ATLANTA -- Two former Blue Valley Northwest Students helped lead Loyola-Chicago to the Elite 8 on Thursday night.
The 11-seeded Ramblers defeated the seventh-seeded Nevada Wolfpack 69-68.
Final: See you Saturday!#Loyola - 69
Nevada - 68#OnwardLU #MVCHoops #NoFinishLine #LUCMBB100 pic.twitter.com/mmMmDrs8Ir— Loyola Basketball (@RamblersMBB) March 23, 2018
Clayton Custer scored 15 points with four assists and three steals. Ben Richardson scored 8 points along with three assists and three rebounds. The two have known each other since elementary school and won two state titles while at Northwest.
"Me and Ben, we spend so much time together. We are with each other all the time," Custer said. "Obviously during this stretch right now, whenever we are just sitting in our apartment hanging out together, we will look at each other and be like 'Wow, we are really doing this together right now.' We couldn't be happier to be doing this with each other. It's been a dream come true for us"
Ramble on, boys! @ClaytonCuster3 @b_RICH4444 #elite8 #createdbyculture pic.twitter.com/BF7u6sVHaJ
— BVNW Hoops (@BVNW_Hoops) March 23, 2018
Custer, a redshirt junior, went on to say of Richardson, "I don't want it to end with him. So we are going to do whatever we possibly can to keep playing together."
Custer, Richardson and the rest of the Ramblers will play in the Elite 8 against Kansas State on Saturday.
