Loyola Surprises With Hot Hand

With six players scoring in double figures and shooting 72% from the field, the Los Angeles Loyola boys’ basketball team upset North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, 98-81, Wednesday night to pull into a first-place tie with the Wolverines in the Mission League.

Loyola (17-5 overall, 8-1 in league) was able to survive a 39-point, 23-rebound performance by 6-foot-10 center Alex Stepheson of Harvard-Westlake, ranked No. 8 in the Southland by The Times.

But it was the fearless play of 5-10 guard Dameon Gant that inspired the Cubs. He refused to be intimidated by Stepheson, putting up shots and usually making them. Loyola made its first six shots from the field.

Mark Hall finished with 25 points. Jimmy Hirschmann scored 19, Gant had 18, Mark Crawford had 14, Joe Thomason had 11 and Keyon Mitchell scored 11.

Loyola fell behind, 30-22, early in the second quarter after a dunk by Stepheson, causing Loyola Coach Jamal Adams to call a timeout that would prove decisive. The Cubs responded by going on a 16-0 run. They attacked Stepheson and the Wolverines (19-4, 8-1) repeatedly inside.

Loyola held a 79-61 lead going into the fourth quarter when Stepheson took over.

He scored 15 points in the quarter as the Wolverines closed to within 85-80 with 2:36 left.

But Hall made a three-point basket with 1:53 left to put an end to the rally.

-- Eric Sondheimer

The fairy-tale ending wasn’t to be.

Only hours after signing to play football at Notre Dame, Mission Viejo center Konrad Reuland stepped to the free-throw line with 1.5 seconds left in overtime and his team trailing visiting Lake Forest El Toro by one point in a key South Coast League game.

But Reuland was long on both attempts and the No. 20 Chargers escaped with a 53-52 victory over No. 19 Mission Viejo, taking sole possession of first place with three games remaining.

“I couldn’t close it out. It was really frustrating,” said Reuland, a 6-6, 240-pound tight end. “I’ve got to hit those.”

Reuland had made two free throws with 37.1 seconds left in overtime to give the Diablos a 52-51 lead, but El Toro junior guard Drew Hillman made a baseline jumper with 25 seconds left to put the Chargers (19-4, 6-1) ahead for good.

Mission Viejo’s Sean Fitzgerald, who earlier in the day signed to play wide receiver at Utah, then missed a short jump shot, teammate David Lee tipped the ball off the rim twice, and Reuland’s putback was blocked by David Foster. However, Reuland retrieved the ball and was fouled by Foster.

Matched against Foster, a 7-2 senior center who signed with Utah, Reuland struggled, missing 12 of 14 shots.

Still, the Diablos led, 48-41, when Reuland scored off an offensive rebound with 3:20 remaining in regulation.

El Toro’s defense stiffened and kept Mission Viejo (16-6, 5-2) scoreless into overtime.

Jared Kaiser, who scored seven of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter, scored on a three-point play with 11.5 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score, 48-48. Fitzgerald had an open look from the baseline in the closing seconds but missed long.

“All you can do is ask for an opportunity to win the game and we had the opportunity, Mission Viejo Coach Troy Roelen said. “We just didn’t take advantage of it.”

Mission Viejo, which beat El Toro in the first round of league play, 52-47, could get another shot in the playoffs. The Chargers are ranked No. 2 in the Division I-AA coaches’ poll; Mission Viejo is No. 4.

-- Dan Arritt

Girls’ Water Polo

The Southern California women’s water polo championships, beginning today at Irvine, Corona del Mar and Lake Forest El Toro high schools, feature the top nine teams in the Southern Section Division I rankings as well as the top-ranked teams in Divisions II, IV and V.

The top-seeded teams are Corona del Mar, ranked No. 1 in Division II; Newport Harbor, No. 1 in Division I; Santa Ana Foothill, No. 2 in Division I, and Santa Margarita, No. 3 in Division I.

Pool play takes place today and Friday.

The semifinals are at 10 and 11 a.m. Saturday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, site of the championship game at 3 p.m.

-- Peter Yoon