter. Leopold, which never trailed, led just 10-5 at the end of the period.

Stroder got on track to lead the blowout. He scored 10 points in the second quarter, including three 3-pointers, to help the Wildcats build a 24-13 halftime advantage.

Stroder pumped in 12 more points in the third quarter to help Leopold outscore the Blue Jays (4-5) 24-9 in the quarter. The rout was on at 48-22 entering the final period.

"I don't know what happened. It didn't phase me," Stroder said about being poked in the eye. "I just had to keep shooting and have confidence in my shot."

Stroder finished with a game-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers.

"He's the motor that makes us go," Beck said. "He makes great decisions and doesn't try to do too much."

Junior Joe Elfrink added 11 points for the Wildcats.

Sophomore Ryan Below paced Oak Ridge with 11 points. Senior Kyle Rohde added 10.

"Leopold is really good, extremely solid," Oak Ridge coach Adam Stoneking said. "We didn't come out ready to play. There was no intensity, no aggressiveness on either side of the floor. We let them dictate everything."

The Wildcats earn a quarterfinal date with three-time defending tournament champion Scott County Central at 7:30 p.m. today.

"We'll have to slow down and play our game," Leopold senior Gregg Davis said.

Oak Ridge 5 8 9 7 -- 29

Leopold 10 14 24 11 -- 59

OAK RIDGE (29) -- Kelby Brown 3, Ryan Below 11, Jake LeGrand 2, Dakota Zoellner 1, Kyle Rohde 10, Lance Rohde 2. FG 10. FT 7-16. F 14. (3-pointers: Brown 1, Zoellner 1. Fouled out: none)

LEOPOLD (59) -- Gregg Davis 4, Kyle Stroder 23, Joe Elfrink 11, James Jansen 4, Cameron Davis 8, Kody Bartles 7, Brandon Jansen 2. FG 23. FT 8-16. F 16. (3-pointers: Stroder 4, Bartles 1. Fouled out: none)