Eisenhower-Loyola SoCal boys basketball title game: March 2009 Archives

Naz Richardson's two free throws with 8.1 seconds left started the part, as Eisenhower defeated Los Angeles Loyola 68-62 to become the first boys team from San Bernardino County to ever makde the state championship game. Pretty crazy stuff.

Eisenhower is up 66-58 and has the ball with 26.1 seconds left against Loyola, guaranteeing itself a berth in the state championship game in Sacramento next weekend barring an apocalyptic collapse. Loyola is in foul mode right now as it tries to keep hope alive.

A little delay in the game here, as the Pauley Pavilion scoreboard went out. Looks like they have fixed the problem, but the delay was long enough to allow this insightful writeup. 60-50 Eisenhower, 4:01 left.

And now, the CIF-State people blantantly refuse to run the clock in the correct manner.

Ike scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter and holds a 60-50 lead with a little under five minutes left. Alex Varner provided a spark, scoring the first four points and assisting on a Bryan Bock 3-pointer that gave Ike the double-digit margin.

Eisenhower High School is eight minutes away from going to its first-ever state championship game, as it holds a 51-46 lead over Los Angeles Loyola. The Eagles led by as many as 11 points, holding the Cubs without a point for four and a half minutes, but two three-point plays by Carl Hoffman and Miles Cartwright brought Loyola within striking distance.

A layup from Devin Garner with 5:37 left gave the Eagles their current lead. Loyola came out quick, with Carl Hoffman scoring consecutive baskets to give them a 37-36 lead, but has been scoreless for three minutes now. Ike has also ratcheted up the defensive pressure, having now forced 15 Loyola turnovers.

After a frenetic first quarter that saw Loyola take a 24-20 lead, the scoring slowed down quite a bit in period No. 2. The Eagles took the lead with 39 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Bryan Bock.

They also dealt with Carl Hoffman much better. The Loyola bruiser had 14 points and five rebounds in the first quarter alone but was less of a factor in the second, only scoring two points.

Andrew Bock leads a balanced Eagle attack with 8 points, while Keyon Sayles and Kirby Gardner came off the bench to score four points each in the second half and provide Ike with a shot in the arm.

The Eagles are matched with Los Angeles Loyola in a rematch of their CIF-SS Division II-A championship showdown last week at Honda Center, won by the Eagles 79-73. Ike has overcome a hot start from 6-foot-9 Loyola center Carl Hoffman, who scored 14 points in the first quarter.