The Wildcats' trip to Miami started off great. On Thursday, after a long Wednesday of travel, the team slept in until around 9 am and then headed to the University of Miami for a practice. After getting in a good practice and taking some fun pictures at The U, the Wildcats rested and then watched film to prepare for Schoolhouse Prep.
The Wildcats then headed to Applebees for a pregame dinner. After everyone on the team had ordered, Coach Cam Joyce got a phone call at around 4 pm. The tournament organizers at Belen Jesuit were calling, asking where the Wildcats were.
As it turns out, the organizers had switched the tipoff from 6 pm to 4:30 pm, but due to a miscommunication, the Wildcats did not know about it. So, the Wildcats hurried to the bus to get back to the hotel, changed quickly into their uniforms, and then rushed to Belen for the game.
It was certainly a unique way to begin the tournament.
Even still, the Wildcats battled through the adversity vs. Schoolhouse Prep early on. The Clevelanders fought hard on both ends of the court, taking 2 charges in the early goings. Henry Raynor, Will Yontek, CJ Yarian, and Emmett Hanna all chipped in 2 points, with Chase Toppin adding 3. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Schoolhouse Prep set the margin at 18-11 after the first quarter.
The Wildcats continued to battle in the second quarter, as Raynor started to take over. The 6'8 forward bodied his way at the rim for three buckets and a trip to the foul line. Raynor led the way with 9 points by halftime.
Griffin Hanna also played quite well. The senior found open looks from beyond the arc, hitting two of them. Before the game, Hanna was loose and ready to play, unbothered by the early start time.
Despite the Wildcats' solid play, Schoolhouse Prep used its advantage in athleticism to hold onto the lead. The Basketball Cats trailed at half, 35-30.
The third quarter proved to be a killer. Schoolhouse Prep outscored Saint Ignatius, 22-15, as the Wildcats struggled to defend the paint. Schoolhouse Prep drove to the hoop again and again, as Coach Cam predicted during shootaround. The Wildcats didn't defend well enough inside, and were not aided by the referees, either.
Raynor scored 6 points in the third, and Danny Nunez buried a trey, but the Wildcats trailed entering the fourth, 57-45, needing a big comeback to avoid a third straight loss.
Unfortunately, the Wildcats could not get the stops necessary to mount a comeback. Tommy Spear hit two important 3-pointers, Raynor notched 7 points, and Toppin tallied an impressive layup, but it wasn't enough. Each time the Wildcats scored, Schoolhouse Prep had an answer on the opposite end.
In the end, you never want to blame a loss on the referees, but many of the calls that didn't go the Wildcats' way certainly did not help. Florida only mandates that two referees work each game, unlike the standard of three in Ohio. That may have been the root of the problem, as the referees seemed to miss some calls against Schoolhouse Prep.
The stats tell the story. Schoolhouse Prep received 32 shots at the charity stripe. The Wildcats got just 8. In total, Schoolhouse Prep scored 29 of its 72 points at the free-throw line.
Even with that in mind, the Wildcats needed some more stops, and they didn't get them. It's something the Wildcats will be working on in the next two games of the tournament.
The team returns to action on Thursday, facing the hosts, Belen Jesuit, in a 7:30 pm tilt. Kurt Pickering and Adam Eagleeye will have the call on the SIBN.