Junior guard Adrian Lee-Horton isn’t just a talented scorer for Argo. He’s a gifted saxophonist who sometimes gets distracted by the exuberant sounds coming from his friends in the bleachers.
He identifies immediately with his closest band collaborators from their usual location off the court, but on Monday, Lee-Horton set about creating his own magnificent sound for a career-best night.
“I come from an athletic family but also from a family of musicians,” Lee-Horton said, beaming with pride. “I started with the alto sax and now I’ve moved to the bigger saxophone.
“If I wasn’t playing (Monday night), I’d be up in the stands with them.”
The Argonauts were glad to have him on the court instead as Lee-Horton poured in a career-high 30 points in a 75-50 win over conference foe Reavis in a Class 4A St. Ignatius Regional quarterfinal in Summit.
Senior guard Joseph Navarez made three 3-pointers in scoring 15 points and senior forward Darron Greer Jr. added 13 points and six rebounds for 16th-seeded Argo (10-22), which plays at 6 p.m. Wednesday against the second-seeded host Wolfpack in a regional semifinal.
Junior guard Damarion Dixon tallied 13 points, four rebounds and three steals for Reavis (9-20). Senior guard Enrique Del Real contributed 12 points and five rebounds.
Lee-Horton, meanwhile, easily surpassed his previous high of 23 points in powering the win over their South Suburban Blue rivals. He scored the opening basket off a steal and never looked back.
“I know Adrian and how he likes to play,” Navarez said. “He likes to get to the midrange or get the dump-down pass. The best quality about him is his ability to get to the basket.
“He knows how to put his head down and score.”
Argo coach Patrick Maietta has watched the rapid growth of a Lee-Horton, a first-year varsity player, with admiration.
“We’ve paired him with Darron in our shooting drills the whole season and you just see how much he has improved with his body control,” Maietta said. “He’s a Renaissance man, if you will.
“He’s a great student who’s very humble. He has learned how to become a very efficient player. I never believed he had 30 (Monday night) without looking at the box score.”
Lee-Horton scored 13 points in the first half and then shot 8 of 9 from the floor in the second half.
More importantly, his overlapping interests as a basketball player, musician and student have opened up all sides of his effort. And he’s figured out how to use valuable lessons learned.
“As a team we’re good at fighting adversity,” he said. “I feel like the losses brought us closer because it’s easy to be up and celebrating like we were (Monday).
“It’s the blowouts, the tough losses, that brought us together as a team. We had to come to practice the next day, get closer and learn how to work together.”
His family’s influence is huge. His paternal grandfather played basketball at Dayton and his father ran track. His mother’s side is filled with standout runners, athletes and singers in the church choir.
“They all watched me when I was younger and put a basketball in my hands,” Lee-Horton said. “I’ve been a huge fan ever since.”
Lee-Horton is the only junior starter for Argo. Like any musician, he has an exquisite sense of timing. The best sax players work off patterns, beats and syncopated rhythms.
A 6-foot-2 slasher, he won’t not to rush his game or growth, finding his way organically. Form and function merge perfectly, and he uses a gliding style to get to the rim and finish his chances.
“There was a lot of extra motivation playing our conference rival,” he said. “At the end of the day, I looked at it as another chance to showcase not only the talent I have but the team around me.”
“We all play off each other.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
