High school player dies after hitting game-winning shot


Above: Teammates hoist Wes Leonard up after he hit the game-winning basket Thursday as the Fennville (Mich.) Blackhawks celebrate their victory against the Bridgman Bees, bringing their record to 20-0. Leonard collapsed on the court shortly afterward and died hours later at Holland Hospital. (AP Photo/Dennis R.J. Geppert – The Holland Sentinel)

I was up late watching SportsCenter when I saw this sad news come out of Fennville, Michigan. It definitely puts things in perspective.

The Associated Press

FENNVILLE, Mich. — A western Michigan high school basketball player collapsed on the court and later died after making the game-winning shot to cap his team’s perfect season.

Holland Hospital spokeswoman Deb Patterson says 16-year-old Fennville High School basketball player Wes Leonard died Thursday night. A cause of death has not yet been determined.

Patterson says paramedics performed CPR on Leonard before he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The Holland Sentinel reported that Leonard had scored the game-winning layup in a 57-55 win over Bridgman in overtime to cap Fennville’s 20-0 season. Leonard fell to the ground after teammates and fans rushed the court.

The newspaper says Leonard was also a quarterback on the high school football team.

Fennville is about 200 miles west of Detroit.

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