Leps Knock Off Manor New Tech
It was a win good enough to get longtime La Grange head coach David Cooper dancing.
With a stifling defense and just enough offense, the Leps basketball team edged visiting Manor New Tech Friday 38-33 to really tighten up the playoff race in District 20.
Coming into the game Cooper had told his players that he would dance in the postgame locker room if his fourth place Leps could triumph over a New Tech team that was second in the standings and had beaten La Grange by 11 just three weeks ago.
The Leps (13-13) did their part on the court and Cooper paid his bet.
“It was terrible,” laughed Cooper.
“His moves were kind of, let’s just say he had no rhythm,” said La Grange guard Clayton Knapik, came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of the Leps’ 10 points in that frame.
Junior Jaxon Cooper led La Grange in scoring with 20 and Knapik had eight.
No Manor New Tech player reached double figures.
“We just had way better energy this time against them,” said Nate Scott, who scored four for La Grange.
La Grange built a nine point lead going into the fourth quarter by limiting New Tech to just five points in the second quarter and five more in the third.
“I thought defensive intensity was good the whole game. You hold a team like that to 33 points – every shot was contested,” David Cooper said. “These guys have really bought in that defense wins games. If we play great defense we’ll have a chance in every game.”
But New Tech roared back with a trio of three-pointers early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28-28.
That’s when Knapik turned it on.
On a night when the Leps as a team were just 10 of 20 from the line, Knapik was five-of-six in the fourth quarter.
“It was all because of my teammates getting me the ball,” Knapik said. “I’m just glad the shots fell tonight.”
It was just enough to keep La Grange ahead, and now the Leps are tied with Giddings for third place in district with a 5-3 district mark and just one game behind Manor New Tech for second place, with four games remaining in the regular season.
The Leps play at Austin Achieve Friday.
1/28/22
La Grange boys 38,
Manor New Tech 33
La Grange 7 10 11 10 – 38
Manor NT 9 5 5 14 – 33
La Grange scoring: Chovanetz 2, Knapik 8, Nate Scott 4, Cooper 20, Bargas 2, Woods 2.
District 20-4A Boys Basketball
LBJ 8-0
Manor NT 6-2
La Grange 5-3
Giddings 5-3
Smithville 2-5
Achieve 1-6
Eastside 0-7