A struggling Loyola boys basketball team has lost two out of the last three coming off a disappointing loss to Saint Ignatius in the Jesuit Cup. The Ramblers had to overcome another obstacle against a tough opponent, Leo Academy.

Senior Guard Cameron Cleveland led the talented team from the south side, coming off a massive performance against Montini with twenty-six points. The Loyola game plan was centered around stopping him.

Head basketball coach Tom Livatino said, “coming in was to take number three out of the game and to deny his scoring opportunities.”

However, he proved unstoppable. The Ramblers were also missing a key player on Tuesday, Alex Engro, who was out of the lineup due to illness. He leads the team in scoring and efficiency. Without him in the lineup, the Ramblers missed ball-handling and ball movement.

Leo demonstrated a swelling press, forcing three turnovers in the first half and forcing sixteen in total. Coach Livatino said, “We definitely struggled; we were clearly missing Alex, he is a key piece to breaking full-court pressure.”

Many guys had to step up in place of Alex. Livatino put a new starter into the lineup, John Daguinsin, who took over the shooting guard role and moved Shane Tarjan to the point guard spot, who normally doesn’t play that position.

Shane Tarjan said, “At first I was a little nervous since I hadn’t played point guard all year, but after going over the plays a few times throughout the day and talking to coach I felt ready to play.”

The lineup adjustments for Loyola didn’t stop the team from scoring, though. Sophomore sharp shooter, Miles Boland, scored six points in the first quarter with two threes.

The team held their own, matching Leo’s scoring abilities in the first quarter, with Loyola up 11-10 at the end of the quarter.

Cam Cleveland was still leading the Lions with twelve points throughout the middle of the second quarter. John Daguinsin, who didn’t miss from deep, had nine points at the half, helped Loyola keep them in this game, only being down by two points, 22-20 at half.

However, Loyola didn’t do much, senior forward Luke Kurtzweil  said, “We didn’t really make any halftime adjustments, we kind of looked over the areas we struggled with and reinforced the things we talked about before the game.”

After a slow start to the third quarter, the Ramblers turned the ball over three times in the first minute and a half, creating a large scoring deficit for Loyola. Guard Tyler Smith for the Tigers was a pivotal part of the scoring run; hitting three straight threes in a row.

Livatino called a quick timeout, and the Ramblers made a defensive adjustment by switching to a two three-zone instead of man-to-man. Loyola quickly turned it around with a couple minutes left in the third. Miles Boland hit two threes in a period of one minute. Loyola was down five at the end of the third quarter, with a score of 38-33.

Leo started to pull away, and the Ramblers just could never get back into the game. Leo didn’t miss from deep in the fourth quarter, they moved the ball around, and a shooter was open every time. Leo outscored the Ramblers by thirteen in the last quarter with Loyola only scoring five points in the quarter.

Fans can next catch the team in action in an away game against St. Rita on Fri, Feb 4 at 7pm.