The Loyola Cubs overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat the Taft Toreadors 76-68 in front of a raucous home crowd to advance in the 2013 CIF Open Division 1 Championships.

It was a tale of two halves as Taft came out of the gate strong and built an early double digit advantage. The Toreadors were led by the stellar play of seniors Kris Yanku and Usama Zaid. Yanku drilled a buzzer beater to end the first quarter and give Taft a 19-13 lead.

Loyola relied heavily on big man Thomas Welsh. The 7-foot junior had 14 points in the first half to lead the Cubs.

Full Game Highlights: Taft vs. Loyola

Taft continued to build the lead in the second quarter and led 38-24 before the Cubs clawed back within 40-29 at the intermission. Yanku and Zaid had 14 and 13 points respectively for the Toreadors.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright took over the game in the third quarter as the Cubs rallied back into the game. Sharpshooting senior Trey Mason chipped in with some long jumpers and Welsh continued to impose his will on the interior.

A sweet driving bucket plus the foul by Jackson-Cartwright followed by a jumper from Mason cut the deficit to 42-39.

The Cubs took the lead 49-48 on a three-pointer from Mason that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Yanku and company withstood the run and regained the lead but Loyola took a 57-54 heading to the final quarter.

Three straight long range daggers by Loyola provided the Cubs some breathing room. Two more bombs from Mason sandwiched a clutch jumper from senior Mtume Armour to give the Cubs a 66-60 lead.

Solid free throw shooting by Loyola down the stretch secured the victory for the Cubs. Welsh led the way with 20 points before fouling out. Trey Mason had 19 points and Parker Jackson-Cartwright finished with 15.

Kris Yanku led all scorers with 28 points while Usama Zaid added 17 for the Toreadors.

Loyola advances to the next round on Saturday night.