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St. Edward wins a couple of thrillers over the Wildcats in Monday's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Freshmen Basketball Doubleheader in Father Sullivan Gymnasium

By Eddie Dwyer, 01/16/18, 10:00AM EST

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Ohio City - The future of the storied Saint Ignatius versus St. Edward basketball rivalry is in good hands, my friends.

That was evident from the get-go on Monday, as the Freshmen Wildcats and the ninth-grade Eagles tested each other's will from baseline to baseline in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Doubleheader on the 'Cats' Sullivan Gymnasium court.

 With a solid and spirited crowd of all ages on hand, the Eagles' Green and Gold Teams were able to board their vintage white and green trimmed bus back to Lakewood with a pair of thrilling victories, 49-45 by the Green over the Wildcats' Blue Team and 41-40 by the St. Edward Gold over the Saint Ignatius Gold.

 The young, but oh so promising Wildcats and Eagles will do it again in a few weeks when they meet in their annual freshmen doubleheader rematch on Coach Jim Connors Court in The Eagles' Nest. The date is Wednesday, February 7th.

 "We use this game as our measuring stick," said Saint Ignatius' Gold Head Coach Tom Parker, who had many memorable encounters with St. Edward during his outstanding basketball career at Saint Ignatius. "We're at the midway point of the season and if we  cut down on the turnovers and play defense without fouling a lot, we would win most every game."

 And that comes from a coach whose team stands an impressive 8-2 after Monday's one-point setback. The Gold Cats were also defeated by St. Vincent-St. Mary over Christmas Break. 

 "The effort was certainly there today, it was just the turnovers, they come at the wrong times," Coach Parker continued. "So that's what I'm preaching, value the basketball and don't give up easy layups."

 St. Edward's Gold Team, which improved to 9-3, valued their early opportunities as the Eagles took an 8-0 lead and led, 8-2, heading into the second quarter.

 Saint Ignatius' Gold picked up its game at both ends of the court in the second quarter and closed to 12-10 with 2 minutes and 1 second remaining in the first half.

 St. Edward ran off five unanswered points, but the Wildcats' Gold trailed by only three points at halftime thanks to a basket down low by ever-present post Aidan Hubbard off an assist from guard Declan Mangan and the first of four 3-pointers on the afternoon by guard Kendall McClain.

 A highlight-reel sweeping hooking shot across the lane by Hubbard and the long-range shooting of McClain had the 'Cats knocking on victory's door throughout the third quarter, but the Eagles took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter after guard Max Morgan buried a trey.

 The battle of big hearts continued in the final seven minutes as Hubbard's authoritative presence down low and a basket in transition by Mangan knotted the score at 27.

 Following a free throw by Hubbard, a three-pointer from St. Edward's talented guard Shane Macalla gave the Eagles a short-lived, two-point  lead.

 Showing his range as a football linebacker, Hubbard ran the floor and took a picture-perfect assist from guard  JP Tijanich that tied the score at 30. JP was the starting quarterback for Coach Rodney Gallaway's resilient Freshmen Football Wildcats.

 Continuing to push the ball at every opportunity, Saint Ignatius took a 35-33 lead on a three-point play by Hubbard off another Tijanich assist and led, 38-33, after McClain sent home a rainbow 3-pointer that was preceded by a St. Edward turnover with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.

 A determined offensive rebound and putback by Hubbard had the Wildcats clinging to a three-point lead with 42.3 seconds on the clock, but the Eagles closed to 40-39 on two free throws by gritty guard Joshua Norton, who was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer.

 The turnovers Coach Parker referred to raised their ugly head again and St. Edward, after forcing a turnover with  26.1 seconds left, took a 41-40 lead on a leaning baseline drive off the glass by guard Jacob Ottiger with 9.5 seconds to go.

 Saint Ignatius called a final timeout with 2.7 seconds remaining, but had difficulty inbounding the ball against the Eagles' pressure and the St. Edward Gold celebrated one of the more intense and entertaining games in the history of the Freshmen Basketball series between the perennial West Side powers.

 Hubbard led all scorers with 20 points, 14 of those coming in the second half. Macalla and Norton paced the Eagles with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

 "Freshmen basketball is a learning lesson," said Coach Parker. "They will be ready in February to play St. Edward again. They are going to use the skill they have, not waste it, and remember this feeling they have right now."    

 ST EDWARD GREEN 49, SAINT IGNATIUS BLUE 45: Monday's opening game ended up producing its own drama, even though St.  Edward got off to a fast start and led by seven points approaching the midway point of the second quarter.

 Sparked by the all-around play of forward/post Henry Raynor and forward Luke Roggenburk, the Saint Ignatius Blue Cats closed to 23-22 by halftime off two free throws by Raynor, took a 24-23 lead on a basket down low by Raynor early in the second half and led, 27-24, after Roggenburk scored off a layup with 4 minutes and 44 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

 A 3-pointer from Saint Ignatius guard Cole Smith extended the Wildcats' lead to six points, but a 3-pointer by the Eagles quickly cut the deficit to three points.

 It was Raynor time again, as Henry scored off a nice spin move in the lane, and guard/forward Andrew Chime  sent home two points off an all business drive down the lane. After an offensive rebound and put back by Raynor, Saint Ignatius led by nine points with 28.6 seconds left in the third quarter.

 St. Edward's Green Team, which improved to 8-1, made it a six-point game entering the fourth quarter after guard Jackson Powell buried a 3-pointer.

 A deep 3-pointer by guard Peter Mattimore helped the Wildcats extend their lead to 10 points, but the Eagles invited Mr. Momentum to their bench by going on an 8-0 run that forced Saint Ignatius to call a timeout with 3:26 remaining in the fourth quarter.

 Mattimore's two points in transition gave Saint Ignatius a 43-39 lead. St. Edward kept the pressure on, however, and led, 44-43 with 2:28 left after post Caleb Warren produced two points and guard Justin Slattery hit a trey that put the Eagles' faithful on their feet.

 The Wildcats went back on top, 45-44, after guard Chris Snyder went strong to the rim, but another 3-pointer by Slattery with a minute to go and two free throws by guard Tauyree Allen in the final 13.9 seconds sealed the deal for St. Edward's Green Team.

 Raynor finished with 14 points to lead the now 5-2 Blue Cats and Mattimore totaled 10 points. After his big shots down the stretch, Slattery went home with a game-high performance of 21 points.

THE ST. EDWARD RIVALRY WEEK CONTINUES ON SATURDAY NIGHT IN FATHER SULLIVAN GYMNASIUM, AS THE JUNIOR VARSITY AND VARSITY WILDCATS WILL FACE THE EAGLES' JAYVEES  AND VARSITY AT 5:30 PM AND 7 PM, RESPECTIVELY. THIS CORNER WILL PREVIEW THE ST. EDWARD VARSITY MATCH UP, ALONG WITH FRIDAY'S VARSITY MAKEUP GAME VERSUS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL, LATER THIS WEEK.