Cooper Leach

The Doniphan West Mustangs were 0-21 two years ago and just 4-17 last year but this year the school is enjoying a top notch season and headed to State for the first time in its 10 years as Doniphan West.

The Mustangs earned a spot at the 1A-Division I State tournament by winning the Frankfort Sub-State which was no easy task, beating Valley Heights and Centralia. Junior, Cooper Leach helped lead the charge in the wins and this season for Doniphan West.

In the Semifinals the Mustangs took down Valley Heights, edging them 52-51 with a late free throw; Leach posted 17 points in the contest going 5-6 from the charity stripe and helped Doniphan West close out the game with 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Leach and his teammates followed that performance up with a 52-37 win over Centralia to take home the Sub-State Championship hardware. Cooper lead a quartet of Mustangs in double figures in the contest posting 15 points in the game and going 6-8 from the free throw line, while scoring seven of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to help Doniphan West close out the game with a 25-point fourth quarter to earn the win.

Throughout the season Cooper has out on a scoring show for the Mustangs, including a few highlight dunks. Leach touts an impressive stat line, filling the stat sheet with regularity as he averages 15.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.6 apg and 2.3 spg on the year, while shooting 55% from inside the arc and 33% from three-point range on the year. Leach’s best game offensively came against Axtell during the year with a 26 point performance.

On the season Leach has helped lead Doniphan West to the new heights as they are 17-7 on the season, took fourth in the Twin Valley League tournament and finished sixth in the toughest small school League in Kansas the TVL.

Leach and his teammates head to State for the first time as Doniphan West and riding a wave of success winning nine of their last 10 games, as they look to continue their season on Thursday in Emporia at the Class 1A-Division I State tournament.