The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
North junior Leo nets 1,000th point
As the announcer for his school’s junior high girls basketball games, Paul Force had a frontrow seat a few years back to see then-eighth grader Destiny Leo pour in 52 points in her team’s win over Mayfield.
As shot after shot fell through the net, North’s girls basketball coach couldn’t help but wonder just how good little Leo would eventually become.
Force got another reminder of just how good Leo is last week when Leo scored her 1,000th career point in her team’s 70-35 win over Madison.
Leo’s driving basket put her over the 1,000-point mark in only her 56th varsity game.
“Kids like her don’t come around very often in a high school coaching career,” Force said, “and I’m grateful the opportunity to help her continue to grow.”
Leo, a junior, said she didn’t know how close she was to 1,000 career points until the day of the Madison game. But there was a buzz about it when she arrived at the gymnasium.
Needing 22 points for the mark, Leo said she pulled down a rebound and went coast-to-coast for an and-one. Force called a timeout when the milestone was reached and presented Leo with the basketball.
She handed the ball to her father, Tom, then went on to help her team to victory with with a 30-point, seven-rebound, four-assist game.
“That was a great moment and milestone for Destiny and the entire team,” Force said. “It’s a close-knit group and seeing the enthusiasm and genuine joy they had for her was special.”
Making the night that much more special was that two other members of North’s 1,000-point club — Lynsey Englebrecht and Samantha Blazetic — were on the bench as assistant coaches with the Rangers.
Leo enters this week’s games with 1,043 points. She is well within striking distance of the school record of 1,611 points set last year by All-Ohioan Samantha Pirosko.
“I remember when Samantha Pirosko got her 1,000th point,” Leo said. “When she did that, I thought that was something I might be able to get in the future. It was such an awesome environment that day she got hers.”
Leo laughed when thinking about her early days on the courts at Manry Park in Willowick when she and her father would go there to shoot around. She loved to play, she said, even though at that age the closest she could get to the rim was with a two-hand chuck from the hip.
She’s obviously gotten better with time.
Through eight games — she and the Rangers are sporting a perfect 8-0 record — she is averaging 29.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game. Her 29 three-pointers lead The News-Herald coverage area.
“I want to be known as an all-around player,” Leo said. “Scoring is nice, but I like to get boards, play defense and feed my teammates, too.”
Force bubbles with excitement seeing the growth of his young guard, who is garnering a large number of college inquiries, including recent feelers from Youngstown State and Gannon.
“When she was young, I thought basketball came easy to her and naturally to her,” Force said. “I was curious to see if she took the next step, what she could be. And she has done that. Her best basketball is in front of her. She worked extremely hard this offseason.”
As happy as she is with her personal accolades, Leo is more happy with the accomplishments of her team. The Rangers were hit hard by graduation this past spring, with eight seniors leaving with their diplomas.
North is off to an undefeated start, including a win over Euclid, which was the top-ranked team in The News-Herald’s Top of the Crop at the time.
North now holds that spot.
“That was a big win,” Leo said. “It shows what we can be this year.
“When we graduated eight seniors, I think people thought this was the year they could come and get Eastlake North. They might have thought it would be a down year for us. But I think it’s going pretty good so far.”