Loyola athletics -Cub basketball meets league rival tonight in CIF semis; Loyola takes on PV tomorrow in quarters
Loyola basketball takes on Harvard-Westlake tonight in monster playoff semifinal
Suffice to say there is no love lost between Mission League archrivals Loyola and Harvard-Westlake. Any time the two schools compete in any sport, the emotions are high and the effort is off the charts on both sides.
Tonight, the Cubs (19-9) and Wolverines (19-11) will duke it out on the hardwood for the third time this season before a capacity crowd at Leavey Gymnasium in the CIF Southern Section Division 1A semifinals. The prize for the winner is a trip to the title game next weekend with an opportunity to win the gold ring. The other semifinal game pits Peninsula (20-7) against Pacific League champion Pasadena (21-5), a team Loyola defeated, 66-53, in the Rose City Roundball Classic on December 23.
The Cubs lost to Harvard-Westlake in their two Mission League jousts, 61-54 on January 4th in Studio City, and 70-66 in overtime at Leavey on January 27. The latter game was one Loyola allowed to get away from it. So, the Cubs are determined to make the third time the charm this evening.
En route to the semis, the Wolverines beat West Ranch, 80-62; Kaiser, a 20-game winner, in a buzzer beater, 52-50; and 20-win Riverside King on the road, 77-48, on Tuesday. Loyola opened the playoffs with a heart-stopping, 63-62, overtime victory over Walnut on the road; followed by a 70-64 home win against Huntington Beach in the second round; and Tuesday's emotional, 71-63, quarterfinal triumph over Rio Hondo League champion La Canada before a packed house at Leavey.
Loyola, the number five seed in the 1A bracket, was number one in the preseason CIF 1A rankings, but Harvard-Westlake, the second place finisher out of the Mission League, was awarded the top seed in the playoff field, A lot is on the line tonight beside bragging rights. While the Wolverines are considered the favorites by the media, such prognostication does not take into account that the Cubs have an explosive sixth man in the fiery 'Cub Pride', which played a big role in distracting La Canada's usual sharp shooting squad throughout the quarterfinal win on Tuesday. The 'Pride's' roar will undoubtedly be deafening tonight on every Harvard-Westlake possession, and the legendary Cub student support corps promises to be out in formidable force well before the 7:00 p.m. tip off.
Suffice to say there is no love lost between Mission League archrivals Loyola and Harvard-Westlake. Any time the two schools compete in any sport, the emotions are high and the effort is off the charts on both sides.
Tonight, the Cubs (19-9) and Wolverines (19-11) will duke it out on the hardwood for the third time this season before a capacity crowd at Leavey Gymnasium in the CIF Southern Section Division 1A semifinals. The prize for the winner is a trip to the title game next weekend with an opportunity to win the gold ring. The other semifinal game pits Peninsula (20-7) against Pacific League champion Pasadena (21-5), a team Loyola defeated, 66-53, in the Rose City Roundball Classic on December 23.
The Cubs lost to Harvard-Westlake in their two Mission League jousts, 61-54 on January 4th in Studio City, and 70-66 in overtime at Leavey on January 27. The latter game was one Loyola allowed to get away from it. So, the Cubs are determined to make the third time the charm this evening.
En route to the semis, the Wolverines beat West Ranch, 80-62; Kaiser, a 20-game winner, in a buzzer beater, 52-50; and 20-win Riverside King on the road, 77-48, on Tuesday. Loyola opened the playoffs with a heart-stopping, 63-62, overtime victory over Walnut on the road; followed by a 70-64 home win against Huntington Beach in the second round; and Tuesday's emotional, 71-63, quarterfinal triumph over Rio Hondo League champion La Canada before a packed house at Leavey.
Loyola, the number five seed in the 1A bracket, was number one in the preseason CIF 1A rankings, but Harvard-Westlake, the second place finisher out of the Mission League, was awarded the top seed in the playoff field, A lot is on the line tonight beside bragging rights. While the Wolverines are considered the favorites by the media, such prognostication does not take into account that the Cubs have an explosive sixth man in the fiery 'Cub Pride', which played a big role in distracting La Canada's usual sharp shooting squad throughout the quarterfinal win on Tuesday. The 'Pride's' roar will undoubtedly be deafening tonight on every Harvard-Westlake possession, and the legendary Cub student support corps promises to be out in formidable force well before the 7:00 p.m. tip off.
Tickets for this evening's titanic contest sold out in a half hour on Thursday. For those who were unable to secure a ducat, the game is being live-streamed. Go to Loyola's website loyolahs.edu and click on athletics to get information on how to purchase the live-streamed video.
Cub soccer travels to Palos Verdes on Saturday to continue CIF Div. I title quest
On Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Loyola's varsity soccer team will take on Palos Verdes on the Sea Kings' home pitch in the CIF Southern Section Division I quarterfinals. The defending CIF Division I champion Cubs are hitting on all cylinders at just the right time in their quest to repeat as champions of the toughest playoff division in California. Loyola shut out number three seed Santa Barbara, 1-0, on Smith Field Wednesday. The Dons came into the match with a 20-1-5 record.
See the link below for a Los Angeles Times Varsity Times Insider story on four Loyola soccer players.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-loyola-soccer-20170223-story.html
Loyola baseball opens season on Saturday
On Saturday at 11:00 a.m., Loyola's varsity baseball team hosts Claremont in a Frozen Ropes Tournament first round playoff game to open the 2017 season. The Cubs return a number of quality starters from their 2016 squad tat finished second in the highly competitive, seven-school member Mission League.
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