Led by yet another KC-area kid, Loyola beats UMKC in teams’ season opener
Remember Loyola, that Cinderella that played its way to the Final Four with a pair of Kansas City kids leading the way? The Ramblers were back at it Tuesday night in Chicago, hosting the UMKC Kangaroos in the season opener for both teams.
Suffice to say that Blue Valley Northwest product Clayton Custer has a new running mate now.
Mill Valley High grad Cooper Kaifes knocked down just about everything he launched as the Ramblers stifled UMKC 76-45 in the season opener for both teams.
Kaifes, a freshman guard playing in his first collegiate game, led all scorers with 19 points. He hit five three-pointers — including three straight when he first subbed into the game in the opening half — to send coach Kareem Richardson’s Roos to the opening loss.
The night got started with some additional Loyola fanfare as the Ramblers hung a banner commemorating their Final Four run to San Antonio above their home court. Some of the pieces from that magical run are back — such as Custer, the former BVNW guard who scored nine Tuesday — and some are gone, like Ben Richardson, Custer’s high school teammate. He’s now playing professionally in Poland.
And some pieces are new, like Kaifes. Whether the Ramblers can claw deep into the NCAA Tournament again remains to be seen, but Kaifes’ aim Tuesday was so true that by the time he drained his fourth three, the home crowd inside Gentile Arena started bellowing “Cooooooop!”
“Hearing that was good,” Kaifes told the Chicago Tribune.
Loyola led 40-18 at the break. UMKC trailed by at least 20 throughout the second half. The Roos shot just 29.8 percent (17-of-57).
Brandon McKissic had 15 points for UMKC and Rob Whitfield added 11. Each hit a trio of threes. But they were the only Roos to reach double figures.
UMKC remains on the road Thursday, and the competition will remain fierce. The Roos (0-1) play Big Ten foe Iowa in Iowa City at 7 p.m.
Loyola is at Furman Friday.
This story was originally published November 7, 2018 at 1:32 AM.