Boys’ basketball: Loyola shows off depth and talent

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How good is Los Angeles Loyola? So good that the No. 2-ranked Cubs took apart a highly regarded Compton team that had beaten City Section power Westchester the night before in the Redondo tournament. Final score: Loyola 72, Compton 57.

The Cubs have so much depth that Brendan Boken, a much-improved 6-foot-6 senior who hardly played on varsity last season, contributed 12 points off the bench in the first half when Loyola opened a 41-28 halftime lead.

Then, in the third quarter, Boken’s cousin, 6-11 sophomore Thomas Welsh, was on the court when Loyola burst out to a 60-37 lead behind 11 points from Jacob Hazzard. There also was a series of plays from sophomore guard Parker Cartwright that left the mouths of some spectators wide open in awe.

Cartwright connected on a three-pointer, then drove the length of the court and scored on a layup in traffic on the next play. He also made some defensive plays that sophomores don’t normally make.

Justin Childress finished with 17 points and Cartwright had 15 for Loyola.

The only concern for the Cubs is that standout forward Julian Harrell had to be helped off in the fourth quarter because of a tendinitis in a knee. Loyola (2-0) advances to a semifinal game on Friday at 7:15 p.m. against Palisades or Redondo.

-- Eric Sondheimer