Leps Host, and Beat, Australian Team
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The members of the La Grange and Australian Pittwater House varsities pose after their basketball game Wednesday. Photo by Jeff Wick -
La Grange’s Devonte McKenzie drives to the basket in Wednesday’s victory over an Australian team. -
La Grange’s Oliver Gunn takes a shot over an Australian defender Wednesday. -
A trio of Leps, Clayton Cooper, Reece Nygren and Devonte McKenzie, converge on this Australian player as he drives to the basket.
The La Grange boys varsity basketball team won their 10th game in a row Wednesday.
They are also undefeated in international play.
Wednesday the Leps hosted a traveling team of Australian high schoolers who are playing their way across America during their summer break, and La Grange won 6642.
Senior Reece Nygren led the way for the Leps with 21 points and Cordale Knapik and Oliver Gunn each added nine as the Leps improved to 19-8 overall.
The Australians who the Leps played Wednesday (in varsity, JV and freshman games) were all from Pittwater House, a school located in Collaroy, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
“We’ve got 20 students (here),” said Paul Brotherson, the Australian school’s head coach. “We open it up to all the players in our basketball programs. It’s not necessarily our top guys, but pretty much anyone who wanted to come along. The guys are learning a lot, working hard and having fun. They are enjoying the culture. It’s more of a culture tour than a basketball tour.
“I played college basketball at Metro State in Denver.
“I’m quite used to the American style of play, it takes the boys a little to understand the run-and-gun and the different styles here.”
Brotherson said his team will play one more game in Texas before heading to Atlanta to one of their sister schools and then finish their American basketball adventure in L.A. before heading home.
“The thing that has stood out most has been the friendliness of the locals,” Brotherson said.
How did such an interesting matchup come about?
“There’s a website you can go on at the beginning of the year and put your open date and they reached out,” La Grange head coach Trent Collier said. “I’ve done a couple Australian games before (at different schools). They are fun. The kids want to find out how different they are but in the process they realize they are all just kids.
“It was a fun game. I thought everybody competed well.”
After the game the Leps treated the Australians to a pot-luck meal in the school cafeteria.
La Grange was playing without their leading scorer, Nate Scott, who was on a college recruiting trip Wednesday.
Collier said it was actually a good challenge for the Leps to play a game without their leader.
“I think we needed a chance to realize we could play without him,” Collier said. “Nate’s special but they are all special. During this 10game win streak we’ve been much more balanced than we were early in the season. We’re doing a better job of doing our jobs around him.”
The Leps return to action Friday in Smithville where they will try to improve upon their 5-0 district record.
Jan. 17
La Grange boys 66 Australia 42
La Grange 22 14 14 16 – 66 Australia 7 16 8 11 – 42
LG scoring:
Cooper 6, Brooks 8, Knapik 9, T. Scott 2, Dillard
3, McKenzie 4, Gunn 9, Gray 4, Nygren 21.
Australia: Cadel 14, Thomas 3, Abe 5, Arno 3, Toby 3, Sam 14.
JV: La Grange 74, Australia 20
Leading scorer: Collier 22
Freshman: La Grange 61, Australia 23 Leading scorer: Supak 21