Leopold denies Oran upset

A combination of rust, lofty expectations and strong play from the opposition conspired to slow down Leopold.

But the Wildcats came through down the stretch to win their first-round game in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.

Sixth-seeded Leopold rallied past No. 11 Oran 56-53 on Friday night at the Show Me Center.

"We just came out slow and didn't have the intensity we needed," Leopold senior guard Darren VanGennip said. "Oran wanted it more in the first half than we did."

Leopold (6-0) had not played in about two weeks after having two games wiped out because of inclement weather.

"I think it showed we sat out for two weeks," Leopold first-year coach Shawn Kinder said. "But I have to give Oran credit. They came out and played well and hit some big shots."

Entering the tournament undefeated and with their highest seed in years, the Wildcats said they might have been affected by a bit of added pressure.

"It's exciting [to be seeded sixth], but hopefully we got the first-game jitters out," Leopold senior wing Dustin Thiele said.

Said Kinder: "It is a big thing, being the sixth seed. It's been a while [more than a decade] since Leopold won a first-round game."

Larry Nussbaum, a 6-foot-5 senior post, paced the Wildcats with 16 points.

VanGennip added 15 points and Thiele had 14.

The Eagles (3-4) got 17 points from 6-4 sophomore post Jon Morrow and 16 from guard Kurt Rendleman, one of only two Oran seniors.

Oran used a 14-2 run to build a 16-6 lead that was the biggest advantage of the game for either side.

"We kind of started out pretty bad," Thiele said.

Leopold trailed 16-10 after one quarter and pulled within 27-26 at halftime, then the lead changed hands six times in the third quarter before the Eagles carried a 39-38 edge into the final period.

VanGennip was held to four points through three quarters. The Wildcats' leading scorer finally got going in time to help avoid an upset.

VanGennip's 15-foot jumper with a little more than 6 minutes left put Leopold ahead 42-41, a lead it would not relinquish. He totaled 11 points in the final period.

"I wasn't playing my game the first three quarters," VanGennip said. "I was more confident in my shot [the fourth quarter]. I didn't get down."

Kinder said VanGennip displayed his mettle down the stretch.

"Darren puts a lot of time in the gym," Kinder said. "He's a tremendous kid and a clutch player. You want the ball in his hands."

VanGennip's 15-footer with 1:01 remaining put the Wildcats up 53-46 to match their biggest lead of the contest.

But Oran would not go quietly.

A 7-1 run, capped by Rendleman's 3-pointer with 22 seconds left, cut the Eagles' deficit to 54-53.

VanGennip hit two free throws 5 seconds later to make it 56-53, and strong Leopold defense forced a 3-point air-ball by the Eagles as the clock wound down.

Thiele missed the front end of a one-and-one with six-tenths of a second left, but Oran could not get off a final shot.

"We made some mistakes, but I thought we played hard," Oran coach Joe Shoemaker said. "We're young and don't have a lot of experience. We're learning as we go."

While pleased to escape with a win, the Wildcats -- who made just 10 of 24 free throws -- know they'll have to play much better in tonight's quarterfinal matchup with third-seeded Jackson.

"We need to play like a sixth seed or better," VanGennip said.

@z_agate_HSbasketball_linescore:Oran16111214--53

Leopold10161218--56

@z_agate_no tab_no indnt_bld ld:Oran (53) -- Kurt Rendleman 16, Preston Scherer 5, Jake Carter 9, Gabe Kielhofner 4, Zac Chasteen 2, Jon Morrow 17. FG 20, FT 8-8, F 19. (3-pointers: Rendleman 3, Scherer 1, Carter 1. Fouled out: None)

Leopold (56) -- Dustin Thiele 14, Wade Wiseman 1, David Fluchel 8, Darren VanGennip 15, Larry Nussbaum 16, Anthony Seabaugh 2. FG 23, FT 10-24, F 12. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: None)