Berea, Ohio - Standing just outside of the visitors' locker room in Berea-Midpark High School's Bob Purdy Gymnasium on Friday night, Saint Ignatius head basketball coach Sean O'Toole '87 spoke of how proud he was of the gutsy efforts off the bench by Wildcats senior guard Ryan Napoli and junior post Mikal Outcalt.

With his team trailing by double digits throughout a large portion of the second half, Coach O'Toole called on Napoli and Outcalt to bring some energy to the floor, the same hustle they display throughout the week while pushing the starters.

Helping key Saint Ignatius' all-out pressure defense, Outcalt came up with a diving steal and an on-the-floor assist that resulted in a layup by Napoli. Napoli followed with an ice-in-his-veins 3-pointer and then the 6-foot-4 Outcalt, one of the premier soccer goalies in the state, went high in the air for a follow and the Wildcats trailed by just four points with 3 minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

There would be no dramatic ending for Coach O'Toole's 'Cats, however, as Coach Duke Barther's Titans had the answers down the stretch and turned back Saint Ignatius, 70-61, in what was a match up of the No. 6 (Berea-Midpark) and No. 8 teams in the Associated Press Division I state poll.

The Titans, who now stand 12-1 on the season, rebounded from their Tuesday night setback at underrated Olmsted Falls by getting an outstanding lead-role performance by gifted and basketball savvy point guard Alex Brown.

Playing in front of a packed house on East Bagley Road and getting tremendous support from its classy, clever and vocal student body, Berea-Midpark called on Brown and the 6-0 senior who plays much bigger responded with a game-high 27 points, pulled down a game-best 11 rebounds and dished out six assists.

The Titans made sure now 9-3 Saint Ignatius would remember what was the Wildcats' first encounter with the merged high schools (Berea and Midpark) by burying clutch free throws throughout the final 3:23, and for that matter, for most of the game.

Brown, senior forward Devon Posey and senior guard Michael Schuller showed the way as Berea-Midpark was 24-of-32 from the foul line, including a 17-for-20 performance from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Along with Brown's complete game, Posey also hurt the Wildcats with his ability to pull up and hit jumpers and also attack the rim.

Posey finished with 17 points and Schuller, a hard-nosed and sneaky effective 5-9 guard, tossed in 13, including six clutch free throws over the final 1:02. Junior guard Deven Stover and senior post Eric Black led the Wildcats with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Saint Ignatius was 7-of-13 from the foul line.

The Wildcats got off to a quick start against the Titans' 1-2-2 zone and as, Coach O'Toole pointed out, got excellent shots in rhythm. Saint Ignatius scored 23 points in the first eight minutes, including five 3-pointers.

However, as good as the Wildcats were offensively in the first quarter, they struggled to find the answers in the second and third quarters.

The Titans made some adjustments and Saint Ignatius "went stale" in the words of Coach O'Toole, scoring just five points in the second quarter and nine in the third quarter. Berea-Midpark outscored the Wildcats, 31-14, over the middle quarters and took a 12-point lead into the final eight minutes.

"I'll say it again, we're just not built to come from behind as well as we have been in other years," said Coach O'Toole. "Give them credit. Man, they hit their free throws. I'm proud of the way we came back in the fourth quarter, but we still have our demons - unforced turnovers, off-balance shots and rushed shots. We still have to correct those demons and until we do we're a beatable team."

As he did throughout the week, Coach O'Toole emphasized again how balanced and well coached the Titans are.

"They are not a one-trick pony, they have all the pieces," Coach O'Toole said. "We have to figure out how we're going stop great guards and he (Brown) is absolutely a great guard. Posey hurt us every bit as much. They all play their roles. That's a very, very good basketball team."

*Coach Chris Salata's junior varsity Wildcats improved to 12-0 with a 60-31 victory over the Titans' jayvees.

The JV 'Cats laid down some nasty "D" and led, 13-0, after the first quarter.

Saint Ignatius hit 19 2-point shots, five 3-pointers and was 7-of-13 from the foul line. Berea-Midpark made 10 shots from the field, all 2-pointers, and was 11-of-18 from the charity stripe.

Sophomore post Sharief Irish (11 points) set the table for the night by scoring the game's first two points on an authoritative one-handed slam off a follow.

The varsity and jayvee Wildcats will be back in action tonight in Sullivan Gym as they host the Glenville Tarblooders. The JV tip is 6 PM, followed by the varsity game at 7:30. Seniors Pat McGuire and Paddy White will have the call on the varsity game.

As part of tonight's game Saint Ignatius will present its annual Coaches Versus Cancer night and will pay tribute to the area's Safety Forces.