Ky McKeon

It was good to be back in Gentile Arena for the first time in a couple years. I’ve always loved the intimate gym, which feels full even when it’s not. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the raucous crowd that is the norm at LUC, as students were still on winter break. However, I was fortunate to see a fantastic game of basketball that took two extra periods to determine a winner.

First Half

Right out of the gate it was clear Valpo came to play. The Beacons brought with them a strong contingent of supporters, including presumably Thomas Kithier’s mother, who was one of the more intense supporters in the arena (in a good way). Speaking of Kithier, he was DWARFED by Loyola sophomore center Jacob Hutson. You could have fooled me who the former Big Ten player was in the paint.

Valpo matched Loyola’s trademark physicality and toughness from the start. Despite being less athletic and smaller than the Ramblers, Valpo held strong and punched Loyola in the mouth with their own medicine. It was a defensive affair for the majority of the first half.

Offensively, the Beacons had a clear game plan to milk clock and work the ball in the halfcourt. Only Kobe King, the former Wisconsin transfer, was looking for his shot. King could be a game breaker for the Beacons in Valley play – he is way too strong and athletic not to be one of the best players in the league. King’s deficiencies are his tendency to float and take bad shots. So, your typical “guy is really good but knows he’s really good” pitfall.

Both teams’ defenses were incredible, supported by the poor shooting in the opening stanza. The Beacons seemed to surprise Loyola with their ability to go toe-to-toe with the Ramblers’ physicality, leading to the Beacons controlling much of the first half. At the under-8:00 timeout, Valpo led 19-13 and was a pristine 8/12 from the floor (on mostly good shots). Loyola was 0/5 from deep and looked uncomfortable.

Valpo extended its lead to 12 points in just a two-minute time span. Loyola head coach Drew Valentine threw a 3-2 zone curveball at the Beacons, but they knocked it out of the park after getting behind in the count. Valentine took a much-needed timeout with six minutes to play in the first to get his team’s head right.

Loyola came out of the timeout like a missile and kickstarted a theme for the night: the Ramblers scored almost every single time out of a timeout. Valentine must be one of the best play callers in the country, because he drew up some truly impressive sets out of timeouts, and his Ramblers carved the Beacons up all night long out of breaks. Loyola used this momentum to go on a 7-0 run in just 54 seconds. An odd technical on Valpo’s Eron Gordon (I still have no clue what he did) helped the Rambler run.

Valpo, as it has done all night, punched back against Loyola’s run. The Beacons fought hard the final four minutes and went into halftime with a 30-22 lead.

First Half Impressions:

• I have no clue how Kithier played in the Big Ten. He is much better suited in the Valley.

• Kobe King should dominate this league. His teammates don’t look for him enough, but he also has a tendency to play hero ball

• Chris Knight should be more of a factor for Loyola. He was arguably the most physically imposing player on the floor but could not finish a lick near the rim.

• Where is Lucas Willamson? Loyola’s best player was invisible in the first half.

• Reemphasis on Valentine’s play-calling: it is art.

Second Half

I fully expected Loyola to run roughshod over the Beacons in the second half. After all, Loyola was a 16-point favorite and is a top 30 team in the country. But Valpo held strong once again despite Loyola’s best effort and the unfunny quips of a drunk LUC student who showed up at halftime. I really must underscore how poor his insults were at the Valpo team / fans. It was cringeworthy. Do better, kids.

Valpo led by nine at the under-16:00 timeout but then Loyola made its first push. The previously quiet Williamson drove to the bucket and got an And-1 opportunity and then Marquise Kennedy forced a steal into a breakaway dunk. These types of quick runs happened more than a couple times in the first part of the second half, but every time Valpo held strong. At the under-12:00 Valpo led by eight. At the under-8:00 Valpo led by eight.

Valpo Point guard Preston Reudinger picked up a stupid technical after finishing a layup (poor choice by him, poor call by the ref) which kickstarted another brief Loyola run. Unfortunately for the Ramblers, they couldn’t capitalize fully, as they went scoreless from the floor for over three minutes and guys like Williamson continued to miss (and airball) open shots.

With 1:33 to play in regulation Valpo led 55-49. My UNDER bet was looking fantastic, and the Beacons were 93 seconds from pulling off a major upset.

Then came the melt.

Over the final minute in regulation Valpo turned the ball over THREE TIMES off inbounding the basketball. THREE TIMES. That was worsened by Valentine’s continued mastery of out-of-timeout play-calling. Valpo also made a weird decision on the final few plays of regulation. Instead of getting King the ball up two with 25 seconds to go, Valpo tried to force feed Kithier away from the block. It made no sense. Kithier’s offensive impact up to that point was minimal while King was scoring at will via isolation and teammates Sheldon Edwards and Kevion Taylor found success of their own.

Valpo turned the ball over without getting a shot off (this was turnover #3 of the THREE TIMES bit mentioned above). Loyola brought the ball down and PG Braden Norris, a stone-cold killer and 81% FT shooter, drew a foul with 16 seconds left on the clock. Norris made both, Valpo missed on the other end. We were headed to overtime with a score of 55-55.

Reminder: I am on the UNDER at 135.5. I still feel pretty good about the bet, but it’s getting dicey.

Overtimes

Scoring was plentiful in overtime. Both teams drew fouls and found their outside shots. Valpo was impressive in that it didn’t back down from a deflating finish to regulation. The Beacons led 66-63 with 36 seconds to play… and then Braden “Chuck” Norris, aka Stone-Cold Killer, aka Ice Man, aka The Dagger, hit a triple to tie the game. Valpo barfed on its final possession.

Double overtime. The UNDER covered in the first overtime. The UNDER is now dead.

Norris took over in the second bonus period. He made three triples and gave the Ramblers the lead for good early in 2OT. Valpo didn’t have any answers for the suddenly hot Ramblers and quietly faded into the night.

Loyola won the game 81-74, its second straight Missouri Valley overtime win of the season. I walked away more impressed with Valpo than Loyola, but damn this Rambler squad is something special.