Loyola Boys Prove Toughness, Win Against Evanston

Without two of their bigger (and better) players, Loyola proved Tuesday that toughness is as much a mental attribute, as it is a physical characteristic.

Down seven points early in the third quarter, Loyola rallied for a big road win against Evanston, 44 to 39.

“We talk every day about taking charges; we talk every day about 50-50 balls,” Loyola coach Tom Livatino said. “We talk every day about boxing out and that was an important piece of the puzzle. We had some kids really step up and that was sort of our theme.”

Despite missing forward Michael Lang, who's out due to a concussion, and limited playing from starting center Jared Prince, Loyola hung in against one of the Central Suburban League’s top teams.

The Ramblers struggled to find their rhythm in the first quarter, making only two field goals. On the other end, Evanston used its athleticism to get to the hoop, scoring eight points in the paint, to take a 14 to 6 lead after the first quarter.

But Loyola found a spark off the bench in Peter Pujals. The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard hit a jumper and drained a three-pointer as part of a 9 to 2 Rambler run to close the second quarter. Loyola trailed 18 to 17 at halftime.

The Rambler defense clamped down in the second half, focusing on Evanston James Farr. They gave Evanston looks from outside, but the Wildkits knocked down only two three-point field goals on the night.

“They were doing a good job of collapsing. They were guarding James [Farr] before he was catching it,” Evanston coach Mike Ellis said. “Everything was a full front; they were leaving specific players to double-down inside. Any throw in there would’ve been a turnover.”

The task of guarding the 6-foot-8 Farr inside was given to guard David McCoy, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who Livatino calls “a fighter” and “a warrior.”

“Defensively he never struggles. We put him on anybody, 6-foot-8 kids, 5-foot-10 kids,” Livatino said. “He fights; the kid battled tonight.”

That defensive intensity allowed Loyola to go on a 14 to 0 run between the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. Within a span of four minutes, Loyola turned a six-point deficit into an eight-point lead.

The Ramblers wouldn’t relinquish the lead despite missing four free throws down the stretch and having a series of possessions that resulted in three consecutive turnovers. Evanston trimmed the lead to three points with a little more than two minutes to go, but couldn’t get any closer.

“We have to do a better job of closing out the game,” Livatino said. “We made that game too close at the end. We have a long way to go to get better, but the composure of our guys was pretty good.”

Pujals finished with 18 points for the Ramblers. Garrett Jones led Evanston with 10 points.

Loyola hosts Hales Franciscan at home on Friday.

“It definitely helps our confidence. We’re definitely playing a lot better,” forward Briggs King said. “We’re still without some of our best players with injuries. We’re just getting better and better, with more confidence, especially with big wins like this.”