Quarter 1

The Cubs win the tip, but immediately turn the ball over. The Cubs look like they lack some energy and intensity as they give up four in a row. The Cubs show that they have no difficulty forcing turnovers but are also willing to give the ball right back to their opponents on a few straight possessions. The Cubs simply don’t have the same intensity from the Fairfax game to start. What doesn’t help is the team’s inability to give themselves any good looks on offense. This quickly changes as a dunk Keefe signals a shift in momentum where the Cubs take their first lead of the game. The Cubs begin to look like themselves shortly before making their first substitutions of the game. The subs don’t help the problem the team is having with giving up offensive boards as they give up the third of the first quarter. The team is ice cold after gaining some heat as they miss five straight field-goal attempts but manages to get points on the board by earning free throws, shooting one-hundred percent from the line after the first quarter concludes.

Stats:

FGM- 5

FGA- 13

TPM- 1

TPA- 5

FTM- 4

FTA- 4

TO- 3

Score: 15-9

Quarter 2

The Cubs open the quarter with the sub lineup and quickly convert on an athletic layup from Colby after a sweet dime from Mason but give up a three have their lead diminished to five. That doesn’t matter though as the Cubs rip off a ridiculous 9-3 run that puts them in control of the match. The run seems to come to a close as the Lions respond with a 5-0 run of their own that is compounded by the first Cub turnover of the quarter, coming off a five-second violation. The Cubs opened up the quarter a perfect 3-3 from the field but missed two in a row right after, slowing the scoring down to zero for about three minutes. Luckily, the Cub defense hunkered down and didn’t give up any points either in that time. A quick mid-range shot from the Lions ends the dry spell, but the Cubs respond quickly off an Lucenti layup. Keefe converts a layup to extend the lead back to eight. The quick 4-0 run from the Cubs means the Lions head coach calls timeout. Out of the timeout, the Cubs get a stop but continue the poor practice of giving up second chance opportunities yet again. The blemish is alleviated by the first Cub three of the quarter from Neil.

Stats:

FGM- 6

FGA- 8

TPM- 1

TPA- 1

FTM- 3

FTA- 4

TO- 2

Score: 31-20

At the half, the Cubs seem to be playing a game of runs where either team goes on spells of dominating the game. Fortunately, the Cubs have had the momentum shift their way more often than not, allowing them to accumulate an eleven-point lead. What also helped the team was the high efficiency of their shooting, a result of converting on numerous high percentage opportunities. The team shot remarkably well from the line, too, only missing one attempt in the first half. The only real critique of the team at half is the propensity they showed to give up offensive rebounds.

Quarter 3

The Cubs open the half with a play that produces post-up look that just misses. The Lions hit a three to open the third quarter; the Cubs make a quick layup to respond. The Cubs get Lucenti the ball straight after he makes the layup because of the steal they force. He gets fouled and hits both free throws. Anthony Lucenti gets an offensive rebound after a stop to give him a personal 6-0 run against the Lions. The Lions finally end the dry spell with a layup conversion, but Keefe runs the floor and forces the defense to foul him. He hits both free throws and the lead is fourteen. The Lions hit a quick shot to cut the lead to twelve and follow it up with a steal and dunk. The steal was the first turnover of the second half for the Cubs. The Cubs recover with a dunk from Keefe as he cleans up the offensive rebound. The Cubs have very clearly remedied their offensive rebounding problem as they recover three in a row before Neil gets fouled. They show that they also won’t be giving up as many offensive rebounds on their end of the floor either, as a Colby rebound leads to a Keefe euro and score. The Cubs are getting to every loose ball it seems as they keep getting offensive rebounds. The Cubs have a short dry spell but quickly address it with four quick fast break points. A monster block from Colby seems to show the Cubs dominance of the game. The run for the Cubs is ended on a four-point play from the Lion guard, leaving the lead at only twelve heading to the fourth.

Stats: 48-36

FGM- 6

FGA- 11

TPM- 0

TPA- 2

FTM- 5

FTA- 6

TO- 1

Score:

Quarter 4

The team continues to on high percentage opportunities as Colby converts on a layup. This is followed up by an and one score from Jake Perfitt who converts the free throw. The Cubs goad the Lions into a charging foul to put a Lion starter into serious foul trouble with four fouls and six minutes to play. A defensive rebound causes a foul, meaning Jake gets a one and one chance. Jake converts one of two before the Lions go on a quick 5-0 run that is swiftly terminated by a Keefe jam. A sweet find from CJ means that Keefe gets a pair of free throws which he knocks down. The Cubs seem to be falling into the trap of fouling while in the lead as they foul on the second straight possession, giving up a three-point play this time. A fluid run of a play gets Neil a wide-open layup to make sure the game remains firmly in Loyola’s control. The fouls could cost the team if they’re not careful, though, as they pick up their tenth infraction with four minutes remaining. The free throws take the lead down to eleven. The Cubs turn the ball over and, all of the sudden, the Lions cut the lead to single digits. A smart play from Mason off the inbound gets him free throws and the lead back to eleven. The fouls continue to plague the Cubs, though, as they give up yet another three-point play. A good catch and shoot from Lucenti paired with a quick stop proves the Cubs still have it in them to win the game. A pair of free throws from Lucenti make sure the Lion surge is kept at bay, but the Cubs foul on a three-point attempt and keep the Lion hope alive. With a minute and thirty remaining, the Cub lead is just ten but Keefe gets fouled on his way to the rim and extends the lead to twelve. A backdoor find from Mason to Keefe results in a slam dunk and the sealing of the game. The Cubs lead by twelve with just thirty seconds remaining and extend the lead with a pair of free throws from CJ. The last thirty seconds of the game are the Cubs merely running out the clock.

Stats:

FGM- 3

FGA- 5

TPM- 0

TPA- 0

FTM- 12

FTA- 13

TO- 3

Score: 72-60