RANDY HISNER
WZBD.com
MAPLES – Senior guard LanTae Cassell scored eight points during a 13-0 Heritage run in the third quarter to help the Patriots break away from a 22-22 halftime tie with the Leo Lions (1-2) and emerge with a convincing 59-42 win, their third straight to start the season.
Six players scored in the third quarter as the Patriots matched their entire first half total in a 22-8 rout, giving them a 44-30 lead. Cassell led the way with ten in the period, with junior guard Lucas Taylor adding five.
Heritage coach Kyle Sovine saw some flaws in his team’s attack in the first half. “Offensively we were just being stagnant and not moving the ball,” he noted, “so we made a couple adjustments at halftime and really focused on boxing out and moving the ball, getting into the middle of that zone and really attacking the rim.”
The adjustments worked. The Pats hit seven of 14 from the floor in the period, including a three from the left corner by Taylor on Heritage’s first possession. Their aggressive drives repeatedly got them to the free throw line, where they made seven of 10.
Sovine took the Heritage coaching job in Cassell’s sophomore year, and it’s been gratifying for him to watch the senior’s progress as a player and as a leader. “He’s grown up so much in front of our eyes,” praised Sovine. “When he keeps his head level, it’s amazing how good of a player he can be. He’s been really big for us this year.”
Sovine liked what he saw from Kingston Galentine too. The sophomore, who was averaging 17 points coming into the game, had a cold first half, hitting only two of eight shots. But after Leo closed to within 12 at 44-32 on Andrew Scrogham’s ten-foot floater to open the fourth quarter, Galentine came alive. At the 5:18 mark he zipped a precision pass to Taurean Brown on the left block for a bucket and followed that 20 seconds later with a dunk on a fast break.
Leo’s Sajeh Richard hit a three, but Galentine responded with a steal and layup and then another aggressive fast break drive just moments later. Taylor added an old-fashioned three-point play on the Patriots’ next possession to cap an 11-3 run and put the game out of reach at 55-35 with 2:55 left.
“He’s going to be one of the sleepers,” Sovine said of Galentine. “People don’t know about him. He’s grown a couple inches from the summer. In practice he’s been working hard every day. For a sophomore I think he’s really going to have a big year for us.”
Cassell led Heritage in scoring with 14. Taylor had 12, Galentine and Brown 11 each. Myles Harris added six, Jaxon Feasby five, and Nolan Bowers two.
Richard led Leo with 15. Scrogham scored 12.
The Patriots were only 2-of-16 (13%) on threes but made up for it by going 21-for-30 (70%) on twos and 11-for-15 (73%) on free throws. Leo was 7-of-23 (30%) on threes, 8-of-21 (38%) on twos, and 5-of-9 (56%) on free throws.
Heritage turned the ball over just eight times, the Lions 12.
Leo won the JV game, 38-32. Jaxon Kerr led Heritage with 11 points. Daelyn Calhoun and Sawyer Thiele each had seven. Carson Cogdell led Leo with 12.
The Patriots will travel to Lakewood Park Christian next Tuesday.
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