Boys’ basketball: Loyola survives 45-point effort by Brandon Baker

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Wednesday’s Division I Southern California Regional opener between Loyola and Crenshaw looked like a park-league basketball game with little defense and lots of entertainment.

Crenshaw’s Brandon Baker was having the time of his life. ‘I was feeling it,’ he said. He scored 45 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter. Teammate Andre Edwards had 28 points, including 20 in the third quarter.

But that wasn’t enough to wipe out the balance scoring of Loyola, which came away with a 103-91 victory, earning a quartefinal home game against Etiwanda on Saturday night.

Julian Harrell had 25 points, Jacob Hazzard 22, Khaliq Bedart-Gahani 15 and Parker Cartwright 12 for the Cubs.

Baker, a senior guard, was 10 for 10 on free throws and used to play down the street from Loyola at Normandie Park. What a final high school game he had.

-- Eric Sondheimer