FORD TOUGH
With only one good eye, Leo senior gets putback at buzzer to defeat St. Rita
With his right eye swollen shut as the result of an elbow he took earlier in the game, senior forward Austin Ford could not even see the biggest shot of his life go in.
Leo fans let him know what happened after his buzzer-beating putback Tuesday night lifted the Lions past St. Rita.
“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Ford said. “I really couldn’t see. I just saw a bunch of Leo people from the stands running up on me and I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’
“I know I’ve seen this in a movie somewhere.”
Ford corralled the ball after teammate Christian Brockett’s shot was blocked by Morez Johnson and scored as the buzzer sounded to finish off a 59-57 victory for visiting Leo in a battle for first place in the Catholic League Blue.
“I’ve been at Leo for four years and I haven’t beaten (St. Rita) once,” Ford said. “I knew I had to make a difference somehow, some way. I’m speechless right now.”
Ford finished with 17 points and nine rebounds for the Lions (19-3, 12-0), who can clinch at least a share of the league title with a win Friday over St. Laurence.
Jakeem Cole and Tyler Smith each scored 15 points for Leo, with Smith also pulling down five rebounds.
Johnson, an Illinois recruit, led St. Rita (18-9, 9-1) with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Jaedin Reyna scored 12 points, while Melvin Bell and Jordan Chandler added seven points apiece.
Smith scored four straight points to give Leo a 57-53 lead with 50 seconds left, but St. Rita fought back with four free throws, two each from Kaiden Space and Reyna.
That set up Ford’s final heroics. “I give all the credit to Austin,” Smith said. “He was playing and he couldn’t even see.”
Ford was hit in the eye while being fouled on his way to the basket early in the fourth quar
ter. He had to exit the game and could not take his free throws but returned shortly after and scored on a drive.
“It was tough,” Ford said. “I made some mistakes. I missed a rebound because I really couldn’t see. I just had to keep going for my team.”
Ford was held to two points in the first half as St. Rita took a 35-20 halftime lead. The 6-foot-9 Johnson dominated early.
But Ford — Leo’s tallest starter at just 6-foot-3 — more than held his own in the second half against Johnson and 6-10 James Brown, St. Rita’s other post.
Ford was a big reason why Brown was in foul trouble all night and fouled out with just four points.
“I love the challenge,” Ford said. “They’re both good bigs. They both had a little bit to say to me. I just kept my cool, kept my composure and kept playing.”
Leo outscored St. Rita 22-5 in the third quarter to take a 42-40 lead.
“We started out strong,” St. Rita coach Roshawn Russell said. “Leo really came after us in the third quarter. We got sloppy with the ball, really careless, and it caught up to us.
“We just have to continue to learn. We know we’re a good team. We definitely should have won the game, but credit to Leo.”
Leo coach Jamal Thompson said his team was motivated by a video St. Rita players took after beating the Lions in the teams’ last meeting two seasons ago.
“This was personal,” Thompson said. “Our kids got heart. I don’t care who we play against. We’re going to come to play every single time for 32 minutes.”