After beating Calabasas on the road, the Cubs hoped to continue to keep their winning streak alive as they faced the Santa Fe Chiefs in the G.Y.M. R.A.T. Challenge at Cerritos High School.

Starting Lineup

PG: Jalen Cox, #3 (6’3”, Sr., G)

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

SF: Jacoby Kelly, #14 (6’3”, Sr., G/F)

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

C: Parker Jones, #13 (6’6”, Sr., F/C)

First Quarter

Jones wins the opening tip, and Cox immediately finds Sampson for a layup within the first five seconds of the game.  Jones gets a putback layup to fall with under seven minutes remaining.  Cox continues the Cubs’ run with a layup at the 6:40 mark, leading to a timeout by Santa Fe.  The Chiefs are fouled with 6:09 to go and make one of two at the free throw line.  Jones finds Jonas de Krassel, who is fouled with 5:17 left, but makes both free throws.  The Cubs lead 8-1.  De Krassel gets a steal, and Cox finds him for a layup with 4:50 to go.  Jones gets a chasedown block but misses a three with 4:25 remaining.  The Chiefs drill a three with under four minutes left, and it’s a 10-4 Cubs lead.  Sampson is fouled with 3:41 left, but misses both free throws.  Cox gets a steal and layup with 3:25 remaining.  Owen Pentz gets a steal and the Cubs retain possession, but cannot score with under three minutes left.  The Chiefs drill a three with 2:43 left, and it’s a five-point game.  Jones gets a two with 2:30 remaining.  The Chiefs counter with a layup with under two minutes to go, and the Cubs lead 14-9.  Hugh Vandeweghe drills a three with 1:05 left.  Good Cub defense leads to a missed shot by the Chiefs to end the first quarter.

Score: 17-9 Loyola

Second Quarter

The Chiefs get the ball to begin the second quarter but miss a three.  A drought by both teams is broken up with a Chief triple with 6:43 remaining.  Owen Pentz gets a steal and an and-one layup with 6:07 to go, but he misses the following free throw.  The Chiefs get a putback layup thanks to a defensive breakdown by the Cubs with 5:37 to go.  Cox gets a steal and finds Sampson for an easy layup with 5:04 remaining.  The Chiefs get a steal and three with 4:46 to go, leading to a timeout by the Cubs.  Santa Fe buries another three at the 4:13 mark to make it a one point game.  Jones gets a block, and the Cubs play phenomenal defense to force a shot-clock violation by the Chiefs with 2:36 to go.  Matthias Wagner finds a cutting Cox for an easy layup with 2:22 remaining.  The Cubs lead 23-20.  De Krassel gets to the rim for a layup with under a minute left in the half, extending the lead to five.  Cox gets a layup in transition with 13 seconds left.  He then makes a running floater three to end the period in style.  Afterwards, Peyton Lodge tells him, “I know that’s going in Jordan’s report!”  You bet!

Score: 30-20 Loyola

Third Quarter

The Cubs get the ball to begin the second half, and Cox’s layup attempt rolls off the rim.  De Krassel scores another layup with 7:14 remaining.  Jacoby Kelly finds Sampson for a layup with 5:52 remaining.  Sampson gets a tip off a Cox miss with 5:25 to go.  Kelly’s steal and layup put the Cubs up 38-20 with 4:47 remaining.  A Cox steal leads to Wagner free throws at the 4:23 mark; he makes one of two.  Ferguson is fouled with 4:06 left, but misses both free throws.  An offensive rebound by the Cubs leads to a layup by Pentz at the 3:40 mark, and Max Stern joins in on the action with a two of his own 20 seconds later.  The Cubs’ 13-0 run is ended with a layup by the Chiefs with 3:05 remaining.  Pentz is fouled with 2:50 remaining, but he also misses both free throws.  The Chiefs get another layup with 1:30 left in the period.  Ferguson gets a steal and layup at the 1:06 mark.  A steal by the Cubs leads to a Stern layup with a minute remaining.  The Chiefs are sent to the line with 48 seconds left and drill both free throws.  A Hugh hookshot at the 30-second mark gives the Cubs a 49-26 lead, which remains intact after both teams miss shots to end the quarter.

Score: 49-26 Loyola

Fourth Quarter

The Chiefs get the ball to begin the final frame.  Vandeweghe steals it away but misses a jumper with 7:19 remaining.  Chad Crisostomo gets a steal but turns it over with 7:06 to play.  The Chiefs make a four-point-play with under seven minutes left, but the Cubs still lead 49-30.  They get another three to fall with 6:10 to go.  Luca Labuschagne’s three-pointer drops with a lucky bounce at the 5:52 mark, and it’s a 52-33 ball game.  Crisostomo finds Vandeweghe for a three with 4:52 left.  The Chiefs respond with a triple of their own 12 seconds later.  They enter the bonus with 4:30 to play, but miss the following free throw.  Santa Fe scores a two with four minutes remaining.  Crisostomo finds Lodge, who misses the layup with 3:23 to play.  Vandeweghe gets a putback layup off a missed three by Crisostomo, and the Cubs lead 58-38 with 2:45 left.  Stern forces a Chief airball from downtown shortly after.  The Chiefs make one of two free throws with 2:24 remaining.  Vandeweghe gets a Kobe-esque behind-the-backboard shot to fall with 1:53 to play.  He gets a putback two to fall with 50 seconds remaining.  The Chiefs dribble out the clock, and the Cubs head back to Loyola with their hot streak still standing.

FINAL: 61-39 Loyola

Cub of the Game: Hugh Vandeweghe

Tonight’s Cub of the Game was Hugh Vandeweghe ‘24, who was the spark off the bench with 14 points.  My postgame interview with him can be found in the Videos section of the REPu app.

The Next Game

The Cubs enter the week playing four games in four days, beginning with a tournament at Monrovia High School.  They face Littlerock High School on Monday, December 20th, at 5:30 PM.