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Saint Ignatius Varsity Basketball hangs with St. Edward for the first eight minutes, but the Eagles move to a 14-point lead by halftime, take command in the third quarter and go on to defeat the 'Cats, 74-62, in Saturday night's area headliner

By Eddie Dwyer, 01/21/18, 10:45AM EST

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By Eddie Dwyer

 Ohio City - St. Edward, currently 12-3 and ranked second in cleveland.com's seven-county area poll, led by 28 points with 6 minutes and 2 seconds remaining to be played.

 The seventh-ranked Wildcats, who saw their five-game winning streak snapped, made the final score respectable before slipping to 8-3.

 Played in a sold-out Father Sullivan Gymnasium, the home of the Wildcats, Saturday night's encounter saw Coach Eric Flannery's Eagles soar to their second consecutive victory over the Basketball 'Cats. St. Edward eliminated Saint Ignatius in last season's Division I District Championship Game at Strongsville High School. Coach Brian Becker's Wildcats had won the previous four meetings with the Eagles before that District Final setback last March.

 The longtime West Side rivals will play the second of their annual two-game regular season series on Friday, February 9th at St. Edward's Coach Jim Connors Court in The Eagles' Nest. Expect another sellout crowd to be on hand.

 As this corner has projected all winter, another postseason District encounter between the Wildcats and the Eagles is a very strong possibility. But we'll cross that OHSAA Tournament Trail when Heartbreak Highway begins in mid-March.

 This seasoned reporter congratulates Saint Ignatius' Junior Varsity, which improved to 10-1 by defeating the Eagles' Jayvees, 59-52, on Saturday evening at Sullivan Gym (see the JV recap following the Varsity Game report).

 A SEE-SAW FIRST QUARTER

 The first eight minutes on Saturday night had all the makings of another down-to-the-wire thriller in the storied athletic rivalry that is Saint Ignatius vs. St. Edward. Both of the Wildcats' regular-season victories over the Eagles last winter were overtime thrillers.

 St. Edward rode the long-range shooting of senior forward P.J. Flannery, Coach Flannery's son, and two free throws by gifted sophomore guard Montorie Foster to an 18-9 lead with 1 minute and 55 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

 The Wildcats answered with 3-pointers from senior guards Jon Barnes and Neeko Melendez and trailed, 18-15, heading into the second quarter.

 PICKING UP THE TEMPO

 It's no secret that Coach Flannery's Eagles prefer to play fast and the highly successful program from Detroit Avenue in Lakewood did just that in building a 14-point advantage by halftime.

 After a basket by skilled and basketball savvy sophomore guard Grant Huffman and a layup by senior forward William Henry, St. Edward was in front by eight points.

 Coach Becker's Wildcats would respond with baskets from sophomore guard Chase Toppin and Melendez, but a 3-pointer by Eagles sophomore forward Devontae Blanton and a layup by quick and athletic junior guard Demetrius Terry pushed the Eagles' lead to nine points.

 St. Edward, which has not lost to an area team this season, led by 13 points after Eagles 6-foot-8 senior forward Emmett Chambers put back a missed shot and Foster buried a 3-pointer.

 Two free throws by the 'Cats' Barnes made it an 11-point game, but after a Huffman free throw and a basket by Terry off an assist from Foster the Eagles took a 14-point lead into the halftime break.

 DECISIVE THIRD QUARTER

 Following the usual banter between the respective costume-clothed student bodies, "Let's play football, followed by Let's wrestle," St. Edward wasted little time in building 20- and 25-point leads in the third quarter.

 After Melendez, who left everything he had on the court and more, sent home another trey, the Eagles, behind Huffman and Foster, ran and shot their way to a commanding 57-32 lead. Foster and Huffman led St. Edward with 20 and 18 points, respectively, and Flannery totaled 11 points, three 3-pointers and eight rebounds.

 Melendez, despite battling cramps, never stopped hustling. Neeko's endless will produced a game-high 24 points, including four 3-pointers.

 THE FINAL EIGHT MINUTES

 While there was little drama left after a Huffman 3-pointer, a Foster driving 1-hander off the glass and a coast-to-coast layup by Huffman pushed the Eagles' lead to 27 points in the early stages of the fourth quarter, Saint Ignatius also got some gutsy play down the stretch from 6-foot-9 junior post Kevin Davet, junior guard Lukas Bielek and senior guard/forward Josh Ozanne.

 UP NEXT: Things don't any easier for the 'Cats, as they host two more top-10 area teams next weekend, Garfield Heights on Friday night and Cleveland Central Catholic on Saturday night.

 No, it wasn't a misprint. Cornerstone Christian, which defeated the Wildcats by 10 points on December 12th in Sullivan Gymnasium, handed Garfield Heights a stunning 80-59 loss over the weekend. Never snicker at those small-school programs, my friends. As this old gym rat commented before and after Saint Ignatius played Cornerstone Christian, Michael Bothwell is one of the state's very best in ANY division. All Michael did was drop 38 points on the area's third-ranked Garfield Heights Bulldogs.

 FROM COACH BECKER: "It's a good barometer, it gives us something to work for," Coach Becker said of Saturday night's performance. "We've got them (St. Edward) in another two weeks. Give St. Eds a bunch of credit, they did what they do really well. They got up and down the floor extremely well, they found open guys and they made open shots.

 "Shame on us, we have to become a better defensive team," Coach Becker continued. "We've got to go back to the drawing board. That's kind of the M.O. of our team, we've got to become more consistent. On a game in and game out basis, we've played some brilliant basketball. But we've also played some basketball that needs a lot of improvement. If we become more consistent game in and game out, we're going to be a good team come March. It's 32 minutes of basketball and they (St. Edward) controlled the tempo when they had to."

 THE JV WILDCATS CREATE ANOTHER PROMISING LOOK INTO THE FUTURE

 The saying around the area's Junior Varsity Basketball circuit is that you will always remember the night you played Saint Ignatius' Jayvees. Not just because of the obvious talent they possess, but also the will to win that seems to exude from the entire roster.

 This corner will say it over and over again. It's the maturity beyond their years and the selfless approach on the floor that help these young Wildcats succeed. That, great coaching and the character building that is done at home.

 On a night when all of the aspects of their game were not flowing flawlessly, the JV 'Cats, with gifted sophomores Connor Cmiel and Michael McNamara helping show the way, moved to a 45-24 lead on a strong move down low by post Darius Moss and a 3-pointer from Cmiel with 2 minutes and 56 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

 St. Edward's Jayvees were not about to go quietly into the Ohio City night and no one among the packed house in Sullivan Gymnasium expected they would. As history has proven, no deficit is too large in the Wildcats-Eagles rivalry.

 It was game on after the Eagles closed to 10 points entering the fourth quarter.

 On the strength of clutch jump shots by guards Daniel Nunez and Griffin Hanna, the JV 'Cats pushed their advantage to 12 points. St. Edward answered with a 6-0 run and Saint Ignatius was clinging to a 50-44 lead with 3:44 left in the final seven minutes.

 Up stepped McNamara.

 Michael, who is also very skilled in baseball and football, responded with a layup and then, after a missed free throw by the 'Cats, he out-hustled and out-positioned the Eagles, grabbed the rebound and laid the ball in the basket.

 St. Edward kept the pressure on in the final two minutes, but Saint Ignatius had the answer thanks to two free throws by Hanna, a Cmiel breakaway layup and a free throw by McNamara.
 
 Cmiel led the Wildcats with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, McNamara scored 14 points and Nunez finished with nine points. Nine players hit the scoring column for the JV 'Cats.

 The 10-1 JV 'Cats will take a three-game winning streak into Friday evening's 5:30 matchup with the visiting JV Bulldogs from Garfield Heights.

 This corner will preview Saint Ignatius' Varsity games versus Garfield Heights and Cleveland Central Catholic on Wednesday of this coming week.