Boys’ basketball: Loyola pulls out improbable victory

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By all accounts, Los Angeles Loyola deserved to lose its Mission League game Saturday night against a young but improving Sherman Oaks Notre Dame team. The Cubs were behind by 11 points with six minutes left against a team that started two freshmen, two sophomores and a senior.

But the Cubs refused to accept defeat. They picked up their defensive pressure, forced some turnovers and waited for an opportunity. With 26 seconds left, Kennedy Edwards of Notre Dame missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Loyola got the ball trailing, 66-64.

Miles Cartwright had a turnaround jumper go in and out with eight seconds left, but the ball went off a Notre Dame player out of bounds. With six seconds left, Cartwright got the ball at the top of the key and drilled a three-pointer for a 67-66 Loyola victory.

Cartwright finished with 20 points to help Loyola improve to 17-1 and 6-1 in league. Notre Dame (12-8, 4-2), sending a message that it’s a team of the future, received five three-pointers and 19 points from freshman Jahmel Taylor, 13 points from freshman Ausar Madison and 10 apiece from Edwards and Jeremy Sulker-Hall. The Knights are ranked No. 2 in Southern Section 4A and count on them making a big bid for the title.

As for Loyola, it’s a good win considering the players were preoccupied with finals this week, and the Cubs have a showdown with first-place Harvard-Westlake on Friday night.

Harvard-Westlake defeated Chaminade, 68-48. Erik Swoope had 25 points and Damiene Cain had 20 rebounds. Crespi defeated Alemany, 74-65. Blake Stanton and Matt Mounier had 15 points apiece.

In the Olympic League, Campbell Hall defeated Cerritos Valley Christian, 74-51, with Austin McBroom scoring 24 points.

-- Eric Sondheimer