Brooklyn, Ohio - After putting together one of the finest both-ends-of-the-floor performances in the rich history of Saint Ignatius varsity basketball, Coach Sean O'Toole's Wildcats went back to work on Thursday afternoon in preparation for Saturday night's home game against the always talented Raiders from Warren G. Harding High School.
Coming off the 87-36 victory over the tradition-rich Canton McKinley Bulldogs on Dec. 21 in Sullivan Gymnasium, Saint Ignatius will take a 4-0 record and a fifth-place, seven-county area ranking into its match up with the Raiders. The tipoff in the storied Sullivan Gym will be 7:30. A 6 PM junior varsity game will precede the varsity tip. The Wildcats' jayvees are also unbeaten through four games on the young season.
"Awfully athletic" were the first words expressed by Coach O'Toole '87 when describing Coach Andy Vlajkovich's 2013-14 Harding Raiders, who stand 3-1 heading into their home game on Friday night versus Warrensville Heights.
"They have very athletic guards and a stud in senior Anthony Bell, who plays much bigger than 6-2," Coach O'Toole continued in his evaluation of the Raiders. "He can shoot it, get it to the rim and is very strong. And they have a very similar guy in Shondell Jackson, a 6-3 junior guard/forward. Warren Harding is quick, instinctive and has good size."
Quick, instinctive, strong and possessing good size. Sound familiar? It should if you're a true fan of Saint Ignatius basketball.
Since 2008-09, Coach O'Toole's first season as the head coach at his alma mater, the Wildcats and the Raiders have had some memorable encounters in both the regular season and postseason.
Bell, who as of last week was averaging 26 points and eight rebounds, and had hit 15 3-pointers, and Jackson, who is an exceptional leaper inside with deep range from the outside, have a solid supporting cast.
In the Raiders' 75-52 victory over the Boardman Spartans on Dec. 21, 6-5 sophomore Shakem Johnson showed the way with game highs of 21 points and nine rebounds, and 6-0 junior guard Jarelle Johnson had 13 points. Bell and Jackson scored 18 and 11 points, respectively.
As the Tribune Chronicle's outstanding reporter Mike McLain pointed out, the turning point for Harding against Boardman came in the second quarter, when the Raiders, trailing, 18-13, closed out the first half on a 14-2 run.
"They run good attacking stuff, they share the ball extremely well, they offensive rebound well and defensively they mix it up, everything from a 2-3 zone to a full-court attacking defense," Coach O'Toole said of the pride of Trumbull County.
"We were in a nice rhythm and then had two days off, so our job is to get back to that energy level," said Coach O'Toole of his Wildcats. "We'll go hard today (Thursday's practice) and tomorrow and see where it lands. They (Harding) cover ground, have a wide range of styles defensively and can get out and go. So transition defense is going to be huge in this game. We want to force them to play five-on-five and the best way to do that is to be patient offensively and get high-percentage shots."
Warren Harding's only loss this season came at home, a 60-53 setback to Euclid. The Panthers prevailed behind some big rebounds down the stretch and clutch free-throw shooting. Euclid withstood Bell's 26 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
****As we reported on the corner earlier this month, Saint Ignatius three-sport standout Bryan Fisher (football, basketball and lacrosse) from the Class of 2013 will receive the prestigious John J. Wirtz "Athlete of the Year" Award during halftime of Saturday night's varsity basketball game. Named in honor of the Wildcats' late and legendary coach and athletic director, the Wirtz Award is presented yearly "to the man who has done the most for Saint Ignatius sports, whose name is synonymous with skill and good sportsmanship."
Congratulations go out to Bryan, who this corner had the privilege to cover and report on, and to his entire family.
AIR WAVES: Saturday night's junior varsity and varsity games will be broadcast live over the Saint Student Broadcasting Network with seniors Pat McGuire and Paddy White on the lead call.
THE CORNER'S PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK: In the 76-59 victory over John Hay the honors go to junior wing Andre' Wolford for his game-high 19 points, including five 3-pointers, senior post/forward David Black for his 14 rebounds and eight points in 16 minutes, senior post Eric Black, David's twin brother, for his 13 points in 13 minutes, senior post Jake Strippy for his eight points in 12 minutes and senior point guard Danny Bova for his nine assists.
In the 87-36 over McKinley, we're going to recognize senior forward Isiah Barbra for his endless hustle and game-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers, Danny Bova's seven assists and four steals, and David Black's 11 points and eight rebounds.
IN THE HOUSE: Helping the Wildcats get back in rhythm for Saturday's match up with Warren Harding were former Saint Ignatius mainstays Tom Parker '10 (Lake Erie College), Rich Austin '10 (Gannon University) and Francisco Santiago '13 (Wheeling Jesuit). Tom is still laying down that nasty D.
UPCOMING GAMES: After Saturday night's tilt with the Harding Raiders, the Wildcats will attempt to set the tone for 2014 with a New Year's Eve afternoon game against St. Vincent-St. Mary at LeBron James Arena. The junior varsity tipoff is slated for 1 PM, with the varsity game to follow at 3.
*And please note that on Friday, Jan. 3, Coach Sean O'Toole's 'Cats will face the highly regarded Cubs from Detroit Jesuit in a 6 PM varsity game at Sullivan Gymnasium. The JV game is slated for 4:30.
*For a look at where all of Saint Ignatius' varsity teams are competing this weekend, see the corner's "Where The 'Cats Play" that was posted on Christmas Eve.