Pep back in Loyola’s step
All the reasons Loyola began the season ranked No. 18 were evident in the victory Saturday against Marian Catholic, one of the area’s best teams. The Ramblers have size and shooters and play excellent defense.
Loyola receded from the spotlight after losing to New Trier, Leo, St. Rita and Providence-St. Mel in the first month, but its annual holiday trip to Florida once again worked some magic. Tom Livatino’s squad has won nine in a row.
“We’ve been playing really well,” Livatino said. “When we came here, we expected to win the game. Our guys have that confidence now. We did a pretty good job of playing team defense.”
Bennett Kwiecinski, a 6-8 junior, notched 15 points and six rebounds in the 49-35 victory against the Spartans. Senior Connor Barrett added 15 points and six rebounds.
“I was just playing as fast as I could, running the floor and attacking the rim whenever I had the chance to,” Kwiecinski said.
He scored 11 consecutive points during a key stretch at the end of the second and start of the third quarter.
“Bennett has been coming on, no doubt about it,” Livatino said. “He’s really been growing up in terms of how hard he plays, wanting the ball and being aggressive. That is fun to watch. His brother Jordan did the same thing, he just didn’t have the stats. He’s playing much better, tougher and stronger.”
Loyola rejoins the rankings at No. 20 this week and will be tested Tuesday at Notre Dame.
Super 25 additions
Oak Park: The Huskies are back after a dominant victory against York. It’s been another upand-down season, but this team is talented enough to stick in the rankings the rest of the way.
Stevenson: Matt Ambrose is back from injury and immediately made an impact, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a victory against Waukegan on Friday.
St. Laurence: The Vikings beat Leo on the road and make a quick return to the rankings.
Aurora Christian: Junior Will Wolfe can play. The Eagles knocked off Riverside-Brookfield on the road Friday. Wolfe scored 27.
Dropping out
St. Viator: Trey Calvin, a Wright State recruit, will be out for a while with a broken hand. It’s a devastating blow to the Lions, who lost to Notre Dame and Waukegan without him.
Oswego East: The Wolves are 13-4 but just haven’t quite lived up to some lofty preseason expectations. They lost to South Elgin on Saturday. They could be back in the rankings soon.
Uplift: Markese Jacobs has done everything humanly possible to keep the Titans ranked, but losses to Farragut and Orr this week mean they are gone for now.
Fremd: The Mid-Suburban League is up for grabs. Schaumburg took down the Vikings 50-36 on Friday.
Kenwood: Tough call. The Broncos played pretty well but lost to Curie, Simeon and Kankakee last week.
The week ahead
Well-traveled Bolingbrook returned to the area last week to beat Sandburg and Stagg. Now come the major tests. The Raiders will face Joliet Central on Tuesday, Homewood-Flossmoor on Friday and Evanston on Saturday.
♦ Martin Luther King Jr. events are all over the area this weekend. There are games practically all day and night Saturday through Monday, including tournaments at Wheaton-Warrenville South, Burlington Central and Lake Zurich.