Western’s Late Run Not Enough to Beat Leslie
By Derek Devine, JTV Sports Leslie defeated Western 55-44 Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Class B District Tournament at Northwest High School. Both teams started the game slowly, but Leslie found their offensive rhythm first, fueled by great interior play from Dylan Patton. Patton scored all 8 of his points in the first half. Western had a small run early in the second quarter off of second chance opportunities as Ryan Conklin was a force on the offensive glass. “Western really killed us on the offensive boards,” Leslie Coach Matt Johns said. “13 offensive rebounds according to our count - something we can’t allow to happen.” Momentum shifted completely in Leslie's favor, however, when John Jones deflected a pass and saved it from going out of bounds by passing it behind his back to Matt Subject who scored an easy layup. The Blackhawks lead the Panthers 22-15 going into the half. Western picked up the pace defensively and had 3 steals in the first four minutes of the 2nd Half, but still couldn't seem to cut the lead. The Panthers biggest push came with 5:30 to play in the game, when Isaiah Ingles hit a jumper to tie…

