After a 58-53 victory over Pasadena in the second round of the CIF Division 1A playoffs, the Cubs played the Windward Wildcats in the CIF Quarterfinals.
Pregame Notes
The Cubs will look to have a slight size advantage over Windward. Windward’s tallest player is 6’8”, and James Keefe, the Cubs’ tallest player, is 6’9”.
The starting lineup has been the same throughout the postseason, and it will be the same for tonight’s game. No Cubs are injured.
Starting Cubs
PG: Neil Owens (6-1, Sr., #3)
SG: Mason Butler (6-1, Sr., #10)
SF: CJ Jones (6-5, Sr., #13)
PF: Anthony Lucenti (6-4, Sr., #30)
C: James Keefe (6-9, Sr., #22)
1st Quarter
The Wildcats won the opening tip and got their first points of the game on a layup with 7:51 to go. Neil Owens’s two-pointer tied the game at the 7:30 mark. The Cubs and Wildcats exchange baskets and the score was tied 4-4 with 6:15 to go in the quarter. Mason Butler gave the Cubs a 6-4 lead with a pair of free throws at the 4:20 mark. James Keefe was fouled with 3:44 to go, and missed both free throws. The Wildcats tied the game at 6 with a two-pointer at the 3:23 mark. Colby Brooks checked into the game at the 3:01 mark, replacing CJ Jones. Windward gained a two-point lead off of a pair of free throws at the 2:57 mark. The Cubs called timeout at the 2:14 mark. Another two by the Wildcats increased the lead to four with 1:05 left, but Brooks responded with a two on the other end with 50 seconds left. The last made shot of the quarter was a Wildcats two with 28 seconds left.
Score: Windward 12, Loyola 8.
2nd Quarter
After back-to-back offensive rebounds, the Wildcats got an and-one layup at the 7:43 mark. They missed the free throw that followed. Butler checked in for Jared Cox, who was on the floor to start the quarter, at the 6:54 mark. CJ Jones buried a three to bring the Cubs within five with 6:45 to go. Mason Butler buried a three at the 6:45 mark that tied the game at 14. The Wildcats made a two to regain the lead with 5:57 remaining. Another two by the Wildcats gave them a four-point lead over the Cubs, 18-14, with 5:30 to go. The Wildcats called a timeout soon after. A Butler three cuts Windward’s lead to one with five minutes to go in the half. A 4-0 run by the Wildcats followed, putting the Cubs down by five with 3:45 remaining. A Brooks bucket cut the lead to three, 22-19, with 3:30 left. At the 3:28 mark, Owens and Anthony Lucenti checked in for Cox and Brooks. Keefe made one of two free throws at the 2:50 mark, and the Cubs trailed 22-20. The Wildcats’ two put them back up by four with 2:35 to go. Keefe made a layup on the other end to bring the Cubs within two with 2:20 left. Lucenti got a steal at the 1:50 mark, and was fouled with 1:39 to go. He made a pair of free throws that tied the game at 24. The Cubs took the lead off of a Keefe layup with 1:17 to go. Windward took the lead off of a three-pointer with one minute remaining. Butler’s two put the Cubs in front with 32 seconds left, and his buzzer-beating three put the Cubs up by four at halftime.
Score: Loyola 31, Windward 27.
Halftime
Coach Yates emphasized ball-awareness to the team. Coach Adams said that the team did not shoot the ball well. There was also an emphasis on rebounding, as the Cubs did not get many offensive rebounds in the first half. Adams told the players, “More stops, more buckets.”
3rd Quarter
The Cubs got the first possession of the third quarter. Owens’s layup put the Cubs up by six with 7:20 to go. The Cubs turned the ball over at the 6:57 mark, but no basket was scored. The Wildcats made a two to cut into the Cubs’ lead with 6:06 to go. After three straight Wildcats possessions, they scored a layup to cut the Cubs lead to two with 4:35 to go. Keefe’s two increased the lead to four with 4:01 left. Windward went on another 4-0 run to tie the game at 35 with 3:04 left in the quarter. Jared Cox’s layup put the Cubs up 37-35 with 2:32 remaining. On the other end, the Wildcats made a game-tying two with 2:22 to go. The Cubs turned it over on an inbounds pass, which resulted with a Wildcats three. Windward led 40-37 with 1:28 to go. Keefe had his foot on the baseline, resulting in the ball being in Windward’s possession with 1:11 remaining. Butler subbed in for Cox at the 51-second mark. The Wildcats’ two gave them a 42-37 lead over the Cubs with 27 seconds left. Owens made a two to cut the lead to three with 5 seconds left.
Score: Windward 42, Loyola 39.
4th Quarter
The Wildcats received the first possession of the fourth quarter. Their two-pointer puts the Cubs down by five with 7:47 to go. An Owens three gets the Cubs within two with 7:20 left. Keefe got a block at the 7:10 mark. Lucenti’s putback layup tied the game at 44 with 6:30 to go. Windward called a timeout at the 6:23 mark. The Wildcats made an and-one layup and converted the three-point-play. They led 47-44 with 5:54 to go. Butler made a three to tie the game at 47 with 4:21 to go. Keefe was blocked and the Wildcats made a two to gain a 49-47 lead with 3:21 to go. The Cubs called a timeout at the 2:46 mark. Coming out of the timeout, Keefe made a two to tie the game at 49 with 2:38 left. Keefe got another block at the 2:11 mark, and the Cubs got the ball out of bounds. The Wildcats took the lead off of a two with 1:40 to go. Keefe’s putback layup tied the game at 51 with 1:20 left. The Cubs took a timeout shortly after. The Wildcats missed a two with 26 seconds left. Butler missed a three with three seconds left and Owens’s putback two at the buzzer fell short.
Score: Tied at 51
Overtime
The Wildcats won the opening tip. They made a two to take a 53-51 lead with 3:30 left in the extra period. Jones got a block with three minutes left, but Butler missed a three on the ensuing possession. The Wildcats scored a putback layup and led 55-51 with 2:10 left in overtime. The Cubs took a timeout at the 2:04 mark. The Cubs cut the lead to two off of a Jones bucket with 1:50 to go. The Wildcats took a timeout with 49 seconds left. The Cubs took a timeout with 28 seconds left. The Cubs committed several fouls to get the Wildcats into the bonus. The Wildcats made two free throws to go up 57-53 with 23 seconds left. Keefe’s layup brought the Cubs within two, 57-55, with 16 seconds left. The Cubs and Wildcats each took a timeout with 16 seconds left. The Wildcats missed a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left. Keefe made a putback layup at the buzzer to force double overtime.
Score: Tied at 57
Double Overtime
Keefe won the opening tip, but a jump ball awarded the possession to Windward. The Cubs got the possession off of a Wildcats turnover at the 2:45 mark. Keefe got a block at the 1:56 mark. The Wildcats were called for a travel with 1:47 to go. Lucenti’s layup was the first basket of double overtime, putting the Cubs up 59-57 with 1:30 to go. The Wildcats took a timeout at the 42-second mark. Two made free throws by the Wildcats tied the game at 59 with 27 seconds left. The Cubs called a timeout with 19 seconds left. Keefe missed a two at the buzzer.
Score: Tied at 59
Triple Overtime
The Wildcats won the opening tip, and made a two-pointer at the 3:40 mark. Keefe made one of two free throws at the 3:31 mark to bring the Cubs within one, 61-60. The Wildcats made a two to increase the lead to three, 63-60, with 2:20 to go. Butler buried a three to tie the game at 63 with two minutes remaining. The Wildcats made an and-one layup to regain the lead with 56 seconds left. They missed the free throw that followed. Butler made two free throws to tie the game at 65 with 42 seconds left. The Wildcats took the lead off of a three with 22 seconds left. Colby Brooks’s corner three fell short with 15 seconds left, and Jones missed a three at the buzzer.
FINAL: Windward 68, Loyola 65.
Cubs of the Game
There was not just one player who deserved Cub of the Game. The Cubs played with passion and energy all game and everyone made their best effort to win it.
Thank you to the varsity basketball team for an amazing, fun-filled season! Go Cubs!