Saint Ignatius coach Sean O’Toole loves to utilize several players every night out.
The way O’Toole (’87) looks at it, a deep rotation will only pay dividends in the second half of the season.
However, in order to develop an effective and compatible rotation, you must have players who are willing to check their egos at the door and make the most of the opportunities that present themselves.
Tuesday night at Lakewood High School, Wildcats junior post player Vito Sosic did just that as his strength and second-effort hustle helped Saint Ignatius to a 52-41 victory over the Rangers in a non-league basketball headliner.
“I just try to be aggressive,’’ said the 6-3 Sosic, whose four key baskets down low went a long way in securing the Wildcats’ third victory in five games, four of which have been on the road. “We had a little size advantage, so we like to bang it in there in the post. I just try to display 110 percent all of the time. I’m not in there the whole game, but when I’m in there, I give it my all and try to take care of business.’’
After junior guards Tyler Hammond and Tom Parker gave Saint Ignatius an early offensive spark, Sosic helped key a strong second quarter by powering the ball up down low. His two second-effort baskets around the rim pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 25-12 and forced Lakewood coach Phil Argento to call a timeout with two minutes, 42 seconds remaining in the first half.
With Sosic and 6-4 senior post Dan Fox battling on the offensive glass and keeping the ball alive with hustle tips, Saint Ignatius led, 31-16, after Sosic converted an assist from sophomore forward Shonn Miller into a strong move along the baseline with 3:34 left in the third quarter.
“He’s strong, he battles, he’s fundamental,’’ said O’Toole of Sosic. “Nothing fancy, nothing off-balance, just brute strength and he gets his body in position to finish. You can live with a Vito Sosic all year round. Every mistake he ever makes is going to be an aggressive, hard-fought effort. You’re never going to question what he brings when he comes on the floor.’’
Lakewood, which slipped to 2-4 against a demanding schedule, showed its own strength late in the third quarter.
Sparked by the play of senior forward Dan Shannon and senior point guard Brian Evans, the Rangers cut a 15-point deficit to six points. A breakaway dunk by Miller gave Saint Ignatius an eight-point lead heading into the final eight minutes.
Shannon finished with a game-high 14 points and Evans scored 12. They also were a combined 9-for-9 from the foul line.
“We knew it was going to be a battle. They’re a very well coached team,’’ said O’Toole of Argento’s Rangers. “Offensively, they space you well, they attack you with the dribble well and they shoot it well. They have good basketball players, but maybe not as much depth. I thought our depth would wear them down and in the second quarter that was very evident.’’
That depth also came to the fore over the final eight minutes, as the Wildcats pulled away on a three-point play by Fox, a soft 5-footer by Miller off a Parker assist, a putback by Fox and another authoritative move down low by Sosic.
Saint Ignatius, which returns to Sullivan Gymnasium on Saturday night to renew its rivalry with Villa Angela-St. Joseph, out-rebounded Lakewood, 32-21. The Rangers were 12-of-17 from the foul line and the Wildcats hit on 12 of their 19 free throws. Fox led a balanced Saint Ignatius offense with 12 points and he also pulled down eight rebounds.
JV TEAM CONTINUES ITS WINNING WAYS: Coach Kevin Neitzel (’90) watched his junior-varsity team improve to 4-1 with a 70-61 triumph over the Lakewood jayvees.
Behind the scoring of guards Ryan Ivancic and Tom Leppla, the Wildcats stretched a three-point halftime lead to 36-26 with 5:28 remaining in the third quarter. Thanks to a layup by center Mason Halter off an assist from guard Rickey Brown, Saint Ignatius maintained a 10-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter. Halter’s strong work down low made it a 12-point game with less than two minutes gone in the fourth quarter.
Leppla, who was coming off a 33-point performance in a victory over Warren Harding’s junior varsity, led the way with 19 points and Ivancic finished with 12 points.