How does Leyden coach Norm Goodman like the three-point shot?
”I love it,” he says. ”I enjoy it so much, I let my kids shoot it, because it might go in sometimes.”
”Sometimes,” was almost all the time Friday night as Goodman`s unbeaten Eagles made 10 of 16 three-pointers in a 79-56 rout of Downers Grove South on the winners` gym. It was Leyden`s sixth win this season and its second in West Suburban-Gold action.
Craig Wilson, a 6-foot guard, led the winners with 22 points, including 4 of 6 from three-point range. Not bad for a guy who limped off the court after Thursday`s practice with a sprained ankle.
”It was tender at the start of the game and I`ll have to ice it down tonight,” said Wilson, thinking of a vital nonconference clash at Oak Park Saturday.
Goodman`s game plan is no secret.
”We`ve got the threes built into our offense,” he says. ”We have to because of our size.”
With Goodman`s two biggest starters, Peter Rochford and Chris Hmielewski only 6-3, the Eagles must find a way to compensate for their lack of size.
”We all shoot around 25 three-pointers each practice,” said Wilson.
”It`s made to order for someone like me. I don`t have to penetrate all the time.”
Losing coach Dick Flaiz was in awe of Leyden`s shot-making.
”Their selection is excellent,” he said. ”They came out in the second half and suddenly the game was over.”
In the third quarter, Leyden made its first 10 shots and 11 of 13 to move from a 36-31 halftime edge to a commanding 62-46 lead. Wilson led the assault with 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers. The Eagles canned 30 of 53 in the game. South (4-2) was 22 of 54 and only 3 of 15 in the last stanza.
It wasn`t just the outside shooting that buried the Mustangs. With South conscious of Leyden`s long-range artillery, the winners were able to open up the court and slip inside for percentage shots.
Okay, that`s called garbage. But Goodman likes it.
”We rely on garbage every game we play,” he said. ”With our size we have to.”
Rochford and Hmielewski tallied 19 and 16 points, respectively, for Leyden. Rochford made 2 of 4 from ”home-run” territory but was also deadly on his free throws, making 9 of 10.
South center Brian Buscher led his team with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while left-handed guard Wesley Wright tacked on 15 points.
”We`re not an experienced team, and they just shot us out of the game,” said Flaiz. ”Of course, I`ve only coached six games with the three-point play, but I`ve never seen so effective. They always seem to know when to shoot one and when not to.”
