What a great opening night at Leonia! Before they faced off with New Milford, Leonia dedicated their court to former coach Lee Clark. Clark coached the Lions boys basketball team for 30 years, averaging 13 wins per season and winning the 1976 Group 1 state title. Now in his 70’s, Clark is the 6th-winningest coach in Bergen County history.
Dozens of former players, friends, and colleagues showed up at the game, mingled at the pre-game reception, and swapped stories about the golden years at Leonia. Bergen Catholic is the only other Bergen County School to name their court after a former coach and you could tell Coach Clark was truly touched.
The game vs. New Milford marked the first time in four years that the Lions would not have the services of Ahmad Hassan. The big question coming in was how would the Lions transition from a one-player dominated offense to a team game? Answer: by splitting scoring duties between Chaz Portera, Chris Carillo, and Austin Levy. Portera scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, Carillo recovered from an awful first half to chip in 13 points including 9-9 from the line, and Levy looked like a stud at point guard. Leonia won 58-49 and should be a serious threat to Park Ridge in the BCSL Olympic.
Leonia is now 1-0 on Lee Clark Court.
