Here’s what Alan Downing had to say Friday night about Leo coach Noah Cannon’s halftime address.
“It was very tense,” Downing said. “Coach was all over us. He is not a nice man to have mad at you.”
Leo responded by outscoring Breese Central 12-2 in the third quarter en route to a 59-43 victory in the Class A quarterfinals at Carver Arena. Leo (26-5) will face Quincy Notre Dame (29-3) in the 12:45 p.m. semifinal.
“I was upset with our defense because there was too much reaching, and we weren’t boxing out on rebounds,” said the normally soft-spoken Cannon. “When I sat out our best player [Frank Clair] to start the third quarter, that sent a message: If you don’t play defense, you’re coming out.”
Cannon’s only other outburst came in January, when Leo spotted Brother Rice a 27-point halftime lead. After that tirade, the Lions staged a valiant comeback only to fall short 67-60.
On Friday, Breese (26-7) made just 6 of 21 shots (28.6 percent) in the second half. The 6-foot-2-inch Downing and backcourt partner Keelan Donald combined to score 10 of Leo’s dozen points as their team went ahead 39-25 heading into the fourth quarter. Donald finished with 14 points.
“I’m stronger than most of the guards that match up with me because I played football,” said Downing, who scored most of his 14 points down low. “I’m like a big man in a little man’s body.”
The opposite is true of 6-7 Tracy Robinson, who was a 5-11 point guard two years ago. His natural playmaking instincts and passing skills allow him to feed Downing in the post.
“Being 6-7, I usually have centers and power forwards guarding me,” said Robinson, who finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks. “I can draw them out to the perimeter and then drive past them. If a smaller guy takes me, I look to pass over him.”
Although Robinson has been relegated to a sixth-man role so that 6-7 freshman Dionte Gaskew can start, he remains the Lions’ most valuable player. The offense runs smoother and his teammates settle down with him running the show.
“I’m just a calm guy,” said Robinson, who calmly hit six straight free throws down the stretch Friday. “My teammates have a lot of confidence in me.”
Even with the 6-6 Northern Illinois-bound Clair experiencing an off night (nine points, four rebounds), the Lions moved on.
