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Weekend of Endings and New Beginnings

By Kurt Pickering '21, 01/18/21, 8:45PM EST

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Recapping match-ups againt St. Edward and Maple Heights

The Wildcats started off the season on an impressive 5 game winning streak and they entered this weekend on a 3 game losing streak. Overall, the Cats walked away with confidence and a crack at starting up another win streak for the 2021 season.

The time finally came to take on the rivals from Lakewood. The St. Edward Eagles flew into the meeting with a 4-0 record and ranked #5 in Northeast Ohio, just behind the Wildcats. Led by Junior sensation Michael Bova, St. Eds is a top contender in the state. Even though the Eagles are without a single starter from last season, Head Coach Cam Joyce prepared as normal.

This Eagles team averaged 72 points per game coming into the rivalry. Out of those 72 points, nearly 30 are from behind the arc. With Senior Mike Mattimore still out, the perimeter defense needed to step up. Bova, Senior Shane Macalla, and Senior Mason Lerch all helped the Eagles go on a quick 11-2 run. A Wildcat timeout brought a deep three for Junior Jon Effertz on the next possession. Ignatius and Eds each traded bucket for bucket going back and forth. Junior Shondo Green ended the tug of war with a mid range jumper and a beautiful And-1. His points cut the Eagle lead 18-12. The 1st quarter was a 3 point air raid. Jon Effertz brought 2 threes to the table for the Cats including a buzzer beater. For the Eagles, 3 threes extended their lead 23-15.

The second quarter started off quite slow and heavily defensive. Freshman Carter Jackson got two buckets and played great defense to bring their deficit 34-24. After finally cutting the lead to single digits, Macalla banged in two more trifectas. The Wildcats got into the bonus and took multiple trips to the free throw line converting efficiently. Another late quarter shot from Effertz gave the Wildcats 34 with 50 seconds left in the half. Doing all they can to keep the lead less than ten, Green put in another lay up off an offensive rebound and Senior Captain Henry Raynor blocked the Eagle’s big man. The Wildcats closed the half with a crafty finish by the Freshman Phenom C.J. Little. A 46-38 game left Coach Cam with a lot to go over at the half.

Macalla and Bova proved to be the players of focus with a combined 22 points. Junior A.J. Fletcher put his efforts forward to trim the lead. Fletcher’s 3 ball cut the lead to 7. Getting to the free throw line at will, Senior Will Yontek went 2/2 at the line improving on his already impressive 67% free throw percentage. The free throw line was open on the other side of the court after Macalla headed to the line for 3 free throws after a tough call on Effertz’s shot contest. Henry Raynor became a major factor for the Wildcats after forcing his way in for a hook finish and a trip to the charity stripe resulting in 4 quick points for the Hillsdale University commit. Little’s point guard leadership took the Cats to the closest game yet at 52-47. What seemed to be a big man quarter for the boys from Lorain only was proven again with the 6’10 Junior’s And-1. C.J. Yarian tacked on the Wildcat’s 49th point and helped put the Wildcats in the bonus early. Attempting to turn the tide, Michael Bova got inside for his own And-1. Back to a 10 point game, the fourth quarter was going to be huge. Back to back astounding plays for Little cut the lead to 6 in the final seconds of the quarter. St. Edward Sophomore Danny Lavelle got caught on a travelling violation. With 15 seconds left in the quarter, the Freshman Phenom drove hard to the basket and dumped off an assist to Will Yontek for their 3rd buzzer beater of the game.

Both teams in the bonus, the free throw line would get a lot of attention this quarter. A 3 point game was in favor of the Eagles after 2 minutes gone in the final quarter. Jon Effertz made a bad pass and St. Ed’s grabbed the momentum. Macalla laid the ball in for two off the Wildcat turnover and Bova stormed the paint for his 3rd And-1 of the game. A nice Raynor tip-in layup cut the Eagle’s lead. With 3:20 on the clock, Junior Jaire Knight knocked down his 2nd triple of the game giving the green and gold a 72-64 lead. Fighting back, Raynor got to line and brought the Cats to a close 75-72 game. Shane Macalla fired a transition triple and connected as a dagger to the Wildcats. Too many free throws in the end gave the Eagles the 84-76 upper hand to wrap up the game.

That rivalry loss took the Cats to a 5-4 record and 4 straight losses. In need of a win, they got the opportunity the very next night at Sullivan Gymnasium against the 1-2 Maple Heights Mustangs.

The Wildcats matched up very well against the Mustangs. Ignatius had a total of five players outsizing Maple Heights’ tallest kid. In addition, the Wildcats have played 6 more games and have played Ohio’s very best . Coach Cam’s boys needed this victory to snap their winless drought.

The Wildcats came out attacking on all angles. Patient possessions from each team kept scoring to a minimum early on to start the game. The Mustangs were held together by three solid players, all heavy scorers. Effertz knocked down a triple to follow Fletcher’s smooth layup. Raynor flexed his dominance in the post giving the Basketball Cats a 7-4 lead. The three point battle began as Javyion Moore, the Maple Heights Sophomore, connected from long range. In response Effertz nailed his second of the game. Just when you thought it was over, the Junior, Dave Miller swished a contested three for the Mustangs. Hunting for a high scoring quarter, Effertz made ANOTHER three giving him 12. Looking to make one more push with 5 seconds left, Senior Alex Garcia lost control of the ball into the hands of Dave Miller. As the clock ticked, Miller banked in a near half court shot at the buzzer. The quarter closed with a Wildcat lead 16-15.

Still in the starting lineup, Little swivelled his way inside setting up a beautiful layup and foul for Will Yontek. On the other end of the floor, Moore put up a mid range jumper giving the Mustangs a 20-19 lead. Minutes without scoring brought no excitement in Sullivan Gymnasium, but still a neck and neck game. Junior Bryshaun Haskins ended the long Wildcat 6-0 run with a fantastic move inside the paint. A tough layup for C.J. Little and Henry Raynor’s free throws gave the Cats a 10 point 32-22 lead to close the half.

A familiar 3 point attempt fell to start off the half for Jon Effertz. The Wildcats took a major lead with this one and were extremely close to finally snapping their losing streak. Will Yontek finished in transition to add onto Maple Heights’ woes. Looking to turn the tides, a few Wildcat fouls gave plenty free throw chances to the Mustangs. With efficient shooting, the visiting squad cut the lead to 41-32. Nearly cutting the lead to single digits, Raynor got up to block Miller’s three point attempt. A technical foul on Coach Sean Weatherspoon sent the Wildcat’s most efficient free throw shooter to the line. Yontek connected on both. Leading by 11, the Wildcats were 8 minutes away from a new beginning.

A huge 60-42 lead gave the Wildcats some cushioning. Junior Timmy Ruddy helped add on to the lead with an And-1. As some substitutions came in for the Wildcats, the bench had some much needed fun. Nick Lamirand, the bench hype man, stepped onto the hardwood. In addition, two JV star players, Sean Martin and Owen Maruca each entered the game. The star football tight end attacked hard and finished an And-1. As the bench roared, Lamirand wore a smile on his face. Lamirand said, “Coming off a four game losing streak, we were all down in the dumps.” With a big lead in the final minutes, Lamirand and the Cats were on the edge of a full bounce-back victory.

Sean Martin received a beauty from Alex Garcia and became the 3rd Wildcat Freshman to score this year on Varsity. His three pointer gave the Wildcats a 68-49 lead. On the very next possession, Garcia once again shared the love with Maruca who also hit a three of his own.

Coach Cam spoke on the Wildcat 71-49 victory as well as the upcoming games:

“It feels great to end the losing streak and be back at home… That was a tough stretch and hopefully down the road when we see some teams like that, we aren't losing anymore. We want to learn from the mistakes we had and we want to grow.”

Coach Cam believes this team is close to “great” and it is undeniable how explosive they have proven to be. Jon Effertz continues to lead the squad in scoring after a powerful 20 point performance. Coach Cam spoke highly on the guard play between Effertz and Little:

“We are watching Little grow before our eyes. He is really stepping up for us… With Effertz, he is the definition of a great player.”

That victory took the Cats to 6-4 record with a busy schedule ahead!