Boys’ basketball: Loyola loses again in Mission League
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Another night, another wild ending in the Mission League. Los Angeles Loyola came into the week 11-0 and ranked No. 2 by The Times. On Friday night, the Cubs lost their second in a row, losing to host Mission Hills Alemany, 69-63, after being unable to hold a 12-point halftime lead.
Loyola can trace its problems to missed free throws, among other things. The Cubs were seven of 18 from the line. Julian Harrell, who had 12 points, was one of six. Jacob Hazzard made five three-pointers and finished with 15 points. Justin Childress had 14 points.
Alemany (12-3, 2-0) received 21 points from Max Guercy, 19 from Marqueze Coleman, 14 from Jerico Richardson and 14 from Bear Henderson.
Alemany’s pressure defense in the second half, combined with Guercy scoring 13 points in the third quarter, ignited the comeback.
‘I think our defense is why they lost their enthusiasm [in the fourth quarter],’ Coleman said.
Added Alemany Coach Tray Meeks: ‘We were turning the ball over left and right and playing lackluster defense. I challenged them in the second half to get stops, be unselfish and play as hard as they can. I think they showed the heart to win this league.’
Alemany played without two key players, KJ Moffett and Michael Coleman, both of whom are injured. Loyola’s Parker Cartwright continued to play with a bruised thigh suffered in Maryland, and it’s affecting his play. He had seven points.
Loyola dropped to 0-2 in league.
Another happy person Friday night was Alemany sophomore Ryne Williams. He made a half-court shot during a halftime contest and won a free pair of shoes.
In other Mission games, Crespi (15-1, 2-0) came away with a 71-50 win over St. Francis. The Celts trailed at halftime, 32-31. Michael Milligan Jr. had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Harvard-Westlake is 2-0 after a 70-48 win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. Zena Edosomwan and Derick Newton each scored 15 points.
-- Eric Sondheimer