By Joe Perrino, Sports Information Assistant

LA VERNE — The La Verne Leopards walked out of The Tents on Saturday, Feb. 12 just one step closer to solidifying a spot in the SCIAC playoff tournament after a thrilling 97-91 victory over the Whittier Poets.

The Leopards offense was on fire the entire game, opening the contest with four straight buckets, and keeping the same energy throughout the entire game.

The Leos trailed at half, 47-41, and that deficit expanded to 10 coming right out of the locker room, but the Leos would not back down. The squad clawed back with three pointers from Paul Antonis, jumpers from Brian Adams, and fantastic play from Tavares James, who had the best night of his career.  

That trio, along with Isaiah Knox, who finished with 23 — the second highest point total on the team, and his career high — gave the Leos a 59-58 lead with 11:41, and they never looked back.

In the second half, the Leos shot 50% from the field and 60% from the three-point line. The X-factor, which they have lacked this season, was their stellar 87% shooting from the free-throw line — coming from a team that shoots just north of 60% from the stripe.

Five Leos finished in double-figures. Antonis knocked down four threes on his way to a 27-point night. James ended with 18 points, shooting 8-10 from the field and 2-2 from three. Adams and Shaw finished with 15 and 10 respectively, and Shaw added yet another double-double to his ledger. 

What's next for the Leos?

As of now, La Verne sits at 2-9 in conference, while two teams have only three wins in SCIAC play. If the Leos win two out of their next three contests, between Chapman, Occidental, and Pomona-Pitzer, the squad could end the season in eighth place; good enough for a playoff spot.

With this win, La Verne's overall record is 5-16. Whittier drops to 8-13 and 3-10 in SCIAC play.

The Leos next matchup is on Wednesday, Feb. 16 as they host the SCIAC leaders, Chapman.