Coming off of a third-place finish at the St. John Bosco Winter Classic, the Cubs looked to dominate against the Central Catholic High School Buttons from San Antonio, Texas, in the second game of the Marianist Classic at Chaminade High School.
Starting Cubs:
PG: John Belardi, #12 (6’3”, G, Jr.)
SG: Andre Parris, #13 (6’3”, G/F, Sr.)
SF: Jack Kresich, #10 (6’7”, F, Jr.)
PF: Remington Rofer, #35 (6’8”, F/C, Jr.)
C: Colby Brooks, #20 (6’7”, C, Sr.)
1st Quarter
Brooks won the opening tip for the Cubs. After a series of missed shots by both teams, the Buttons struck first with a jumper at the 6:33 mark. The Buttons were sent to the line and made one of two free throws with 6:18 to go. The Cubs got on the board thanks to a Rofer layup with 4:55 remaining. The Cubs’ first substitution came at the 4:35 mark, as Uri Ferguson checked in for Kresich. Another Buttons jumper increased their lead to three, 5-2, with 4:15 remaining. A Parris steal gave the Cubs another possession at the 3:33 mark. The Cubs came within one with a Brooks jumper, and trailed 5-4 with 3:12 to go. They took the lead on a Parris jumper with 2:52 remaining. A great Cubs double-team on the sideline wasn’t enough as the Buttons scored again on another layup to regain the lead. The Buttons hit another layup to take a 9-6 lead over the Cubs with 2:30 left in the opening period. A three by Brooks tied the game at nine with 2:10 left. Grant Roquemore, who had checked into the game minutes earlier, took a charge at the 1:55 mark. Sucuveanu, who also came in after Roquemore, was fouled and buried two free-throws. The Cubs led 11-9 with 1:44 remaining. They added to their lead after Uri made one of two free throws with 1:32 left. Buckets by Sucuveanu and Jalen Cox gave the Cubs a 16-9 lead, and Kresich got a block with 16 seconds to go.
Score: 16-9 Cubs
2nd Quarter
The quarter began with a G-Roq chase down block followed by a turnover by Cox and another one by the Buttons. Kresich’s three at the 6:25 mark gave the Cubs a 10-point lead, 19-9. Roquemore’s steal led to a Kresich layup, and the Cubs led 21-9 with 6:17 remaining. Coach Adams put in the rest of his starters with 5:57 left in the quarter. The Cubs continued their dominance with a 4-0 run with a Parris layup and two Kresich free throws at the 4:42 mark. Trent Turner checked in for Kresich shortly after. Parris turned the ball over to the Buttons who got a layup with 3:50 left. Brooks answered with a layup of his own and the Cubs led 27-11. After a layup from each team, the Cubs continued to lead 29-13 with 2:44 left. Roquemore, who checked back in for Belardi, got a layup with two minutes left, giving the Cubs an 18-point lead. Rofer was back at it again with a charge at the 1:51 mark. The Cubs’ momentum continued with a travel called on the Buttons. Another G-Roq layup put the Cubs up 20 with 50 seconds left. The Buttons got an and-one layup with 24 seconds remaining, but missed the following free-throw. The Cubs entered the locker room with an 18-point lead.
Score: 33-15 Cubs
3rd Quarter
The Cub starters were back on the fourth as the Buttons got the first possession. Brooks finished the alley-oop with an authoritative slam, adding to the Cubs lead. Another Brooks’ layup gave the Cubs a 22-point lead with 6:37 left. The Buttons responded with a layup with under six minutes left. A Belardi three gave the Cubs their second-largest lead at 23 with 5:40 left. A five-second violation by the Buttons gave the Cubs the ball back on the next possession. Belardi was fouled with under five minutes left, but missed both free throws. The Buttons made a layup with 4:38 left. The Cubs still led 40-19. Two free-throws by the Buttons got them within 20 with 4:12 left. They made two more free throws, and the Cubs led 40-23 with 3:50 left. A Belardi three put the Cubs up by 20. Belardi was back at it again with a steal and layup giving the Cubs a 22-point lead, 45-23. Rofer was sent back to the line with 2:52 remaining, and made one of two free throws. Roquemore made both free throws with 2:04 left to give the Cubs a 25-point lead, 48-23. This was the Cubs’ largest lead. The Buttons responded with a three-point play at the 1:53 left. They got a steal and another layup with 1:16 left. A Button block on Trent Turner ended the quarter.
Score: 48-28 Cubs
4th Quarter
The Cubs got the ball to begin the final frame. Sucuveanu’s layup got the Cubs to the half-century mark, 50-28, with 7:50 to play. However, the Cubs could not silence the Buttons as they went on a 10-0 run. Coach Adams put in the starters again afterward, subbing out Uri, Trent, and Dylan Tracy-Lindenbaum. Belardi stopped the Buttons’ momentum with a layup at the 3:25 mark. The Buttons answered with a jumper with 3:11 to go. The Cubs called a timeout with three minutes to play. Coming out of the timeout, the Buttons got another layup to come within ten, 52-42, with 2:20 left. The Cubs ended the game on a 7-0 run with a Brooks layup at the 1:25 mark and six of eight made free throws by Keesich, Belardi, and Brooks.
FINAL: 59-42 Cubs
Cub of the Game
The Cub of the Game was John Belardi, who was named as the Player of the Game for Loyola. Belardi said, “The reason why we started losing our lead was because of turnovers and letting them go by on defense. Coach Jamal called a timeout and we were able to fix that and regain our lead to 17 by the end of the game.” As far as what he needs to improve on personally, Belardi said he needs to work on his free throws. “I need to be able to make those in the clutch, especially when they start fouling us. Other than that, just continuing to be a good facilitator for my teammates.”
Belardi says the team’s defense has been key to their success. “We just need to be guarding the other team and using our length at the basket,” he said. He also says the team needs to work on rebounding and pushing the ball in their transition offense.
The Next Game
The Cubs travel up north to St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco to participate in the Sand Dune Tournament. Their first game will be against Menlo-Atherton High School on December 26 at 4:30 pm.