The Cubs competed in the final game of the Maranatha Tournament against El Camino Real Charter High School. They lost to the Conquistadors 64-57, and placed sixth in the tournament.
1st Quarter
The first two minutes of the game were highlighted by a three-point shootout between the Cubs and the Conquistadors. A two-pointer by the Conquistadors put them up 8-3 with 6:27 to go in the opening frame. A steal by senior center James Keefe and a layup by senior guard CJ Jones cut the lead to 3 with less than six minutes to go. Two made free throws by the Conquistadors resulted in a 10-5 lead with 5:12 to go. Shortly after a foul was committed, ECR’s 6’10” center (#35) elbowed Keefe, resulting in a technical foul. The Conquistadors made two regular free throws to gain a 12-5 lead with 4:25 to play. Senior guard Neil Owens made both of the technical free throws to cut the lead to 5. A Keefe layup made it a 12-9 Conquistadors lead with 3:52 to play. The Cubs cut the lead to two thanks to a three-pointer by senior forward Anthony Lucenti. ECR scored on a two pointer to give them a 16-12 lead with 2:24 to go. Junior forward Colby Brooks was fouled with 2:04 left. He made both of his free throws to cut the lead to two. The Conquistadors went on a 5-0 run that was halted by a foul drawn by the Cubs. Since Loyola was in the bonus, Lucenti shot and made both free throws as the Cubs trailed 21-16 with 24 seconds left. A corner three from the Conquistadors ended the quarter.
Score: ECR 24, Loyola 16.
2nd Quarter
Two Brooks buckets, a steal and layup by senior guard Jared Cox, and another layup by senior forward Jake Perfitt ignited the Cubs’ 6-0 run to start the second quarter. The game was tied the game at 24 apiece with 4:44 to go. The Conquistadors buried a three-pointer to regain the lead with four minutes left. Brooks was fouled at the 3:59 mark, and made one of his two free throws. Senior guard Mason Butler stole the ball, resulting in an Owens layup that tied the game at 27. ECR proceeded to go on a 4-0 run to gain a 31-27 advantage over the Cubs. Two made free throws by Brooks cut the Conquistador’s lead to two with 1:13 left. On the other end, a layup by ECR expanded the lead to four. A Lucenti layup brought the lead back to two entering halftime.
Score: ECR 33, Loyola 31.
3rd Quarter
ECR’s 6’10” center (#35) was unstoppable in the opening minutes, scoring 7 points. Later, Keefe’s layup made it a 40-33 ball game in favor of the Conquistadors. A steal and layup by the Conquistadors put them up by nine. The teams traded buckets throughout the quarter. Jones’s made layup on one end triggered a two-point response by ECR. A Brooks layup on one end was followed by another two-pointer from the Conquistadors. A three-pointer by Butler trimmed ECR’s lead to six, 46-40, with 2:33 left. A Lucenti steal followed by a Jones layup cut the lead to 4. ECR made a layup, but did not convert the potential three-point play. A Lucenti layup wrapped up the quarter.
Score: ECR 48, Loyola 44.
4th Quarter
ECR came out strong once again, hitting back-to-back three-pointers. Butler was fouled with 5:51 to play, and made both of his free throws to bring the Cubs within 8. A 4-0 run by the Cubs was highlighted by a Keefe steal, a Brooks layup, and a steal-and-score by Owens. But the Cubs could not stop ECR’s 6’10” big man, who scored ECR’s four points to go up by 10. Jones’ layup brought the Cubs back to within 8. After two made free throws by ECR, the Cubs trailed 62-52 with less than a minute remaining. A three-pointer from Jones made it 62-55 with 46 seconds to play. ECR pulled away in the final seconds, making two free throws with 11 seconds left. Lucenti’s putback layup was a concession basket for the Cubs to end the game.
FINAL: ECR 64, Loyola 57.
Postgame
In the locker room after the game, the players said that there was selfishness in the team’s play. Junior forward Grant Roquemore said, “By that we mean [things like] not being there for help defense. On offense, we’re not giving up the extra pass so one of our teammates can take a good, open shot. Also, [we’re not] putting the team before ourselves and making the sacrifices we need to win.”
Before the game, Coach Adams emphasized that communication was key to tonight’s game. After the game, the coaches told the players that there was no communication, both in the game and during the pregame warmups. Roquemore said, “It starts as a whole team. We need the bench talking for the people out there. And once the bench starts talking, the people out there will start talking too. Communication is really key for us.”
The Cubs face Mira Costa High School on Friday. To prepare for them, Roquemore mentioned, “We’re gonna get back to practice, we’re gonna work hard. We’re gonna try to fix up the things that we didn’t execute today, and we’re gonna try to put those into execution next week.”