The road to Columbus is set for the Saint Ignatius varsity basketball team.
The OHSA released District brackets late Sunday afternoon. The voters in Northeast Ohio liked the Wildcats' resume.
The Basketball Cats drew the No. 2 seed in the Lakewood District, behind only No. 1 seed St. Edward. The Cats currently stand at 12-7 on the year.
The men of Cam Joyce will open the postseason on Saturday, February 29. The Wildcats will host the winner of Brunswick and Valley Forge in the Sectional Final, a 7 pm showdown in Sullivan Gym. Saint Ignatius and Brunswick have met on the hardwood just twice – in the Sectional Semifinal in 1975 (a 91-57 Wildcats win) and in the District Semifinal in 1996 (a 74-50 Wildcats win). The Wildcats and Patriots have never played before.
Should the Wildcats win, they would advance to the District Semifinal at Lakewood High School on Thursday, March 5. The Wildcats would play the winner of No. 3 Rhodes and No. 6 Parma/No. 11 John Marshall. The Wildcats play the Rams next Saturday. Saint Ignatius owns the series advantage, 7-2, eliminating Rhodes in last year's Sectional Final, 88-58.
No. 1 St. Edward is on the other side of the bracket, awaiting the winner of No. 4 North Royalton and No. 9 Padua. The winner from that bunch will face the winner of No. 4 North Royalton/No. 13 Max Hayes vs. No. 5 Brecksville-Broadview Heights/No. 12 Lincoln West.
The District Final will be on Saturday, March 7 at Lakewood High School at 7 pm.
The Lakewood District Champ advances to the Regional Semifinal vs. the Elyria District Champ at the University of Akron's James A. Rhodes Arena (The JAR) on March 11. The winner of that matchup heads to the Regional Final on March 14 at the University of Toledo's Savage Arena.