Leps Lose by One Point to College Station

After seven road games to start the season, the La Grange boys basketball team finally played a home game Tuesday and they treated their fans to a thrilling nail-biter with a last second finish.

The outcome wasn’t what the Leps hoped for, however, as La Grange fell to College Station 35-34 as Scott Decker made a go-ahead lay-up and was fouled with 0.64 of a second left on the clock. Decker missed the ensuing free throw and a desperation full court shot by La Grange at the buzzer was no good.

In a game that was close throughout, La Grange’s Dawson Brooks hit a go-ahead threepointer with 40 seconds left in the game to put the Leps up 34-33 before College Station rallied.

“I felt like we had it. I was ecstatic (after making the goahead shot). The fans felt the same way,” Brooks said.

It really seemed like La Grange would hold onto the win after a late offensive foul by College Station gave the Leps the ball back with just seconds in the game, but a turnover gave the ball back to the Cougars and they went the length of the court before Decker drove along the baseline and got off a shot even with two Leps on him defensively.

The end marred what was otherwise a stellar defensive effort by the Leps, who overcame a 21-14 halftime deficit.

College Station’s defense was just a little better.

“Their defense was incredible. Driving was a challenge in itself, shooting was a challenge in itself,” Brooks said. “If we had a bucket we had to work for it ... We’ve built this team on defense too and we want to create offense off of our defense.”

Brooks scored a game-high 16 points Tuesday, but no other Lep had more than five points.

“We did a great job defensively and we knew that was the game they played too. This was kinda the game I expected, but we’ve got to find a way to score points,” La Grange head coach David Cooper said.

Tuesday’s game was a homecoming of sorts for the College Station head coach J.D. Sullivan, who was a successful head coach of Leps basketball in the late 1990s, before going on to a storied career that includes more than 550 career wins and a state tourney berth in 2002 at Olney.

He was hired in 2012 at the then-new College Station High School and has been the program’s only head coach. His Cougars went three rounds deep in the 5A playoffs last year.

“I was one of his assistant coaches back in the 90s,” Cooper said. “I know what his program is all about and what he expects. It was good to get him on the schedule and good to get him to come back here.”

Tuesday’s loss drops the Leps’ overall record to 2-6 as they prepare for a rare home afternoon game, Friday at 12:30 p.m. against Cedar Creek.

“Our record is not very good,