Loyola lifts coach’s spirits with 70-52 win over Crespi

It was not the way Los Angeles Loyola had wanted to start one of the toughest weeks of its basketball season, with word that Coach Jamal Adams’ mother was dealing with a serious health issue and had to undergo surgery Monday.

Players united in offering support to Adams, and they made their coach feel relieved with their focus and effort in a 70-52 Mission League victory over Encino Crespi that moved Loyola into a second-place tie with the Celts.

“Collectively, these guys have been lifting me up,” Adams said. “I’m proud and honored that they would play with the effort they did tonight considering everything that is going on.”

Justin Childress and Jacob Hazzard each scored 17 points for the Cubs (16-2, 5-2), who scored 10 consecutive points at the outset of the third quarter to turn a one-point game into a rout.

Crespi (18-3, 5-2) was hurt by the absence of its best rebounder and one of its top scorers, Michael Milligan Jr., who had to sit out the game because of a concussion suffered against Harvard-Westlake.

Carter Gallo scored 16 points for the Celts, but Loyola’s strategy of pressuring point guard London Perrantes in an effort to wear him down seemed to produce results. He was limited to nine points.

“We felt we had to make him tired,” Adams said.

The win was the first accomplishment in a challenging week ahead. On Wednesday, Loyola plays host to first-place Alemany. On Friday, the Cubs face Chaminade. And on Saturday, they take on Orange Lutheran at Fairfax.

How the Cubs perform this week and in a game Feb. 4 against City Section power Woodland Hills in the Nike Extravaganza could provide an answer if Loyola will be a legitimate challenger to Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly and Etiwanda when the Southern Section Division 1AA playoffs begin.

Loyola has won five consecutive league games since opening with losses to Crespi and Alemany.

Zena Edosomwan, a 6-foot-8 senior at Harvard-Westlake, didn’t play Monday night at Loyola, but he may have been Loyola’s biggest contributor. Last Friday against Crespi, he was responsible for Milligan’s concussion and Perrantes’ bruised shoulder, and scored the winning basket to defeat the Celts.

Harvard-Westlake defeated St. Francis, 71-45, on Monday. Alemany defeated Chaminade, 88-60, with Bear Henderson scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com