Redondo faced a tall order at home against Loyola, which started 6-foot-8 Stone Gettings and 7-foot McDonald’s All-American Thomas Welsh returning to his hometown.
Yet it was the smaller Sea Hawks who dominated at home, winning 65-54 over the No. 3-seeded Cubs in the CIF Open Division quarterfinals. Redondo will travel to Chino Hills for the semifinals Tuesday
In front of a sold-out crowd that packed the gym 30 minutes before tipoff, Redondo (24-4) used its speed and defense to overwhelm Loyola (25-3). The Sea Hawks hit eight 3-pointers and also got a lift from their smallest player.
The 5-2 Elijah Nesbit scored five of his 11 points in the third quarter and also had four rebounds and two steals while also doing a solid defensive job on Loyola’s Max Hazzard.
“It’s always interesting when the littlest guy on the court plays with the biggest heart,” Redondo coach Reggie Morris Jr. said, “He plays with a big heart and he’s done that in the last two playoff games for us.”
Nesbit added two free throws with 1:12 left to put the Sea Hawks up 59-51 as Redondo withstood the last Loyola surge.
“When I come in, I just try to keep the intensity up and give my team that boost,” Nesbit said.
The Sea Hawks relied on balance as Leland Green matched Loyola’s first-quarter output by himself with nine points as Redondo got off to fast start to lead 17-9.
Ryse Williams added a 3-pointer in the second to put Redondo up 24-11. The Sea Hawks led by as many 14 before Loyola caught fire from the perimeter. Three consecutive 3-pointers cut Redondo’s lead to 32-24 at halftime.
Loyola got within 38-31 before Nesbit made his impact. A 3-pointer put Redondo up 10 and after five quick points by the Cubs, Nesbit had a putback layup to put the Sea Hawks up seven.
Loyola cut the lead to five again and Nesbit found Ian Fox for a 3-pointer. Fox, who finished with 12 points and five assists, added another 3 before the buzzer to give Redondo a 49-40 lead after three.
The Sea Hawks led 53-42 in the fourth before Loyola made one last run. Welsh’s putback with 3:20 left made it 55-49 and after Terrell Carter scored, Khalil Bedart-Ghani fouled on a putback that made it 57-51 with 1:28 left.
Bedart-Ghani missed the ensuing free throw and that would be as close as the Cubs would get.
Carter finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and six blocks while holding his own against Welsh with his strength to neutralize Welsh’s size.
“He’s not as mobile as me so I tried to slow him down as much as I could,” said Carter, who said stopping him was a focus in practice all week.
Welsh, who signed with UCLA, finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds but had trouble getting the ball inside due to Redondo’s perimeter defense. Yet he appreciated the chance to play in front of sizable cheering section of family.
“It was nice to play in front of people I know and who I’ve been around all my life. It was a fun environment,” Welsh said.
Green led Redondo with 13 points. Thomas Lapham led the Cubs with 12 points and Hazzard and Gettings added 10 points.
Both teams also had loud student sections that battled each other during the game. Yet Redondo’s fans, like their team, had the last word, pointing to the scoreboard.
“There’s a strong influence of Loyola in the South Bay and I think they were ready to play. It definitely showed in the way we came out that we were ready as well,” Morris said.
