Ohio City - Riding a three-game winning streak that included a thrilling 61-59 victory over St. Vincent-St. Mary on New Year's Eve afternoon in The LeBron James Arena (see the corner's story from New Year's Day), Coach Brian Becker's 6-2 Saint Ignatius Wildcats will return to the storied court inside Father Sullivan Gymnasium on Friday night to face the 4-5 Preppers from University School.
Please note that Friday's Varsity tip off will be 7:30 PM and will be preceded by a Junior Varsity matchup between the Wildcats and the Preppers at 6 PM.
In what is another short turnaround for the Basketball 'Cats, Coach Becker's men will board the bus for the Keystone State on Saturday to face the currently 4-4 Ramblers from Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep. The Varsity tip off in the atmosphere-rich Joann Mullen Gymnasium will be 4:30 PM. Cathedral Prep's Junior Varsity will take on the Wildcats' Jayvees at 3 PM.
Joann Mullen was a longtime devoted math teacher and the first female Assistant Principal and Principal at Cathedral Prep. Joann passed away in 2012 at the age of 72.
While the Varsity Wildcats are carrying the momentum of three consecutive victories, their opponents this weekend have been experiencing a roller-coaster ride of emotions during the first half of the regular season.
Coach Sean McDonnell's University School Preppers stood 2-2 before losing two consecutive games, 100-56 to the young and talented Cougars from Lake Catholic and a 66-51 setback at the hands of the Kenston Bombers.
The Preppers bounced back with two victories, including a December 29th, 68-61 triumph at Eastlake North.
North went on a 14-2 run in the early stages of the second quarter and held a seven-point lead. It was a tale of two halves, however, as University School went strong to the boards over the final 16 minutes and put forth the defensive effort Coach McDonnell stresses. John Nestor's 14 points and 13 points from O'Mahn Dobbins helped show the way for University School.
The Preppers hit another downward hill this week, as they traveled to Painesville on Tuesday night to face now 2-6 Riverside and were turned back by the Beavers, 64-59. University School faced a 22-14 deficit after the first eight minutes and was outscored, 17-11, in the fourth quarter.
Saint Ignatius had its way with University School last season, especially when it came to beating pressure and transition offense. The 'Cats were rock steady in the 90-54, clear-the-bench victory.
As for Cathedral Prep, Coach Mark Majewski's Ramblers got off to a 4-0 start and then experienced four consecutive setbacks. After a 71-54 loss at Canisius (N.Y.), Cathedral Prep competed at a Holiday tournament in Orlando, Florida and was defeated by Newsome (Fla.), 37-35, Notre Dame (CT) High School, 64-60, and Olentangy (Ohio), 57-50. Four solid opponents, my friends.
Coach Majewski's 2017-2018 Ramblers have been described by the Erie gym rats as being "high in talent, but low in experience."
Senior guard Aaron McBride is being counted on heavily this winter as Cathedral Prep's floor general. He is following Jaryn Simpson, who has taken his backcourt skills to Edinboro University. Also keep an eye on versatile and multi-skilled senior Adam Upperman, who is regarded as the Ramblers' most complete player.
FROM COACH BECKER '77: "University School is a good game for us. I think playing good, local and well-coached teams is a positive thing for the Saint Ignatius community. Certainly for our East Side kids it's a nice game, playing against some of their buddies.
"Sean McDonnell does a really good job of coaching over there. His kids will come in and play hard. They will play up-tempo and Sean will put a variety of defenses on us. We are going to have to be at the top of our game.
"Cathedral Prep has played some really good competition," Coach Becker emphasized in referencing to the Ramblers' deceiving record. "Usually when you travel like they did it upsets the apple cart a little bit. They are hard-nosed kids up there, who are always ready to compete. They will go up and down the floor and value every possession.
"We will have to be sharp and take care of the basketball."
SIBN: If you can't make it out to the games this weekend, you can always count on a sharp performance from the Saint Ignatius Broadcast Network. "The Dean," senior Matt MacKenzie, will bring you the Play-By-Play and junior Zack Strom will provide the savvy commentary.
Have a great rest of the week and weekend, and this old-timer, whose apartment room is fighting a losing battle to the cold temperatures, will see you at the cozy and warm confines of Father Sullivan Gymnasium and Joann Mullen Gymnasium.