The Ramblers took on a struggling Providence Saint Mel team on Wednesday night and came away with a resounding win as they showed off their incredible depth on senior night.

For these seniors it’s been a wild ride of a year. After graduating most of the rotation that led Loyola to a deep playoff run before the season was cut short last year, the Ramblers entered the year without super high expectations.

What we’ve found out quickly, however, is that through their experience and depth, Loyola is still a formidable team. This was proven last night in the 60-35 win over conference foe Providence St. Mel in which the Ramblers shifted away from their regular lineup and instead focused on getting the ball in the hands of seniors for their big night.

The results were resounding as Senior Liam Brandstrader led the way with eight points, followed by seven for Scotty Dean, six for Jalen Axibal and Jake Moser, and five for Perrion McClinton, Roman Sudimac, and Jack Carden.

The Ramblers ball movement against the tough St. Mel zone stood out throughout the matchup as Axibal walked away with three assists, and three Ramblers had two of their own.

Teddy Hanley was a force to be reckoned with inside as he had four rebounds, including a few on the offensive glass.

While the offense was impressive for Loyola, they didn’t slouch on defense whatsoever. McClinton had four steals to complement three from Axibal and Brandstrader, and Jake Moser took three charges to go along with Jalen Axibal, Teddy Hanley, and Scotty Dean who each took one.T

hings started off slow for Loyola as they struggled to knock down open opportunities in the first few minutes of the first quarter, but they quickly picked things up as they forced turnover after turnover for St. Mel, and did a fantastic job converting those turnovers into scores.

Loyola was extremely effective on the glass as the offensive rebounding by Hanley, Wrenn, McClinton, and others led to a multitude of second and third chance buckets.

While the basketball was great, the best part of the night was seeing some fans in the stands for Loyola as the parents of the players were able to watch while safely social distancing in the bleachers.

SeniorLiam Brandstrader said “It meant a lot to finally be able to have my parents cheer me on from the stands instead of from at home. Obviously we all wish fans could always be there but it was great to get the experience at least once this year.”

Brandstrader went out with a bang on senior night as he muscled his way to eight points, which led all Rambler scorers, and was an absolute force in the paint on both sides of the ball.

Senior Jack O’Donnell shared a similar sentiment when he said “It was a really great experience. Especially since they haven’t been able to come see any games this year, to be able to go out there and play in front of them and thank them for all they have done over the past four years is amazing.”

Overall it was a really wonderful night in many facets, and I’m glad the guys were able to finish on such a high note. Their next matchup will be Friday against St. Leo.