IMAGE CREDIT: Brody Hannon Photography

After dominating Alemany in their Mission League opener, the Cubs looked to extend their current winning streak to four as they faced the St. Francis Golden Knights.

Starting Lineup

PG: Jalen Cox, #3 (6’4”, Sr., PG)

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

SF: Chase Toliver, #21 (6’4”, Sr., G/F)

PF: Vincent Sampson, #30 (6’4”, Sr., F/C)

C: Parker Jones, #13 (6’6”, Sr., F/C)

First Quarter

Jones gets the opening tip, but the Golden Knights steal the ball and eventually knock down a three with 7:38 remaining.  A de Krassel jumper gets the Cubs on the board at the 6:25 mark, still trailing 3-2.  Cox gets a steal, de Krassel throws a lob, and Chase Toliver finishes with a layup with 5:37 remaining.  The Golden Knights quickly regain the lead with a putback layup on the other end with 5:18 to go.  They make two free throws at the 4:54 mark, and get a tip-in to fall with 4:25 remaining, leading to a Cub timeout.  Owen Pentz makes a two-pointer with 2:42 remaining.  Jacoby Kelly’s layup makes it a one-point game, 9-8, with 1:17 to go.  The Golden Knights are sent to the line with 46 seconds left.  They make both free throws to gain a 11-8 advantage.  Kelly takes a charge with 3.4 seconds left, and the quarter ends as Pentz misses a half-court heave.

Score: 11-8 St. Francis

Second Quarter

The Cubs get the ball to begin the second quarter, but immediately turn it over.  The Golden Knights have possession with 7:48 remaining, but fail to take advantage of the opportunity.  Toliver gets a steal, but Pentz gets called for a travel at the 7:09 mark.  St. Francis drains a three with 6:48 remaining, but Hugh Vandeweghe answers right back with a two-point bank shot 14 seconds later.  At this point, the Golden Knights lead 14-10.  Pentz draws the charge with 6:11 remaining.  A Jones fadeaway makes it a two-point game with 5:26 remaining.  A Toliver steal-and-layup ties the game at 14 with around 5:10 remaining.  The Cubs take the lead off a Cox layup at the 4:43 mark.  Despite scrappy Cub defense on a second-chance opportunity, the Golden Knights get a layup to fall with four minutes left, tying the game again at 16.  Cox is sent to the line with 3:53 remaining and makes both free throws.  The Golden Knights refuse to stay silent, however, drilling another three that gives them a 19-18 lead with under three minutes left in the half.  Cox and the free throw line meet once again, as he is sent there for three attempts with 2:20 left.  To hardly anyone’s surprise, he makes all three, and the Cubs lead 21-19.  The Golden Knights make another three with 2:02 remaining to take a 22-21 lead.  Cox finds Jones for a three on the other end with 1:50 remaining.  De Krassel blocks a shot, but gets called for a charge on the other end with 1:32 left.  The Cubs enter the bonus with 1:03 remaining, and Pentz misses the following free throw.  Cox gets another steal but turns it over with 31 seconds left.  The Golden Knights miss two free throws with 22 seconds to go.  Cox gets a layup to fall with six seconds remaining, and the Cubs finish the first half up by five.

Score: 26-21 Loyola

Third Quarter

The Golden Knights have possession to start, but Cox steals it away and lays it up and in with 7:40 remaining.  The Golden Knights drill a three at the seven-minute mark and make it a 28-24 ball game.  De Krassel finds Cox for a triple with 6:10 remaining.  An outlet pass from Jones finds Toliver for an easy layup with 5:52 to go.  At this point, it’s a 7-3 Loyola run that gives them a 33-24 lead.  The Golden Knights respond quickly, making two free throws at the 5:42 mark and drilling a three with 5:17 remaining.  St. Francis has now cut it to a four-point Cub lead, 33-29.  A Toliver triple (and Cox assist) puts the Cubs up seven with 3:51 remaining.  A putback layup by the Golden Knights forces a Loyola timeout with 3:34 to go.  Jones gets a block at the 3:07 mark, but St. Francis retains possession.  They get a layup to go with 2:56 remaining.  The Golden Knights are sent to the free throw line with 1:44 left; they make both free throws to make it a one point game.  St. Francis takes the lead off of a pair of free throws with 1:28 left.  Jones gets an and-one on the other end, but cannot convert the following free throw.  The Cubs lead 38-37.  The Golden Knights find themselves back at the line and make both free throws to take the lead back with 49 seconds left.  Vincent Sampson is fouled with 31 seconds remaining, and he makes one of two to tie the game.  Jones misses two free throws with 23 seconds left, and St. Francis airballs a three at the end of the quarter.

Score: Tied at 39

Fourth Quarter

Fasten your seatbelts for this one!  The Cubs get the ball to start, but the Golden Knights steal it and miss the layup.  St. Francis is fouled with 7:52 remaining and makes both free throws to take a 41-39 lead.  The Cubs call a timeout with 7:31 to play.  Jones is fouled with 6:53 remaining and makes both free throws.  The Golden Knights and Toliver trade layups, and we’re tied again at 43.  St. Francis gets a two-pointer to fall with 6:05 remaining.  Jones blocks a corner three and gets a putback layup with 5:10 remaining.  The Golden Knights get a three to fall with 4:50 remaining, which gives them a 48-45 lead and forces the Cubs to call another timeout.  Cox gets another steal and Toliver finds him for the layup with 4:20 to play.  The Cubs get another steal thanks to—you guessed it, Jalen Cox—and he finds de Krassel for a clutch three with four minutes remaining.  The Cubs lead 50-48.  Cox is fouled with 3:17 left and makes one of two.  The Golden Knights get a two to go with 2:40 remaining, and the Cubs use their final timeout.  The Cubs inbound the ball shortly after, but turn it over to the Golden Knights.  The Golden Knights get another two-pointer to fall and now lead 52-51.  Cox comes right back, takes a three from near the top of the key, and banks it in with 1:10 to play.  The 6’4” senior earns his 20th point of the night and gives the Cubs a 54-52 lead.  The Golden Knights are sent to the line with 37 seconds remaining, make one of two, and immediately call a timeout.  Pentz is sent to the free-throw line with 15.6 seconds remaining and makes both of them to give the Cubs a 56-53 lead.  The Golden Knights waste some valuable time but call another timeout with 8.5 seconds to play.  As they get set for a shot that can tie the game, Cox comes up with a big-time steal that seals the deal with 1.6 seconds remaining.  He is sent to the line afterwards and puts the game in the refrigerator, sinking two clutch free throws with ice in his veins.  The Cubs hang on in a fantastic finish against the Golden Knights to attain their second win in the Mission League.  They extend their winning streak to four and improve to 18-2 overall.

FINAL: 58-53 Loyola

Cub of the Game: Jalen Cox ‘22

Tonight’s Cub of the Game was none other than Jalen Cox, who had an incredible outing with 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and six assists.  My postgame interview with him can be found here.

Statistics

Aside from Cox, there were other Cubs who stuffed the stat sheet, including:

• Parker Jones ‘22: 11 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, two assists, one steal
• Chase Toliver ‘22: 11 points, three steals, three assists,
• Jonas de Krassel: Five points, two rebounds, two assists, one block
• Owen Pentz: Four points, six rebounds, two steals

To view photos from tonight’s game, check out Brody Hannon’s album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/brodyhannon/albums/72177720295879301/page1

The Next Game

The Cubs play the Notre Dame Knights on Wednesday, January 12, at 7:00 PM.