The Wildcats' first-year head coach, Cam Joyce, has harped defense to his team all throughout the preseason and now into the regular season. His philosophy paid dividends on Saturday.

The Wildcats wore down Canton McKinley in Sullivan Gym, as Joyce's Cats played with passion in shutting down the Bulldogs late, scoring more than enough to secure a comfortable win.

The Basketball Cats head into Christmas with a 4-1 record after the 75-53 victory.

"We had a great week of practice. I felt really good coming into this game," Joyce said. "I'm super proud of the guys. They went out there and played their butts off in the second half."

Things did not start so rosy for the Wildcats. The Bulldogs raced out of the gate, seemingly hot after an important conference win over Green on Friday night. McKinley hit a trio of 3-pointers in the opening quarter, enjoying a 17-13 lead after the first. Danny Nunez topped the team with 5 points in the first, with Chase Toppin and Henry Raynor each tabbing 4 apiece.

The Bulldogs burst into the second half with momentum. McKinley built a 25-15 advantage and looked to take full control. Then, the Wildcats rebounded and went on a run of their own. The Cats notched an 8-1 run, slimming the margin to one possession with 3 minutes left in the second.

Thanks to great defense, the Cats kept it close. Just before the buzzer, Danny Nunez drove to the bucket in style, narrowing the deficit to 30-29 at halftime. Toppin tallied 6 points in the second quarter, leading the team. 

Coming out of the break, the Wildcats played fast and furious.

The defense keyed the huge quarter for the hosts. Joyce's men forced several turnovers and earned plenty of defensive rebounds, and then flew down the court for quick layups and 3-pointers. Raynor played a key role, driving to the hoop and even burying a deep trey. Emmett Hanna also hit a 3-pointer and earned a couple free throws. Nunez and Tommy Spear each converted on momentum-creating 3-pointers. Everyone contributed, either on offense or defense. 

"The bench stepped up," said Toppin. "Shoutout to Caleb Blake, he brought some great energy for us. And Henry is my guy. He's something special. In tough stretches, guys look to Henry and me. It's working out well so far. We got a great win tonight." 

As the action continued, you could see McKinley's legs start to become tired. Frustration built up, exploding when McKinley's coach was given a double technical and ejected, giving the Wildcats some free points at the charity stripe. 

Playing fast was all part of the gameplan, and it worked, to the tune of a 26-14 advantage on the scoreboard in the third for the Wildcats.

"I challenged them at halftime," Coach Cam said. "I believed that we were beating ourselves in the first half. They came out and hit some shots early. But I knew if we withstood the runs, and came out and defended well, we could run away with it. They had a big game last night, so I knew their legs would die, because they don't have a very deep team. If we could get to their legs and bench, we could do something."

A big part of the success can be attributed to the team's approach in firing the ball down the court quickly after getting a stop on defense. 

"Advance the basketball down the court. So many times, guys tend to catch it and want to dribble, dribble, dribble. But you're not faster than the ball," Joyce said. "We have really good wings – we have guys who can shoot it and make plays themselves. If we can get it to them, you're getting the defense to rotate early, and you'll get it back. Stretch out the defense early, give yourself driving lanes, and we got shooters. Guys will get open looks. Once we get the rebound, let's push it and try to make them run and wear them down."

Having built a 55-44 lead, the Wildcats did not relent in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs struggled to score, finding little room to work with in the post and earning few open looks from deep. 

Raynor took over the game late. The junior tallied 6 points, carving out 21 points for the evening. The big man has now surpassed 20 points in every game this season. Toppin continued to dish out dimes and scored some himself, completing his night with 14 points. Nunez also looked good in scoring 10. Hanna notched 9 points and Spear tallied 7. 

The Wildcats did not relent late, outscoring the Bulldogs 20-9 in the final stanza. The final margin of victory was 22 points. 

With the win in hand, the Wildcats will enter Christmas break on a positive note. Next up is Cleveland Heights on Friday, on the road. 

"It's a short week because of the holiday, but we'll prepare them and we'll be ready for a big matchup on the road at Cleveland Heights," Joyce said.