This past Friday, February 23, 2024 boys basketball beat Niles West by a landslide at Maine East, taking home an easy win. With a score of 54-32, Loyola went home as the 2024 champions of Regionals.
This game puts Loyola’s record at 27-6, keeping Loyola at an Illinois rank of 30, while Niles West is now ranked 177th with a season record of 22-11 after their final game of the season.
The game started off strong with a three pointer from senior Andrew Hollerich after recovering it from Niles West Junior Jase Loyd who won the tip off.
Loyola’s number 4, senior Nick Patton, carried most of the team’s points in the first half with two 3 pointers and two assists.
Niles West senior Davee Flowers clapped back with two fast breaks layups and two steals throughout the half.
The second half started with number 25, Miles Boland, making a saving lay up for the Loyola Ramblers, ensuring their lead throughout the second quarter.
Loyola Academy basketball head coach Tom Livatino said, “Our guys did a great job on shutting down Nile’s Wests main scoring threats (seniors Davee Flowers and Joey Pantazis) and taking them out of what they like to do on offense.”
As the second quarter came to an end, Loyola increased their score from a 16 , to a 32, leaving Niles West behind in the dust with a score of 16 points.
“They came to the jump with energy and started off the game strong. They were able to maintain the lead,” said team manager Sophia Hayes.
Niles West’s defense didn’t make it easy. The Ramblers often had to pass the ball around multiple times in order to find an opening in Niles West’s defense.
Niles West Senior Ned Lagman really shined in the second half, with 6 points dropped and a great presence on defense. He kept the Ramblers on their toes in the second half.
Loyola senior Jimmy Tarjan also had a good defensive presence throughout the entirety of the game. He stopped several Niles West’s players from scoring and made a free throw in the third quarter to further Loyola’s lead.
Tarjan said, “As a player you know that it could be your last game if you lose, so it makes you feel you need to be extra prepared and focused on the game.”
Loyola ended the third quarter with a lead of 43-26 over Niles West.
Boland started the fourth quarter with yet another lay up for the Ramblers along with his fourth foul of the game.
Fouling was a big problem for the Ramblers throughout this game, with Boland receiving four fouls, Loftus receiving three fouls, and Ryan Fitzgerald receiving two personal fouls and a technical foul.
Coach Livatino said, “ Our guys are very aggressive and unfortunately that leads to unnecessary fouls at times. We need to continue to get better playing physical and tough, without fouling.”
In the final seconds of the game, the Ramblers brought out their sophomore and junior players to run one final play leaving the score 54-32 against Niles West.
Now, the Ramblers are headed to their Sectional Semi-Final game against New Trier on Tuesday, February 27.
