Loyola Builds Momentum With Sweep of Eureka

The Loyola Sacred-Heart basketball program hopped on the bus Saturday and made a trip north to play Eureka and Loyola came home with the sweep with boys winning 61-40 in game one, and the girls completing the sweep beating the the Lady Lions 42-38.

Boys Box Score 

Game one started out as a fast paced rumble with both teams flopping back and forth on the scoreboard in the opening possessions. Eureka’s first nine points came from beyond the arc as Colton Cooper and Quade Anderson knocked down a trio of three pointers. Loyola turned the pace in their favor with fast break points and a stifling defense to give themselves a 17-14 lead at the end of the first frame. The Rams continued to run the ball in the second quarter with David Koppang and Jack Lincoln each scoring four points to help Loyola to a 36-23 lead at the intermission.

The Rams rotated the ball on the perimeter giving openings on the baseline and forcing the Lions Jake Kindel to pick up two quick fouls in the first 2:30 of the third quarter, eliminating Eureka’s power in the paint. Despite shooting 71% from the three point line in the first half, the Rams held Eureka to 40% in the second half. Rams Head Coach Eddie Stack mixed in his bench late in the third quarter and Loyola cruised a 20 point victory over the Lions.

Girls Box Score 

In the second game of the doubleheader between Loyola and Eureka the Lady Lions raced out to a big lead in the first quarter, not allowing the Breakers to score until 2:37 left in the opening frame when Sydney Koppang hit a jumper. The pendulum swung into the favor of Loyola in the second quarter where the Breakers outgunned Eureka 19-4, giving Loyola a 22-18 lead at the half.

Once again Eureka came out hot and kept the Breakers from scoring until 5:05 left in the third quarter and dominated the paint with the presence of Lady Lion Sophomore Maggie Graves crushing the boards on both ends of the court. Loyola Senior Tessa Burke put her team on her back and led the charge to keep the Breakers alive in the game. Burke dropped six points in the paint and went 3-4 from the free throw line in the third frame to help Loyola maintain the lead secure the victory.

Loyola will take on the Anaconda Copperheads on Tuesday with the boys making the bus trip east, and the girls hosting the Lady Copperheads at the Ram Athletic Center. You can here the Rams game with a live audio stream at www.mpsn406.com.