On an early Martin Luther King Day morning, the Saint Ignatius freshman gold basketball team squared off with its cross town rival, the Eagles of St. Edward.  

Coming into the game at 6-1, the Wildcats were hoping to add another key win to an already impressive resume.

The game started off with the Eagles jumping out to a 10-3 lead with their tight full court pressure, but that was all the Cats would have of that defense. The Cats responded to the adversity with their ability to match the defensive full court pressure and their ability to make shots.  

The combination of Griffin Hanna and Chase Toppin was one to look out for, as they worked extremely well off of one another and helped make the team around them a whole unit.  The duo's work helped the Cats to never give up another lead for the rest of the half, marked by in a 7-point advantage heading into the break.

The second half echoed the same story for the Cats, as the hosts kept their lead and pushed it further throughout the half. With a spark provided late in the third quarter by Daniel Drellishak off the bench, the Cats pushed their lead to double digits.  And from there, it was time for the Cats to finish the job.  

The Wildcats were able to get everyone playing time in this game, which is always great to see, especially in these types of games.  The Cats had no problem in the closing minutes, and secured a 60-44 victory to move to 7-1 on the year.

The Cats will hope to take the momentum from this win into their next contest when they square off with Akron Buchtel at Sullivan Gym on Saturday, January 21, with tipoff scheduled for noon.