Following a dominating start to the El Rancho Tournament, the Cubs looked to advance in the bracket and extend their winning streak to three as they faced the Montebello Oilers.  They would have to do so without their starting point guard Jalen Cox, who was out with a knee injury.

Starting Lineup

PG: Matthias Wagner, #12 (6’2”, Sr., G)

SG: Jonas de Krassel, #20 (6’4”, So., G/F)

SF: Max Stern, #15 (6’2”, Jr., G/F)

PF: Hugh Vandeweghe, #24 (6’6”, So., F/C)

C: Parker Jones, #13 (6’6”, Sr., F/C)

First Quarter

Jones wins the opening tip for the Cubs, and after a hectic sequence that included four offensive rebounds, Vandeweghe gets a two to fall with under seven minutes to go.  De Krassel adds to the lead with a layup at the 6:10 mark.  The Oilers nail a three with 5:40 to go and immediately call timeout.  Jones gets a steal and layup with 4:35 remaining.  A Montebello triple ties the game at six with four minutes to go, but Vandeweghe’s putback layup gives the Cubs the lead 15 seconds later.  Vincent Sampson gets a putback and-one, and completes the three-point-play with 3:30 remaining.  The score is 11-6 Cubs.  Owen Pentz steals the ball and scores a layup on the other end with 3:12 to go as the Cubs continue their dominant two-way play.  Wagner goes down with an ankle injury, and junior point guard Chad Crisostomo is immediately thrown into the fire.  De Krassel gets another steal and finds Crisostomo for the easy two with 2:30 to go.  Crisostomo finds Pentz for a layup with 1:11 remaining, as the Cubs go on an 11-0 run.  Sampson gets a block but it remains with the Oilers with 28 seconds left.  They cannot capitalize, turning it over to the Cubs.  Crisostomo drains a three with eight seconds left, and the Oilers get a layup to end the quarter.

Score: 20-8 Loyola

Second Quarter

The Cubs begin with possession but miss a three.  Pentz is fouled at the 7:10 mark and makes one of two free throws.  The Oilers get a layup with 6:34 remaining, and an outlet pass finds Josh Ferguson, but he misses a layup.  The Oilers begin to make things interesting, burying a three with 6:12 remaining and cutting the Cubs’ lead down to eight, 21-13.  A Jones block leads to a Ferguson layup with 5:36 remaining.  The Oilers are fouled at the 5:32 mark and make one of two.  The Cubs proceed to go on a 15-0 run, which includes layups from Jacoby Kelly, Owen Pentz, and Max Stern, as well as a three from Jones.  This run is eventually stopped with an Oiler steal and layup at the 2:09 mark.  Jones responds with a layup of his own at the one-minute mark.  The Oilers drain a three with 40 seconds left.  The Cubs end the half with great defense that prevents Montebello from having a good look at a shot, and they enter the locker room with a 19-point lead.

Score: 36-17 Loyola

Third Quarter

The Oilers get the ball to start the second half but can’t score.  De Krassel eurosteps his way into the lane for a layup with 7:27 to go.  He then gets a steal and Vandeweghe scores a putback hook shot with seven minutes remaining and a 40-17 lead for the Cubs.  The Oilers make a layup with 6:36 to go.  A series of turnovers from both teams leads to a timeout by coach Powell with 5:23 remaining, notably after the Cubs had four straight turnovers.  A scoring drought leads to another Cubs timeout with 3:42 to go.  De Krassel gets a layup off an inbounds pass with 2:50 remaining.  Jones dishes a sweet no-look dime to Kelly, who gets the layup to fall with 2:21 left in the period.  The Oilers are fouled with 1:48 remaining but miss both free throws.  Vandeweghe finds a cutting Max Stern for an easy layup with 1:25 remaining.  The Oilers drain a three with 46 seconds left, and both teams fail to score to end the quarter.

Score: 46-22 Loyola

Fourth Quarter

The Cubs get the ball to begin the final frame but turn it over at the 7:40 mark.  The Oilers get an and-one on the other end with 6:51 remaining and complete the three-point-play.  Kelly gets a layup with 6:36 remaining then scores on a putback with 5:49 to go.  Crisostomo connects with Jeric Calleja for a layup at the five-minute mark, and the Cubs have a 30-point lead, 55-25.  Crisostomo is fouled with 4:23 remaining, and sinks one of two.  Joe Longo finds Peyton Lodge for a layup with 3:50 to play.  The Oilers end the Cubs’ hot streak with a three at the 3:35 mark.  They call a timeout with 3:09 remaining.  Montebello gets another three to fall with under three minutes to play.  Calleja gets a steal but misses a layup with 40 seconds to go.  After the Oilers fail to score, the Cubs play keep-away for the final thirty seconds and notch their second win in the El Rancho Tournament.

FINAL: 58-31 Loyola

Postgame

Owen Pentz led the team with 11 points.  After the win, he spoke to his ability to set the tone for the team on the defensive end, saying, “I just hate being scored on, personally.  I hate the ball going in the basket.  I want the ball in my hands every time, and really it comes from a passion of scoring the ball.  Get a stop here, we get to go down and score on the other end.”

The Next Game

The Cubs play Dominguez High School in the semifinal game of the El Rancho tournament on Friday, December 3, with the time still TBD.  Follow the schedule for updates.

Pentz said the keys to winning that game are “Staying true to our principles, staying as intense as they are.”  He continued, “This team [Montebello] was really intense, but Dominguez is way more intense, more skilled, and bigger.  We gotta bring it.  We knew this would be an easier game, but we’ve got to bring it Friday night.”