By Nick McClintock
PEORIA – The LeRoy Panthers, led by Matt Chastain, fought to their first-ever state title Saturday as they defeated the Lions of Chicago Leo, 38-35, at Carver Arena.
Chastain made his presence known early and often, hitting his first four shot attempts and scoring the first 12 points of the game. LeRoy used a pair of Noah Perry free throws late to open a 14-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw a basket by the Lions to defend Chastain vigorously, limiting the LeRoy offensive attack to just four points. Unfortunately for Chicago Leo, the Panthers defense showed up big in the second period and limited the Lions to just seven points. LeRoy took an 18-15 lead to the locker room for the halftime break.
The third quarter saw the lead initially increase for the Panthers as Chicago Leo couldn’t knock down a shot for over half the quarter. LeRoy used the shooting slump to get its offense going, trying to put Leo out of range for a come-from-behind win.
The Lions eventually would force some LeRoy turnovers and began to get their offense going, knocking down consecutive 3-pointers and reduced the nine-point LeRoy lead to just two points at 26-24.
The defenses again started the fourth quarter standing firm with the Panthers being the only team to put points on the board over the first two minutes.
Chicago Leo would then get as close as a 33-33 tie before another Chastain layup gave the Panthers another lead with less than a minute to go. A pair of Lion free throws would again tie the game at 35.
LeRoy would then have a 3-pointer go down for Noah Perry, giving the Panthers the go-ahead points to take home the state title.
Chastain finished with 21 points to lead all scorers. The Panthers finished their championship year with a 28-5 record.
Listen here to a post-game interview with LeRoy coach Mark Edmundson.
Listen here to a post-game interview with Noah Perry.
Listen here to a post-game interview with Matt Chastain.
