The Cubs played in front of a rowdy crowd away at Notre Dame. The Cubs come into the game hot as they have won eleven on the bounce. They opened Mission League play on a high note, defeating Alemany 62-55. The Knights fresh off a Mission League loss to Harvard Westlake, bested 50-58.
Quarter 1
The Cubs elect Neil Owens, Mason Butler, CJ Jones, Anthony Lucenti, and James Keefe as their starting five for the night. Losing the opening tip, the Cubs immediately give up a backdoor cut that leads into a slam for the opposing forward. The Knights get another quick bucket to go up by four but a Mason three and Keefe bank put the Cubs in front for the first time this game. About six minutes remain in the opening quarter of play when Keefe is fouled and converts two free throws, putting the Cubs in front by three. A triple off an inbounds play ties the game but a sweet pass from Lucenti give Keefe a layup. Unfortunately, the Knights show they can play in transition as well as they go the length of the quarter to get two quick layups and snatch the lead right back. Keefe gets down the floor quickly to force a foul, but he only converts one of two and the Cubs trail by one. Once the 4:23 mark hits, Colby is subbed in for Lucenti, immediately picking up one of the primary offensive threats for the Knights. He ascends for a rebound and hits CJ in the corner who knocks one down to put the Cubs up by two. After a foul at the three minute mark, Jack Kresich gets subbed into the game replacing CJ. The Cubs give up a quick bucket off a cut right away but a Keefe shot from the top of the key puts the Cubs right back in front. Notre Dame responds right away, though, knocking down a stepback midrange jumper. A turnover on the Cubs’ possession means that the Knights get down the floor quickly, forcing a foul. The Knights hit both free throws but Colby comes up with the ball after a transition frenzy to hit an and-one layup. The Cubs lead by two with a minute and fifteen left in the first. A seventh foul of the quarter not only puts the Knights into the bonus but also at the line where they hit another pair of free throws to even up the score. The big presence of Keefe on the inside has been pivotal as he hits another jumper from the key, this one an and one, and swats a Knight layup into the stands. The Knights don’t seem fazed by the emphatic block as they drain a three to put them in front by one.
Score 20-21
Quarter 2
The second quarter commences with the same lineup that ended the first quarter, the only change being Grant Roquemore for Keefe. The Knights throw it off the backboard for a play that sends the crowd into madness but the Cubs made a smart foul that keeps the points off the board. The Cubs fail to score on their position while the Notre Dame guard shows off his handles and dishes to an open three-point shooter. The Knights hit the shot and take their lead to four, the largest since the opening minute. The Cubs call a timeout and run a play that gets Colby a mid range shot that takes the lead back to two. After an offensive foul by the Knights, the Cubs miss a three. Grant plays lockdown defense on the Knight guard but gets caught on the leg kick trick, giving the Knights three free throws. The free throws extend the Knight lead to five, largest of the game. The Knights bail the Cubs out on the offensive end as a near turnover becomes a foul that gets Keefe to hit just one free throw. Grant gets subbed out of the game for the entrance of Lucenti before an offensive rebound forces the Knights to foul Keefe yet again. Once more, he only hits one of two, and the lead is three. The Cubs get a steal and Neil works some magic to hit a tough layup before the Knights respond with a layup of their own. Upon giving up an offensive rebound, Lucenti picks up his third foul, giving the Knights double bonus with three minutes left in the half. CJ sends a man to the floor before he hits a three and the Cubs cut the lead to one. The Knights get away with an offensive foul but another emphatic block from Keefe means the lead remains the same. Colby uses his strength inside to power over a Knight defender and put the Cubs back in front by a solitary point. The Knights respond by forcing another foul and taking the lead once again on free throws. The Knights give Colby too much space and he hits a three to put the Cubs up by two. The Knights have shown resolve though, as they score a transition layup yet again to even things up. Both teams miss their shots and the exciting half of basketball comes to a conclusion with both teams level.
Score 34-34
The play from Keefe inside has been essential in the Cubs’ play as he has had to deal with fierce competition from the 6’ 9” Knight forward. Keefe has 17 points to the opposing forward’s 19, there has truly been a fierce battle between the athletic big men. The Cubs put their opposition into the bonus in only the first quarter, highlighting a major source of scoring for the Knights. 18 of the Knights 34 points have come from the stripe, showcasing the need for the Cubs to become more disciplined in that respect. The keys to the game seem to be the rebounding totals and transition points as both teams are neck and neck.
Quarter 3
The Cubs start the second half with the starting unit. Lucenti makes a nice drive to the hoop so he can hit a layup but picks up his fourth foul right away, taking him out of the game in favor of Colby. Both teams seem to be playing with slightly less energy than the first half, slightly tired from the constant back and forth affair. The Knights work the ball up the floor and take advantage of a lazy rotation by the Cubs to hit a triple directly after a lob slam to take the lead. The Cubs make some silly errors on both ends of the floor that end with an and one layup that puts the Knights up six. The Knights hit another three after an offensive foul from the Cubs, putting them up by 9. The Cubs work a play nicely to finally snap the 9-0 skid and force a turnover immediately thereafter. Colby powers up for a layup and the Cubs take the lead back down to five. Another silly offensive foul gives the Knights another and one, putting the lead at 8. The Cubs get some energy off the bench with the substitution of Grant into the game, forcing the first Knight foul. The Cubs are beginning to jack up threes, though, bailing out a tired Notre Dame. The Knights hit a three first and they earn the first double digit lead of the night. Keefe finally ends the Cubs dry spell with a layup off a euro step. Neil gets the ball and speeds down the court for a pull up mid range that brings the Cubs within seven. The Knight coach isn’t afraid to utilize his timeouts, however, calling one every time the Cubs get consecutive scores. Neil works the clock well to make sure there is only one second left for the last shot of the quarter for Notre Dame. He also converts on a layup that brings the Cub deficit to five at the conclusion of the third.
Score 46-51
Quarter 4
The Cubs start the fourth the same way they ended it, with Grant, Colby, Mason, Neil, and Keefe on the floor. The Knights start the quarter with a quick foul, but Keefe commits successive fouls that bail the Knights out on both ends of the court. The Knight forward hits both one of two, making the lead six. Colby works some magic after the Cub play breaks down to bring the Knight lead down to just four with a physics-defying layup. The Cubs stifle the Knights’ offense on the other end of the floor, prompting the Knight coach to call yet another timeout. The Cubs sub Lucenti back into the game but a missed foul allows the Knights to receive a wide-open slam. The team gives up a crucial three with four minutes remaining followed immediately by a Cub turnover. The Knights then hit a quick layup and build a quick eleven-point cushion. The Cubs turn the ball over again and allow a putback slam that makes the thirteen-point lead seem insurmountable with just 3:14 left in the game. Lucenti hits a quick layup upon re-entrance and the Cubs force a turnover for a Neil triple, cutting the lead to eight in the blink of an eye. The task is still tall with just 2:37 left for the eight point climb but momentum has just swung in the Cubs’ favor. The Cubs play solid defense and force a loose ball foul but Lucenti picks up his fifth and the Cubs’ seventh to send the Knight forward to the line. He hits both and the Knights go back up by ten, but Neil pulls up quickly for three, making the lead seven. The Knights use another timeout and the Cubs have a minute and forty two to erase the seven-point disadvantage. They start off well with a big Keefe block that allows CJ to hit a three. The lead is cut to four but a foul puts it right back to six. The Cubs hit a quick layup and steal the ball to make it a four-point contest with 55 seconds left. They miss on a three and a controversial foul lets the Knight forward restore the lead to six. The Cubs turn the ball over but the Knights do, too. The Cubs have 35 seconds to score six. The Knights foul to stop a layup and get fouled to end the contest.
Score 61-69