Twenty-two games have come and gone, and in those 22 games, the Saint Ignatius basketball team has established a 17-5 record and earned the No. 1 seed in the Strongsville District Tournament. The Wildcats’ postseason journey will begin this coming Saturday in the Sectional Final. The Basketball Cats have a bye this Wednesday, and will await who their first playoff opponent will be after the Sectional Semifinal between Parma Senior and Valley Forge.
The 2017 OHSAA Division I Boys Basketball State Tournament bracket places the Wildcats in a similar path to Columbus. With the No. 1 seed, the Wildcats have a legit shot at playing St. Edward once again in the District Championship, just like last year. So, let’s take a look at the Wildcats’ path to Columbus beginning with their Sectional Final on Saturday at home.
SECTIONAL FINAL: The 12-10 Redmen of Parma and the 4-15 Patriots of Valley Forge have played each other twice this season, with the Redmen winning both contests, by 16 and 22 points. Kyle Lyon, George Minnichm and Zach Evans of Parma put up double digits in each of the two wins. You may remember the name Kyle Lyon from football this past fall. Lyon, at 6’2’’, 185, was the quarterback of the Redmen, and uses his big body as the team’s leading guard on the basketball court. He notched a season-high 35 points in a win over John Marshall and 27 points in their 76-54 win over Valley Forge.
For the Patriots, they just so happen to be led by their quarterback as well, John Quinones, who scored 16 points in their last win over Mayfield, 73-50. The Patriots’ four wins have come against Lincoln West, Rocky River, Normandy, and Mayfield, so two schools that are in the Strongsville District. With that being said, expect the Redmen to win this game easily.
DISTRICT SEMIFINAL: Saint Ignatius will match up nicely with either Parma or Valley Forge, outsizing them with Austen Yarian and Matt Davet, and should outpace either of the Parma schools with the fast-paced offense Coach Becker likes to play. If the Wildcats are fortunate enough to come out of Sectionals, the Wildcats will most likely place themselves in a rematch with the Bees of Brecksville-Broadview Heights at Strongsville on Wednesday, March 8. Last year in the District Semifinal, the Wildcats rolled over the Bees, 60-23, and shutout the Bees in the entire third quarter and for part of the fourth quarter. This year might be different, however, as Brecksville-Broadview Heights holds a 16-6 record and should make it 17 in a row with a win over either John Marshall or Rhodes. The Bees, who are assistant coached by former varsity and junior varsity head coach at Saint Ignatius, Mr. Larry Arthur, are led by senior standout Matt Dimitrijevs, who averages 20-25 points per game and will give Saint Ignatius’ guards all they can handle.
DISTRICT FINAL: Just like last season, the Wildcats and St. Edward Eagles are on a collision course to meet once again in the District Championship game on March 11. St. Edward arguably has an easier path to the District Final. The Eagles will have to go through Max S. Hayes, Lincoln West, and most likely four-seed North Royalton barring an upset by Normandy, to meet the Wildcats in the Round of 32. The Wildcats have successfully defeated the Eagles twice this season, both finishing in overtime. It is rarely easy to defeat a rival three times in one year, and that is what Coach Becker and the Wildcats will have to do if they are lucky enough to get back to the District Championship. The Eagles enter the playoffs on a four-game winning streak with a record of 17-5.
SWEET 16 AND BEYOND: Should the Wildcats emerge out of Districts, they will have to then get out of the Cleveland Region. Recapping last year’s Regional Tournament, it was a heated three games. The Wildcats outlasted an underdog Solon team, and Garfield Heights held off a gritty Warren G. Harding team. That set up a Regional Final between the Wildcats and Bulldogs, with Garfield Heights outlasting Saint Ignatius in double overtime.The loss inspired this year’s motto, “One More Play.”
This year could be different, however, as looking at the region, the Wildcats would enter as the highest ranked team in the state. Saint Ignatius is ranked No. 14 in the final Ohio High School Boys Basketball AP State Poll. The Wildcats would play the winner of the Euclid District in the Regional Semifinal, and they have already played two of the top three seeded teams in that district, Solon and Cleveland Heights, knocking off both the Comets and Tigers.
Then the Regional Final is a complete toss up. In the Alliance District, No. 1 Lake and No. 2 Ellet are the favorites to come out of the district.
Lake sits at a record of 16-6 with two big wins over Hoover, and the Ellet Orangemen have an impressive record of 17-5. Those are two impressive teams coming out of Alliance. And finally in the Solon District, Garfield Heights is once again seeded at No. 1 with an 18-4 record, but they will be challenged in Districts with a tough Maple Heights team, which has gone 17-5 with wins over Cleveland Heights, Lutheran East, and Brecksville-Broadview Heights. Kenston, the Wildcats’ most recent win, is also in the district.
The rest of the three regions are stacked. The Akron/Toledo Region will be a heated one, and is hard to predict. The fifth ranked team in the state, St. John’s Jesuit, a team known for upsetting state powerhouses, is on track to face off with the always gritty eighth ranked Lorain Titans. Both teams of Titans played St. Edward this year, and while St. John’s Jesuit knocked off the Eagles, Lorain gave St. Edward all they could handle. Also in that Region are state powers in Massillon Jackson, the fourth ranked team in the state, and eleventh ranked Hoover Vikings who are on course to take on each other in the District Final. Either of those two teams should be favored to make it to Columbus.
The Columbus Region is stacked as well with the No. 2 team in the state, Pickerington Central, as the Region favorite to make it to Ohio State. But they could be matchup against the defending State Champion Westerville South Wildcats in the Regional Semis, which could be a marquee matchup. The Dayton Region could be argued as the least challenging region to come out of. The number one team in the state, the Archbishop Moeller Crusaders, have a seemingly easy path to the Final Four.
However, if looking at last year, there is always the possibility of a Cinderella upset. Both Archbishop Moeller and Wayne were upset last year in Regionals, and McKinley nearly upset undefeated Lima Senior, who eventually lost in the State Final. There is a lot of “Madness” in March in the OHSAA Boys State Basketball Tournament!
ONE MORE PLAY: The motto of the Saint Ignatius basketball team this season is “One More Play.” What does that mean?
In the playoffs, making one more big time play can decide whether or not you win or lose the game, and frankly, the Wildcats learned that the hard way last year. The Basketball Cats fell short in the double overtime, Regional Final loss to Garfield Heights. It was a loss that stuck with Saint Ignatius leading into preseason camp, and the team has used that as extra motivation this year.
Now in the tournament, they are looking to make “one more play” every game, so that a loss like last year isn’t duplicated.
This is a team that fans have all seen grow and learn how to better play with each other over the course of the year. Start with the two giants that have taken the state by storm.
Austen Yarian and Matt Davet have been unstoppable all year long. In the second St. Edward game, Yarian took over in the fourth quarter and in overtime, even after getting into foul trouble, and helped lead the Wildcats to a big overtime win. He was dominant in the second Cleveland Heights game, and had a career high 32 points in the win over Solon. His ability to heave touchdown passes to his teammates for easy buckets has become unstoppable and he has developed into one of the best forwards in the state. Davet has done the same with his turnaround floaters and 20-plus point performances night in and night out. The senior has proven to the state that he is deserving of All-Ohio First Team honors. Especially after his special night on Senior Night, earning himself over 1,000 career points at Saint Ignatius, his leadership and grit on the court is so crucial to making a deep tournament run. Plus, what other 6’7’’ forward can knock down straight away three balls like savvy Davet?
However, they are obviously not the only ones making an impact on this team. You look at the starting guards in Devin Jackson, Colin Goodfellow, and Michael Spear. Each of these seniors has hit the three ball on a consistent basis. Spear is shooting 36% from behind the arc and Goodfellow is shooting 47% from three. The trio is so dangerous because Davet and Yarian can toss passes to the perimeter knowing the open guard will sink the shot.
Jackson has become a better shooter towards the end of the season, too, and that is big for the Wildcats. The Wildcats’ ability to move the ball around the perimeter so efficiently and find the open shot for any guy out on the floor is special.
What makes Saint Ignatius even tougher to stop is the team’s deep bench. With the addition of the three freshmen, the Wildcats now have 14 players, not including the injury of Kevin Davet.
But you look at Jon Barnes, who will come in and give solid minutes with his versatile play guarding inside, and his ability to drive hard to the basket. Luke Wiskes, Dom DiNunzio, and Aymin Bahhur can come in and be efficient inside on both ends as backup guards or bigs. And you can’t forget about the phenomenal backup point guard in Neeko Melendez, whose ball handling skills are off the charts. Plus, the the junior can occasionally hit that big three ball.
Top to bottom, this team is one of the best in the state, even if the state poll voters don’t want to show it. Each guy, night in and night out, is expected to be ready to come in and give solid minutes and efficient effort on every possession. This team is poised to make a run to Columbus, if they are able to be careful and effective in three areas – free throw shooting, turnovers, and foul trouble.
The Wildcats have shot 72% from the free throw line this year, and more times than not, they are consistent there, but fans have seen that missing your free throws can cost you a game, such as the overtime loss down vs. Westerville South, as it can happen to any team. As far as the turnovers and foul trouble go, the Wildcats must avoid making simple mistakes that can befall teams in the playoffs. And if the Wildcats get into foul trouble, specifically Yarian and Davet since they are so big, the club can become vulnerable late in the game. But if the Wildcats stay careful, hit free throws, and hold onto the ball, this team will be in Columbus come March 24.
This 2017 State Tournament will be a fun one, and hopefully even more exciting than last year with some basketball at “The Schott.” But first, it’s the final game for the five seniors in Sullivan Gymnasium on Saturday in the Sectional Final, where the Wildcats have to take care of business in Round One.
SIBN: Play-by-play guy Matt MacKenzie ‘18 and color analyst Brendan DeVenney ‘17 will have you covered for every tournament game (audio-only) this March on the Saint Ignatius Broadcast Network. Every Cleveland Home Title Pregame Show will start 15 minutes prior to tipoff. So tune in for all of the action, hopefully leading up to a State Championship on March 25!