On Thursday, freshman Deryck Leeper outshot his older brother Brett to take a 12-10 win in the fall 1v1 tournament. 

The league, organized casually but played fiercely, has been holding games since the beginning of October. The first matchup was between basketball personalities “Lil England” and “El Fuego,” and new challengers have sprung up to encompass three grades and many more games. Deryck was 1-1 going into the Thursday matchup while Brett looked to begin (and potentially end) his league play with a decisive win against his younger sibling. The younger Leeper has stated his plans to play Winchester basketball; his brother is getting ready to captain the school’s fencing team.

During the warmup, Brett told Voices, “I feel good. With Deryck being my brother, it’s kind of a big game. But I feel good.”

Right before the game, an anonymous fan of the 1v1 tournament said, “I’ve been following this for a while. I’ve known Brett for a good minute now. I think Brett has got this because he’s just taller Deryck. Really, I think Brett’s just got an advantage in every way imaginable, and I think he’s going to beat Deryck.”

Deryck shot for it and missed, leaving Brett with the ball first. Strategies for both players became apparent early into the game. Brett preferred to drive past Deryck and make a contested layup while Deryck liked to find space and launch jumpshots. With an obvious lack of referee involvement, both sides voiced complaints during the game about uncalled fouls which would have gone their way, but by the break, Deryck was up 6-4.

At the half, Voices got a chance to speak to Deryck. He asserted, “I’m really beating this kid. I don’t really have a strategy, but what I’ve been doing seems to be working. The one thing is I think we need a new ref. They haven’t been doing a great job. The game would be done by now if the refs were doing their job. I’d give Brett two or three more points before this game is over.”

Ultimately, Deryck found his shots and managed the five points he needed to end the game, plus one more. With a 10-10 score, Deryck put up a 2 ball to finish the affair in style. Although Brett kept it competitive, he couldn’t close against his brother, and Deryck moved up to 2-1 in the league.

After the game, Brett lamented, “I haven’t played basketball in a couple of years; Deryck plays twice a day. Obviously, I was a little rusty. I didn’t expect what happened. I think I could’ve done better. Among the rest, I wish we had a better ref because some of his calls were wrong. If the reffing staff had been better, I definitely would’ve won. There were a couple of calls that would’ve been controversial. Maybe if they had gone my way, I might’ve came out on top. Also, though, I should’ve practiced. But I heard the league might consider playing lacrosse instead, and if we enter that domain, I don’t think it would even be a contest.”

More games are scheduled for this week, and new faces look to enter the fray. As of now, “Lil England” sits atop the standings with an unbeaten record, and with basketball season approaching, one could anticipate even more activity moving forward.