April 23, 2024
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Boys Basketball: ‘Ultimate warrior’ LeBaron Lee leads Yorkville to hard-fought win over Romeoville

Lee scores 20 points, grabs nine rebounds; Foxes get 21 bench points in 70-65 win

By Joshua Welge
Yorkville's LeBaron Lee (35) takes a hard foul by Romeoville defender Aaron Brown (10) during a boys' basketball game at Yorkville High School on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.

Yorkville's LeBaron Lee (center) takes a hard foul by Romeoville defender Aaron Brown during Tuesday's game in Yorkville. (Steven Buyansky for Shaw Local News Network/Steven Buyansky for Shaw Local N)

YORKVILLE – LeBaron Lee wore a splint with black pre-wrap and white tape to stabilize an injured thumb, but good luck convincing the Yorkville senior to leave the court.

After the Foxes’ game Friday, Lee texted head coach John Holakovsky “good for 32 minutes” Tuesday night.

“He’s just that type of kid. He wants it more than anybody else I know,” Holakovsky said. “I’m telling you right now he is the ultimate competitor. The ultimate warrior.”

Lee indeed was that Tuesday, and needed to be.

The 6-foot-3 post played all 32 minutes, led the Foxes in scoring and came just shy of a double-double. With 6-foot-10 teammate Jason Jakstys missing almost the entire final three quarters with an injury, Yorkville rode Lee’s yeoman effort and a big night from its bench to a 70-65 Southwest Prairie Conference win over visiting Romeoville.

Lee had 20 points and nine rebounds, and the Foxes (15-3, 6-2 SPC) never trailed again after he split two free throws with 3:34 left for a 57-57 tie. Lee followed with a drop step power move for the lead, bowling over a Romeoville defender in the process.

“It was definitely an obstacle for us to bounce back from Jason coming out – he’s obviously a big piece of our offense and defense,” Lee said. “With him out I just felt I had to get the other guys to get that energy and really have that competition and fight back, and get what we’re missing. It was a competitive game, physical, all over the place. We just kept our composure.”

Yorkville's Bryce Salek makes a breakaway layup and get the foul by Romeoville defender Aaron Brown (10) during a boys' basketball game at Yorkville High School on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.

Romeoville at Yorkville Boys' Basketball Yorkville's Bryce Salek makes a breakaway layup and get the foul by Romeoville defender Aaron Brown (10) during a boys' basketball game at Yorkville High School on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Steven Buyansky for Shaw Local News Network/Steven Buyansky for Shaw Local N)

Bryce Salek came off the bench with Jakstys missing the whole second half to score 12 points and had a key steal in the final minute, and Dayvion Johnson added 10 points. The Foxes got 21 points off their bench – with even seldom-used Caleb Fisher scoring two key baskets late in the third quarter to send it to the fourth tied 49-49.

“He hasn’t played one minute of meaningful basketball, we needed someone and he was amazing,” Holakovsky said of Fisher. “It was a 14-person win. No matter if you got a lot of minutes, a few minutes, it took everyone to win that game. We had to do all the little things to get that win, to do whatever it takes. And we did that.”

Yorkville in doing so overcame a sensational performance from Romeoville’s dynamic backcourt of senior Troy Cicero Jr., who scored 26 points, and junior Meyoh Swansey, who scored 24, and combined for nine 3-pointers.

Swansey, who scored 17 of his 24 in the first half, made a pull-up jumper in the lane with 2:43 left to tie it at 59-59. But the Spartans (13-8, 5-3) had four empty possessions after that while Yorkville creeped ahead on two free throws apiece from Kaevian Johnson and Jorey Boley.

Romeoville had five fourth-quarter turnovers, two of them during that four-possession stretch.

“Down the stretch had some turnovers, too late in the game to recover from,” Romeoville coach Marc Howard said. “I thought they did a great job, they had contributions off the bench and their starting corps played pretty solid.”

Romeoville's Troy Cicero, Jr (12) slams the ball over Yorkville defender Jovaughn Brown during a boys' basketball game at Yorkville High School on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.

Romeoville at Yorkville Boys' Basketball Romeoville's Troy Cicero, Jr (12) slams the ball over Yorkville defender Jovaughn Brown during a boys' basketball game at Yorkville High School on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Steven Buyansky for Shaw Local News Network/Steven Buyansky for Shaw Local N)

Lee led the way in that regard.

Running the floor, attacking the glass, the Illinois State baseball recruit scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half, with three of Yorkville’s nine offensive rebounds in the first half. The Foxes led by as many as eight, 29-21, and took a 35-34 lead into halftime.

“He is a beast,” Holakovsky said. “He could be a Division II basketball player if he wanted to be. He’s so good, he’s so physical, he’s so smart, he’s such a leader for us. He is our X-factor.”

Cicero scored 14 of his 26 points in the second half, with four 3-pointers. The 6-foot-2 guard also had a sensational two-handed dunk over a Yorkville player midway through the third quarter. The Spartans, nonetheless, lost for the third time in a tough four-game stretch following losses last week to Bolingbrook and Oswego East.

“We got to get right back to it,” Howard said. “The end of the season, postseason is coming up fast. We have to put some wins together and get our confidence back.”

Yorkville, with the win, remained two games back of Oswego East and Joliet West in the SPC while dropping Romeoville a game behind the Foxes.

“We just took pride in this game, and came in with a fighting attitude,” Lee said.