Leesburg Basketball Club
After Session III the NYBL’s Leesburg Basketball Club via Prolific Performance Basketball was deemed the best kept secret of the 2020 class. This turned out to be excellent forecasting; LBC came into the NYBL’s Session 4 playoffs as a #10 seed but for the first time with a fully loaded and healthy roster. They proceeded to do what everyone expected and from the beginning of the season on their way to making it to the NYBL Championship game.
Leesburg’s first game was against the Mansfield Cavaliers from Ohio – a tough talented group with good size up front. Leesburg went down early but fought its way back, keeping the game close throughout. Late in the 3rd quarter LBC regained the lead on a series of scores from Chuck Harris and Jeremy Roach and never relinquished it. They next faced one of the top teams in the league in the Worldwide Wildcats out of Georgia and again battled back from behind to take the lead only to lose it and regain it again. Big steals and big shots are what defined this game as the team refused to lose winning another close one to move on to their final pool game undefeated. A easy win over the Mississauga Knights from Canada put LBC right where they wanted to be – the final four heading into Sunday morning.
The next morning LBC faced off against their local rival the Banneker Kings from Maryland; the Kings had revenge on their minds after a tough loss to LBC in the last Session. Jordan Toles and Montez McNeil both played well with 31-points and 15-points respectively; but it was Leesburg who used tempo, pace, execution down the stretch to secure the win after Banneker tied it up late to force overtime.
LBC’s weekend was a series of emotional hard fought victories in which a lot of energy was exerted. Jeremy Roach who is quickly becoming a fast rising star in the 2020 class continued to impress with his scoring, ball-handling, and offensive arsenal – Roach is a high end talent that will be heard from for years to come. He is one of the most complete players in the age group and he does it on both ends of the floor for his team. First Team Session III performer Chuck Harris was also very consistent providing scoring, rebounding, and clutch shooting multiple times throughout the weekend. Harris who can hurt you inside or out has one of the best back to the basket games for any guard we have seen in a long time. Not only can he score out of the block and short corner he is an excellent passer from their as well. Harris got the job done this weekend and throughout the other sessions from all 3 levels proving that he is a special player when called upon and even more so in close crucial situations. Josiah Hardy played tough and maintained LBC’s inside presence and is the most unheralded albeit important fixture; always running the floor, he finishes and passes well in the patterned LBC offense and was an important part of the teams weekend success. Jared Cross, Will Paige, and Garrett Johnson we glue guys who are poster boys for “team” – each was stars in their own rights hitting big shots, making the right passes, or grabbing a needed rebound or defensive stop.
Unfortunately in the end it wasn’t enough to secure the championship as the West Coast All-Stars prevailed in the championship. LBC simply ran out of gas after so many close and emotional games; the NYBL is a proverbial gauntlet that only the best teams in the country can survive. There is no shame in being one of the last two standing – as such congratulations and props to the squad from Virginia; Leesburg Basketball Club one of the best in the country as was proven in the toughest league in the country; the NYBL.
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