Basketball Recap: Loyola Takes a Loss

Loyola was the 77-33 winner over Verbum Dei Jesuit when they last played one another back in December of 2019, but their luck changed this time around. The Loyola Cubs were just a bucket shy of victory on Monday and fell 56-55 to the Verbum Dei Jesuit Eagles. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Cubs came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 90th, while the Eagles are ranked 339th).

Leading Verbum Dei Jesuit to victory were Jaythan Pinckney and Ryan Figueroa. Pinckney dropped a double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Figueroa posted 17 points. Pinckney has been hot, having posted 11 or more boards the last seven times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Harper Whitman, who earned eight points.

Loyola is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 16-6. As for Verbum Dei Jesuit, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Loyola will welcome Harvard-Westlake at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Harvard-Westlake will roll in looking for their 12th straight win, something Loyola surely won't give up without a fight. As for Verbum Dei Jesuit, they will be playing in front of their home fans against La Salle at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Verbum Dei Jesuit is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.2 points per game this season.