After beating Boulder City by 19 in the first game of the Orange Holiday Classic, the Cubs looked to ride the momentum as they faced the Costa Mesa Mustangs.

Starting Lineup

PG: Jalen Cox, #3 (6’3”, Sr., G)

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

SF: Chase Toliver, #21 (6’3”, Sr., G/F)

PF: Vincent Sampson, #30 (6’1”, Sr., F/C)

C: Parker Jones, #13 (6’6”, Sr., F/C)

The Cubs made their presence known defensively, beginning with Jones blocking a three-point attempt by the Mustangs after the Cubs took a 4-2 lead.  With the game tied at 4, Jones got another steal and passed it to Cox, who found Toliver for a three with 4:33 remaining.  Jones also made his mark on the offensive end, draining a three to give the Cubs a 15-9 lead with 2:32 left.  Thirty seconds later, the 6’6” senior blocked a layup.  With time running out and the Cubs with possession, Cox drained a deep three to beat the buzzer and give Max Stern an assist.  The Cubs led 22-12 at the end of the first, led by Jones’s eight points.

The Cubs maintained their lead in the second, and Cox found Jones for a corner three with under three minutes remaining.  They led 32-19 when de Krassel drained a triple from the other corner with 2:10 to go.  The Cubs entered halftime with a 37-21 lead over the Mustangs.

In the second half, the Cubs rode the momentum from the first two quarters.  They led 49-24 when Vandeweghe ran from the paint to block a Mustang corner three with 2:55 remaining.  Loyola outscored Costa Mesa 20-6 in the period and were up 57-27 at the end of three.

The final frame continued to be a two-way clinic for the Cubs.  With a 60-29 lead, Ferguson blocked a free-throw line jumper at the 6:20 mark.  Luca Labuschagne blocked a layup with 2:41 to go.  Joe Longo deflected a pass and Jeric Calleja got out for a fastbreak layup to give the Cubs a 71-37 lead with 1:30 to play.  The Cubs closed it out and won convincingly once again with a final score of 73-40, their largest margin of victory this season.  They are now 16-2.

Jones led the Cubs in scoring with 16 points.  Labuschagne and de Krassel had 9 and 8 points, respectively.  Cox, Vandeweghe, and Peyton Lodge had 7 points each.  As a team, the Cubs tallied 44 rebounds, 17 assists, 12 steals, and 6 blocks.  They shot 44% from the field, 40% from deep, and 69% from the free-throw line.  They held Costa Mesa to 27% field goal shooting and 23% from three.

The Next Game

The Cubs begin Mission League play with a home game against St. Francis on January 5, 2022, at 7:00 PM.