JACKSON — Defense probably isn’t the first thing that pops into your head when you consider the athletic exploits of Raphael Leonard.
If you have seen the Starkville High School senior on the football field or on the basketball court, you likely would recall him elevating to highlight-reel levels to catch a touchdown pass from Brady Davis or snaring an alley-oop pass from Tyson Carter and delivering a rim-shaking dunk.
But Leonard showcased the depth of his all-around game Saturday night and turned to his defensive acumen to help the Starkville High boys basketball team cap a special season.
Locked in a 35-all tie in overtime with Madison Central, Leonard dug deep in his defensive stance and waited. He knew guard/forward Leroy Buchanan liked to use a cross-over dribble, so he kept his arms low and coiled for the opportunity to strike. When Leonard did, his instincts were true.
“I reached my hand down and the ball hit it,” Leonard said. “I just happened to end up with the ball and I laid the ball up.”
Leonard’s steal and layup off the steal from Buchanan with 2 minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the game proved to be the spark the catapulted Starkville to a 43-40 overtime victory against Madison Central in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A State title game at Mississippi Coliseum.
The steal was a fitting play to help send Starkville (26-5) to its first state title since 2010. It came on a night in which Leonard was saddled with foul trouble and played only 24 minutes. Leonard’s absence and Madison Central’s decision to pull the basketball out and run a deliberate offense stalled Starkville’s progress for much of the evening.
Still, Leonard (11 points, 11 rebounds) was able to make the play that energized his teammates.
“He just happened to do when I reached,” Leonard said. “I gambled and it paid off.”
Carter, who earned the game’s Most Valuable Player honors, led Starkville with 14 points. He also had six rebounds. Jesse Little added eight points and six rebounds, including 3 of 4 free throws in the four-minute extra session to help Starkville battle back from a six-point deficit in the third quarter and a seven-point hole in the fourth quarter.
Leonard sat out the final 6:03 of the second quarter after he was whistled for his second personal foul. The Yellow Jackets hung tough, though, and trailed only 20-16 at halftime. But Leonard picked up his third foul 41 seconds into the third quarter. He said he committed a “dumb” foul when he bodied a ballhandler after he lost him off the dribble near the sideline in front of the Starkville bench. Leonard showed his frustration by jumping in the air. He said he knew his absence would affect the Yellow Jackets, but he tried to remain focused on the bench as he watched the Jaguars build a 24-18 lead with 2:16 to go in the third quarter. That’s when Starkville coach Greg Carter had seen enough and re-inserted Leonard into the lineup.
Leonard paid immediate dividends, as he fed Little for a layup with 1:55 left in the quarter. He added two free throws with 48.7 seconds remaining in the frame.
Leonard’s activity and athleticism helped the Yellow Jackets regain their balance, even though it didn’t happen until midway through the fourth quarter. Josh Skinner scored on a hook shot off a drive, Carter didn’t hesitate and drained a jump shot in rhythm, and Leonard scored off a pass from Skinner to help Starkville cut a 30-23 deficit to 32-30. Little’s offensive rebound follow of a missed drive by Leonard tied the game and set the stage for a wild finish.
After calling two timeouts in the final minute, Madison Central attacked the basket, but Carter was on the low left block and deflected a pass in the lane. The steal helped set up a finish that featured a blocked inbounds pass, a fumbled pass that allowed Starkville to move from the endline to just inside midcourt to inbound the ball, a five-second call that was reversed, and a missed lob attempt to Leonard off the inbounds play at the end of regulation.
While that play didn’t work, Leonard and the Yellow Jackets were up to the challenge in overtime. Starkville hit just enough free throws (7 of 12) and survived three missed 3-pointers in the final 13.9 seconds to take the title.
Leonard had 60 catches for 1,147 yards and 14 touchdowns as a member of Starkville High’s football team that finished 13-1, but those Yellow Jackets didn’t get a chance to play for a title. Leonard said his motivation was to find a way to help the basketball team win a championship. He said he took a little extra satisfaction from making a defensive play to ignite the team.
“I felt when coach put me on Leroy in the fourth quarter and in overtime, I knew I had to step it up even more,” Leonard said. “That was our fourth time playing them, and I wanted to hold him every game, but coach said no because he knew I would get into foul trouble if I had to be the primary one holding him. I just had to do what I had to do, and when coach put me on him I knew I had to step up.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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