CLEVELAND, OH - With the season winding down and playoffs weighing on the mind, the Saint Ignatius Basketball team hit the road east to Benedictine for a weekday matchup. The Wildcats showed out from the opening tip to the final buzzer, shattering a program record in the process in the wire-to-wire victory.

The offense was hot out of the gates, with Head Basketball Coach Cam Joyce’s squad laying on a brigade from deep early. Damon Friery hit two consecutive three-pointers and Quinn Woidke forced a timeout with a three of his own. Jack Zapolnik got in on the fun, hitting a top-of-the-key triple and Woidke capped it off with a three from the midcourt logo, finishing a 15-2 run on 5-of-5 three-point shooting.  

The scoring did not stop there, with Zapolnik hitting another trifecta from the top of the key and Friery scoring two layups in the paint. Matt Ellis got a steal and score and hit another deep ball on the next possession to end the quarter with the Wildcats up 30-6, the largest first-quarter lead of the season. 

Mike Lamirand started the second frame with five straight points and Sean Martin had a putback to continue the run. The Wildcat defense continued to suffocate the Bengals, allowing only six second-quarter points. 

The lead ballooned to 31 points, as there was no answer for Saint Ignatius on either side of the ball. Friery kept up his excellent first-half play, notching 14 points in the first two quarters, helping the away side to a 51-12 lead at the break. 

With nine first-half three-pointers, the Wildcats set their sights on breaking the program record for most triples in a game, set at 15 in the 2014-15 season against Cleveland Heights. Woidke canned one from the wing to hit double-digits and hit another from the corner the next possession. 

Friery kept his hot night going with a steal and pull-up transition three, and Kalli Johnson hit his first of the night the next trip down the court. Martin hit a pull-up deep ball to keep the hot streak, and Ellis tied the record with a contested three-point shot in the corner. 

After two misses, Lamirand got a clean look from the top of the key and officially set the new school record for most team three-pointers in a game, which sent the Blue and Gold bench into a frenzy as the quarter ended 76-29. 

The fourth quarter was played under a running clock, so not much occurred. Coach Joyce emptied his bench and the scoring continued in the quickened period. Conor Mangan notched his first varsity points with an and-one layup and had a chase-down swat at the other end. Ultimately, the Wildcats came out of Benedictine with an 88-35 win over the Bengals. 

On Sunday, the OHSAA had the tournament draw; with the Wildcats being the number one ranked team in the region, they chose to play in the Twinsburg District. They will open tournament play on March 2 and host the winner of Cuyahoga Falls/North Olmsted in the Sectional Final at Sullivan Gym at 7 p.m.