Some 2 1/2 years after its inception, Leo High School’s basketball rebuild is gaining some traction.
The Lions capped a highly satisfying three-win week by dismantling Crete-Monee 59-41 in the Chelby Frazier Shootout on Sunday at Thornwood High School in South Holland. The victory came 24 hours after a 63-56 decision over Northridge Prep in the MLK Shootout at Timothy Christian, and five days after they’d taken down Marmion Academy 62-36 in a Catholic League crossover matchup at Leo.
Among them, Crete-Monee, Northridge and Marmion had combined for 39 wins.
Crete-Monee owned 15 of them; the Warriors are a credible IHSA Class 4-A team that competes in the rugged Southland Conference with the likes of Rich, Bloom, Kankakee and Thorton, Thornwood and Thornridge. But the Lions reeled off eight points in the game’s first minute and never looked back, improving to 11-7 with their fifth win in six games in 2025.
C-M had no answers for Leo’s 2-3 zone defense and did not hit a three-point shot the entire game. Jaylen Blakes utilized his bulk to muscle up 16 points inside, but no other Warrior managed more than six points.
The Lions, meanwhile, hit nine three-pointers, creating a succession of open looks with good ball movement. They were on every loose ball, they committed just seven turnovers, and their success in tracking down long rebounds helped offset C-M’s size advantage.
Leo took a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter and went to a delay game, then buried 14 of 18 free throws after the Warriors took to fouling in an effort to force the Lions out of it.
Leo’s guard-dominated lineup was game-dominant as Dontae Bell scored 16 points and Asa Harris (15), Ethan Jackson (14) and Karon Shavers (12) joined him in double figures.
“We won this game with discipline and intensity,” Coach Jimalle Ridley said. “It’s something to build on. We’ve got a lot of work to do, because what’s in front of us is tougher than what’s behind us. But it’s coming.”
The Lions were short-handed for the Northridge game, with Harris (emergency dental work) joining fellow guard Brian Kizer (sprained ankle) on the bench. Playing with a shot clock for the first time this season, they seemed to take charge with a 23-point second quarter, but the Knights were a resolute, disciplined bunch that proved difficult to shake.
In the end, Shavers (20 points), Jackson (16) and Bell (11) provided adequate firepower. Freshman Brandel Orr was pressed into service and contributed five points, including a fourth-quarter three-pointer that beat the clock.
“Great weekend, very satisfying. It’s coming,” Ridley said. “But if we go out to Aurora (Central Catholic on Tuesday) and lay an egg, it won’t mean anything.”
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