Image via Loyola Athletics // Twitter

After a thrilling overtime win over Dominguez, the Cubs had their sights set on coming home with more hardware, facing the Bell Gardens Lancers for the tournament championship. Before the game, coach Powell told his team that the key to the game was, “Get in the paint.”

Starting Lineup

PG: Jalen Cox, #3 (6’3”, Sr., G)

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

SF: Jacoby Kelly, #14 (6’4”, Sr., G/F)

PF: Vincent Sampson, #30 (6’3”, Sr., F/C)

C: Parker Jones, #13 (6’6”, Sr., F/C)

First Quarter

Jones wins the opening tip for the Cubs.  Sampson gets a putback layup to drop with 7:30 remaining to get the Cubs on the board first.  A Jones steal leads to a de Krassel jumper with 7:02 left.  Sampson gets an and-one layup at the 6:42 mark, but misses the following free throw.  The Cubs lead 6-0.  The Cubs get the offensive rebound but Sampson’s layup is blocked shortly after.  Off another miss from the Cubs, Sampson gets the offensive rebound, which leads to another possession for Loyola.  Cox drains a three with 6:09 remaining, and the lead is 9-0 Cubs.  The Lancers finally get a jumper to fall with six minutes to play.  Cox responds with a floater shortly after, and it’s an 11-2 ball game.  De Krassel finds Cox for an easy layup with 5:29 remaining.  Sampson gets a steal and layup with 5:20 to go, and the Cubs remain on top 15-2.  This prompts Bell Gardens to call a timeout, flustered by the offensive firepower the Cubs have come out with.  Sampson gets another layup to score with under five minutes remaining.  A Cox steal leads to yet another Sampson layup with 4:33 to go.  Jones takes a deep triple from the “Dons” logo and swishes it with less than four minutes remaining.  The Lancers make a three and call timeout after with 3:41 to go.  At this point, it’s a 22-5 Loyola lead.  Pentz tips in a Chase Toliver miss with 3:25 remaining.  The Lancers get a tough layup with 2:50 to go.  A Toliver steal leads to two free throws for Kelly, who misses both with 2:27 remaining.  Toliver is sent to the line with 2:23 to go, and he makes one of two.  The Lancers make a triple with 2:08 left to make it a 15-point game.  Another Cox steal leads to a triple from Pentz with 1:10 remaining.  The Lancers get a layup to fall with 50 seconds left.  Cox is fouled on a three with 32 seconds to go, and makes two of three.  Bell Gardens drains a two with 20 seconds left, and Toliver misses a three to end the quarter.

Score: 30-14 Loyola

Second Quarter

The Lancers get the ball to start the second quarter, and score on a layup with 7:42 remaining.  Hugh Vandeweghe gets a three to fall with 7:08 remaining.  The Lancers answer with a three of their own, and it’s a 33-19 Cub lead.  Sampson is sent to the line with 6:48 to go and misses both.  The Lancers drain a triple to make it an 11 point game with 6:18 remaining.  Vandeweghe gets a putback layup to fall with 5:53 remaining.  It is now a 35-22 Cubs lead.  The Lancers bury another three with 5:34 to go.  Jones finds Sampson for another layup with 3:40 left in the half.  The Lancers drain--you guessed it, another three--with 2:53 to go and call timeout shortly after.  Jones’s shot is blocked but the Cubs retain possession with 2:15 remaining.  They get two offensive rebounds before Kelly is blocked.  The Lancers get a layup to go with 1:40 remaining to make it a seven-point game, 37-30.  Cox gets a steal in the backcourt and lays it up and in with 1:19 remaining.  The phenomenal Cub defense strikes once again, as they force a shot-clock violation with 40 seconds to go.  Cox gets a two with 31 seconds left.  Bell Gardens misses a three to end the half, and it’s an 11-point game heading into the locker room.

Score: 41-30 Loyola

Third Quarter

The Cubs get the ball to begin the second half, and Kelly gets a layup to go with 7:42 remaining.  He gets another one off of a dime by Cox with 7:23 to go.  A Cox outlet leads to a Sampson layup with 6:53 remaining.  Bell Gardens turns it over, and Jones gets a layup with 6:35 left.  The Lancers are sent to the line with 6:27 remaining, and gets two free throws to go, one of which came off a lane violation.  A Jones three gives the Cubs a 20-point lead with 6:05 remaining.  Kelly is sent to the line with 5:52 to go, and makes one of two.  The Lancers get a layup to go with 5:24 left.  Cox lobs it up to Jones, who throws down a thunderous two-hand dunk with 4:35 remaining.  Sampson scores a layup with 4:30 left.  Pentz gets a two-pointer to bank in with 3:52 remaining.  Jones gets a block but Bell Gardens retains possession with 3:38 to go.  Pentz misses a jumper but gets a putback layup to fall with 2:50 remaining.  The score is 63-34 Cubs.  Toliver finds Stern for a layup with 2:21 remaining.  Toliver continues to make the right plays, passing it to Cox and getting it back for an easy layup with 1:50 remaining.  A Pentz steal leads to a de Krassel layup with 1:30 to go.  Toliver gets a layup to go with 50 seconds remaining.  Cox finds de Krassel for a layup with 31 seconds left.  Pentz is fouled with 16 seconds remaining, and makes one of two.  The Lancers finally get a layup with three seconds left, ending a 20-2 Cubs run.  The Cubs end their “best quarter of the season,” according to assistant coach Ernie Hill, after scoring 33 POINTS.

Score: 74-36 Loyola

Fourth Quarter

After an out-of-this-world third quarter, the Cubs look to finish the job, even with Mercy Rule, which involves a running clock.  Bell Gardens gets the ball to start, but neither team can get the ball in the basket until a Lodge steal leads to a layup from Chad Crisostomo with seven minutes left.  After another steal by Lodge, Crisostomo finds him for a layup at the 6:25 mark.  The Lancers get a three with 6:20 remaining.  Ferguson gets a layup with six minutes left, and the Cubs lead 80-41.  Bell Gardens drains back-to-back threes with about five minutes remaining.  Ferguson gets an and-one layup off a Vandeweghe dime with 4:47 left.  The Lancers get a layup with four minutes remaining.  Luca Labuschagne is fouled with 2:30 left and makes both free throws.  The score is 84-49 Cubs.  The Lancers make a three with 1:41 to go.  Jeric Calleja gets sent to the line with 1:14 remaining, and he makes one of two.  The Lancers get another three with 37 seconds left.  They are fouled at the three-second mark and make one free throw.  The Cubs come home with another tournament championship under their belt after dominating Bell Gardens the entire game.

FINAL: 85-56 Loyola

Postgame

Cox was named to the All-Tournament team, scoring 18 points in the last game and 10 points today. Jones was named the tournament MVP, getting 13 points. Vincent Sampson led the way with 16 points.

After the game, coach Powell said, “We feel good. I’m just happy for the guys.  They bought into the culture we’re trying to build, and it’s good to see them enjoy the fruits of their labor.”  Powell has also been trying to set a standard for his team for them to be successful.  To that end, he stated, “It’s still a challenge.  You see glimpses of it here and there...As a coach, you’re always challenging them to meet a higher standard, get them out of their comfort zone.  That’s an ongoing challenge.  But today, they played well, they played together, and I was really happy for them.”

The Next Game

The Cubs face the Verbum Dei Eagles at Leavey Gymnasium on Wednesday, December 8, at 7:00 PM.