After a dominant start to the San Gabriel Valley Classic, the Cubs looked to continue their run to the title as they took on the Aquinas Falcons in the semifinal game.

Starting Lineup

PG: Jalen Cox, #3 (6’3”, Sr., G)

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

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

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

C: Parker Jones, #13 (6’6”, Sr., F/C)

First Quarter

Jones wins the opening tip against the Falcons’ 6’7” center, and Sampson gets fouled at the 7:36 mark.  He makes both free throws to put the Cubs on the board early.  A Jonas de Krassel three extends the lead to 5-0 with 7:13 remaining.  Cox gets a steal and layup with seven minutes to go, and the Falcons call a timeout after the Cubs’ 7-0 start.  The Falcons get on the board with a two-point jumper with 6:42 remaining.  Jacoby Kelly is fouled with 6:33 to go and makes one of two.  Sampson gets the offensive rebound and the layup to fall shortly after.  The Falcons complete a three-point-play with 5:50 remaining.  They then get a three at the 4:41 mark followed by a layup at the 4:17 mark.  The game is now tied at 10 apiece, and coach Powell promptly calls a timeout.  Jones drills a three with 3:55 remaining to give the Cubs the lead back.  He then makes a floater with 3:30 left.  The Falcons get a layup with three minutes to go.  Jones’s hot start continues, getting a three-point-play with 2:42 remaining.  He does not stop there, however, scoring a nifty reverse layup with 1:54 to go.  The Falcons convert another three-point-play with 1:16 left, but the Cubs still lead 20-15.  Jones cans another three with a minute remaining.  The Falcons make one of two free throws shortly after.  Jones gets another layup to go with 32 seconds left, and Aquinas makes a three to beat the buzzer.  The Cubs end the quarter strong behind Parker Jones’s 15 points.

Score: 25-19 Loyola

Second Quarter

Jones makes his presence known on the defensive end with a block at the 6:50 mark.  Kelly makes both free throws with 6:26 remaining.  He gets a layup in transition with six minutes left in the first half.  Cox’s jumper is blocked, but Jones gets his to fall with 5:10 to go.  Sampson finds Cox, who buries a deep three with 4:30 left.  At this point, the Cubs have gone on a 9-0 run and lead 34-19.  Owen Pentz lobs it up to Jones, who lays it in with four minutes remaining.  A Sampson steal leads to a Cox layup with 3:20 to go.  Sampson gets a layup of his own at the 2:43 mark, and the Cubs lead 40-19.  The Falcons get a two to beat the shot clock with 2:04 remaining.  Sampson gets a stepback jumper to fall with 1:10 to go, and the Falcons make a layup on the other end.  Pentz gets a putback layup with 47 seconds left, and the Cubs lead 42-25.  The Falcons counter with another layup on their end with 21 seconds to go.  Cox’s crossover leads to a made jumper with two seconds left, and the Cubs lead by 21 heading into halftime.

Score: 46-25 Loyola

Third Quarter

The Cubs get the ball to begin the third quarter but cannot score.  Sampson makes a three with 7:25 remaining.  He gets fouled at the 6:51 mark and makes one of two.  He grabs two offensive rebounds before turning it over with 6:15 remaining.  The Falcons make one of two with 6:10 to go, but the Cubs still lead 50-26.  Cox drains a three at the four-minute mark.  The Falcons make a jumper with three minutes left in the period.  Simpson misses two tip-in attempts, gets the offensive rebound, winds up on the floor, and wisely calls timeout at the 2:37 mark.  Cox gets a two with 2:30 remaining, and the Falcons convert another three-point-play with 2:17 to go.  The Falcons get a layup to go with 1:45 remaining.  The Cubs lead 55-33.  Cox gets a floater to drop with 1:20 left.  The Falcons are sent to the line at the 1:04 mark and make both free throws.  Their bench is later given a technical foul, and Hugh Vandeweghe makes the following free throws with 17 seconds remaining.  The Falcons miss a half-court heave to end the third quarter.

Score: 59-35 Loyola

Fourth Quarter

The Falcons get the ball to begin the fourth quarter, but the Cubs get called for goaltending, which adds two more to Aquinas’s total with 7:31 to go.  The Cubs call timeout with 7:17 remaining.  Kelly gets a block, and Cox lobs it up to Jones for a layup at the seven-minute mark.  The Falcons are fouled with 6:32 remaining, and they make both free throws.  Sampson tips in his own miss with 6:14 to go.  The Falcons make a putback layup with 5:50 remaining.  Jones’s three-pointer bounces in with 5:30 remaining.  Cox lobs it up to Jones, but he finds Matthias Wagner for an easy layup with 5:20 to play.  The Falcons make one of two free throws with 4:49 remaining.  Wagner is fouled with 4:18 to go and also makes one of two.  Aquinas gets into the bonus with 3:55 remaining and misses the following free throw.  However, they score on a putback layup shortly after.  The Cubs lead 69-44.  Max Stern eursteps his way to a layup with 3:26 remaining.  He gets fouled with 2:46 to go and makes both free throws.  Luca Labuschagne gets a floater to fall with 1:46 remaining.  The Falcons make a layup with 48 seconds left.  Lodge buries a three with 13 seconds to play.  The Falcons dribble out the clock and the Cubs go home with a ten-game winning streak and a shot at the tournament title tomorrow.

FINAL: 78-46 Loyola

Cubs of the Game

The Cubs of the Game were Parker Jones and Jalen Cox, who had 25 and 16 points, respectively.  My postgame interview with Parker can be found here.

The Next Game

The Cubs face Colony High School for the San Gabriel Valley Classic Championship tomorrow, December 23, at 8:00 PM.