Leps Complete First Round Through District Hoops Undefeated

La Grange has now played everyone once in district basketball and nobody’s been able to knock the defending district champs off their throne.

The Leps beat Bellville 68-41 at home Friday to improve to 19-8 overall but more importantly 5-0 in district.

“Ending the first round of district 5-0, that’s right where we want to be,” said La Grange head coach Trent Collier. “I thought this was going to be a closer game than it ended up being.”

Bellville came to town with height and size that no other district team could manage, but La Grange more than handled that challenge.

“They were a big, physical basketball team. The rebound battle was probably close, but against a team like that, close is a win. Defensively we were locked in,” Collier said.

Conner Brooks led the Leps with 18 points. Fellow sophomore Brandon Mathis scored 10 points and had 10 rebounds.

“Neither of my sophomores are playing like sophomores,” Collier said of that duo.

Cordale Knapik scored 11. Clayton Cooper scored nine and had 13 rebounds.

Oliver Gunn scored eight and was battling all night inside against Bellville’s 6-foot-8, 280-pound Jack Mercer.

The Leps now turn their attention to Giddings, which La Grange edged by just eight points the first time they met three weeks ago. La Grange plays at Giddings Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.

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La Grange boys 68, Bellville 41

La Grange 18 18 16 16 – 68 Bellville 6 11 9 15 – 41 LG scoring: Oliver Gunn 8, Clayton Cooper 9, Cole Collier 5, Devonte McKenzie 2, Conner Brooks 18, Cordale Knapik 11, Mason Kleiber 5, Brandon Mathis 10.

Record: LG is 19-8, 5-0 in district.

22-4A Boys Hoops La Grange 5-0 Navasota 4-1 Bellville 2-2 Giddings 2-3 Caldwell 1-4 Smithville 0-4