skip navigation

Basketball Cats Notch a Win in Home Opener vs. John Marshall

By Joe Ginley '12 , 12/08/19, 12:30PM EST

Share

Raynor dunked it with authority several times for the Wildcats and scored 18 on the night.

In the Saint Ignatius community's initial first-hand viewing of a new-look Wildcats basketball program, it's safe to say that most fans walked away impressed.

The Wildcats did not play a perfect game by any means. But the passion and energy was there in the home opener in Sullivan Gym on Saturday evening.

The Basketball Cats earned a 74-52 victory over Rich Austin '10 and the John Marshall Lawyers in front of a solid Saint Ignatius crowd. 

"It was good to play in front of the home crowd," said first-year coach Cam Joyce. "We had a good crowd for the first game. The energy was good from the guys on the floor and on the bench."

The Wildcats played great defense in the first quarter. The hosts struggled to find a consistent groove, but did hit some nice shots in the opening period. CJ Yarian hit one of those, knocking down a 3-pointer from the wing near the end of the first. The Wildcats stood ahead, 15-5, after one.

The men of Ohio City found a rhythm in the second stanza. Using smart plays in the fastbreak and quick passing, the Wildcats enjoyed success on offense. Henry Raynor threw down a monstrous one-handed dunk to stretch the lead and swing momentum early in the quarter. 

Tommy Spear caught fire, burying two great treys. Mike Mattimore also buried a 3-ball in an electric offensive quarter. To top it all off, Chase Toppin showed off his smooth handles with a beautiful drive to the bucket. By halftime, the Wildcats held a commanding 37-18 lead.

But these Lawyers, led by proud Saint Ignatius alum Rich Austin '10, would not quit. The visitors fired out the break in the opening minutes of the third. John Marshall trimmed the deficit to 12 points with a 14-7 run to open the quarter. Coach Joyce called a timeout with 3 minutes left to regroup his team. 

"Credit to John Marshall, they kept playing in the second half," Joyce said. "We withstood their runs and finished the game on a high note."

The Wildcats responded to the coaching, as the hosts played with fire in the final minutes of the period. The Basketball Cats scored 8 straight points, rolling to an 11-2 run in the last three minutes. Heading into the fourth, the Wildcats were in full control, 55-34. 

The Lawyers still refused to quit, burying some big 3's in the final quarter. But the Wildcats didn't slow down on offense. An alley oop to Henry Raynor and raining 3's by Emmett Hanna sealed the deal in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats outscored the visitors in the final stanza, preserving a 74-52 win at home.

"We gotta be better. I told the guys, 'Enjoy the win, but understand that there are things we shouldn't allow to happen.' But we'll learn from it," Joyce said.

Raynor led the Wildcats with 18 points, with Hanna close behind at 14. Eleven different Cats scored in a balanced night of fun offense for the boys wearing the new home white unis. 

Joyce mixed and matched the lineups on the floor. Expect to see different looks from the Wildcats with personnel until Joyce and the Wildcats find an ideal setup. 

"Right now, I'm trying to see which lineups work well. We have a deep team," Joyce said. "That's an advantage of having a deep team – we can keep guys fresh. Because we can go deep, we can hurt other teams that aren't as deep. We can bring fresh guys off the bench with new energy to make plays. I'm not just putting them out there to give our starters a break. I'm putting our guys out there with full confidence that they can create. They did that today, especially in the fourth quarter."

The Wildcats' next game will be on Tuesday. The Cats head to Maple Heights for a JV-varsity doubleheader at 6 pm and 7:30 pm. The Wildcats have a 3-1 all-time record against the Mustangs, but the two teams have not met since 1967, when Maple Heights knocked the Cats out of the playoffs. Saint Ignatius did play Cleveland Heights at Maple Heights' gym to start the 2016-17 season. 

Beyond that, Joyce can't wait for the next home game on Saturday, December 21 vs. Canton McKinley. 

"I want a sellout on December 21. I want to pack this place," Joyce said. "I want a great crowd. Obviously we're competing with Ohio State tonight, but hopefully the next home game we can get even more fans out. We're gonna have a great year with a great product. We'd love the support – we're looking forward to it."

JV and Freshmen Gold earn wins

In the first two games of the tripleheader, the Wildcats also earned wins.

In his first home game as Freshmen Gold head coach, Mike Sweeney '78 led his boys to a 57-33 victory over Brush. The team played lockdown defense and showcased nice offense. The Cats are now 1-1. 

In his first contest as JV head coach, Tom Parker '10 guided his Cats to a dominant 69-24 win over John Marshall.