HOLLAND, Mich. — A west Michigan high school basketball team mourning the death of a star player returned to the court Monday, winning a state tournament game that turned into a tribute for the 16-year-old who collapsed after scoring a winning basket last week.
Fennville High was playing its first game just four days after star guard Wes Leonard died from a heart ailment. Fennville, one of the state’s highest-rated Class C teams, beat Lawrence High 65-54 in a district opener. The Blackhawks (21-0) move to Wednesday’s second round.
Fennville teammates hugged and cried after the final buzzer sounded and the crowd of 3,500 erupted in a standing ovation.
“Wes would have wanted to win,” said Adam Siegel, a teammate of Leonard’s. “I wanted to win.”
Fennville sent four players onto the court for the opening tip. The fifth player took the court after a dramatic pause to wild cheering from the crowd.
Fennville’s last game was Thursday, when Leonard made the game-winning basket in overtime on his home court against Bridgman. Teams shook hands after the game and Leonard was lifted off the floor in celebration, a wide grin on his face.
Seconds later, he fell to the court, stunning a crowd estimated at more than 1,400. Leonard was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy by the Ottawa County medical examiner showed Leonard died of cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart.
“I’m just proud of the way we handled things; I’m proud of the way Lawrence handled things,” Fennville coach Ryan Klingler said. “The effort by both teams tonight is how it should be. I think Wes would be proud of us all. . . . I think he was watching down on us. This is a game he’d have liked.”
Leonard’s funeral is this morning.
