From start to finish, the Wildcats overwhelmed the tradition-rich Bulldogs at both ends of the floor.

Fifteen 'Cats hit the scoring column as Saint Ignatius improved to 4-0.

*Coach Chris Salata's talent-rich junior varsity team continued to keep pace with the varsity, as the 4-0 jayvees roared to a 53-18 lead after three quarters and went on to a 63-38 victory over the JV team from McKinley.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright December 2013

Cleveland, Ohio - Last year at this time, Coach Sean O'Toole's varsity basketball Wildcats traveled to the atmosphere-rich Canton Memorial Field House and came away with a 28-point victory over the McKinley Bulldogs on their home floor.

For those veteran gym rats across Ohio who were surprised and impressed with that margin of victory, especially since it came in the storied Memorial Field House, all we can say is that you should have been at the Wildcats' Sullivan Gymnasium on Saturday night.

Playing a near flawless game, Saint Ignatius put on a display of team basketball that McKinley, Ohio's most successful boys basketball program in terms of all-time victories, could not deal with.

Displaying their exceptional depth, length, versatility and basketball savvy, the Wildcats dominated one of Northeast Ohio's most respected programs, 87-36.

Scoring inside and outside, beating the athletic Bulldogs off the glass and in transition, and smothering McKinley with a relentless defense, Saint Ignatius improved to 4-0 on a young season that is filled with endless promise.

"It starts with defense," said senior point guard and captain Danny Bova, the young man who triggers Coach O'Toole's offense and helps energize the passionate approach at the other end of the floor. "If you look at our points, I'll bet 90 percent of them came from transition. We got physical and had the third eye coming from the bench. There was a lot of energy and camaraderie. I'm real proud."

And Coach O'Toole '87, who expects his players to leave it all on the floor every night, couldn't have been prouder of the young men wearing the white, blue and gold on Saturday night.

"After last night (a 76-59 victory over John Hay), we were trying to preach consistency for 32 minutes, no matter who's on the floor," Coach O'Toole said. "And I thought we were very consistent tonight. This is a deep team, an unselfish team and it's a skilled team.

"We were fortunate that things went our way tonight," Coach O'Toole continued. "That's a very good McKinley team with athletes. They have the pieces. But I couldn't be more proud of our kids. They're working hard and they have a great bond. When we say perfection, there are always things where we can improve. But I thought we attacked, defended extremely well and the bench was entirely engrossed in the game. That's the consistency we're looking for."

Coming out with an aggressive attitude in all facets of the game, Saint Ignatius led, 15-3, after gifted sophomore guard Deven Stover buried two free throws and 6-foot-6 senior post David Black scored five consecutive points, including a 3-pointer.

A second-effort hustle hoop by senior wing and captain Isiah Barbra made it a 17-4 game and the Wildcats took a 23-9 lead into the second quarter as junior wing Andre' Wolford beat the buzzer with the first of his two 3-pointers on the night. Andre' had five 3-pointers in Friday night's victory over John Hay.

Then came eight minutes of total domination, a stretch that every coaching staff on every level strives for.

A 3-pointer by versatile 6-6 junior forward Jaylin McDonald on the first possession of the second quarter started a run that McKinley never recovered from. When the first 16 minutes were in the books, Saint Ignatius took a 48-12 lead into its locker room at halftime.

Last season, the Wildcats held a 43-11 lead over the Bulldogs at halftime in the Memorial Field House and went on to a 68-40 triumph.

Believe us when we tell you that Saturday night's second quarter in Sullivan Gymnasium was even more impressive than anything that took place in Canton last year.

Simply put, it was an eight-minute highlight reel that included contributions from numerous Wildcats.

In outscoring "The Pups," 25-3, Saint Ignatius unleashed an array of memorable plays, including a strong spin move along the baseline by David Black, Wolford's second 3-pointer and a baseline jumper by David Black that increased the 'Cats' lead to 33-9 and had the McKinley staff asking for a timeout with 5 minutes and 35 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

All of the timeouts in the world couldn't slow down Saint Ignatius' Ohio City Express as the onslaught continued with a soft one-hander in the lane by McDonald and a jumper by Barbra. After Bova forced a jump ball with his quick hands, Barbra delivered a 3-pointer, junior forward Mikal Outcalt scored off a slick reverse layup in transition, Barbra was ice on four consecutive free throws and 6-7 senior post Jake Strippy, who is always active around the glass, converted a second effort into two free throws.

"Coach did a good job in practice this week of getting us prepared," said Barbra, who finished with a game-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers. "We probably have one of the toughest schedules in the state of Ohio. We're going to be playing the best of the best and we just need to come out every day, work hard and perfect the things we need to perfect. Like Danny (Bova) said, our bench did a great job."

And, as Bova emphasized, the Wildcats appeared to be totally prepared for everything the Bulldogs had to offer, which, he said, is a shout out to the entire Saint Ignatius coaching staff.

Saint Ignatius, which will host the Warren G. Harding Raiders on Dec. 28, added some finishing touches to its near masterpiece with two quick third-quarter baskets down low by 6-7 senior post Eric Black off assists from Stover and David Black, who is Eric's twin brother. McDonald then drew a roar from the crowd when he slammed down two points of a perfect lob pass from Bova and Barbra kept them cheering with his coast-to-coast drive down the lane. David Black tossed in 11 points, McDonald scored nine and 6-5 senior wing Sam Burton led McKinley (3-4) with 16 points, 12 of those coming in the second half.

Leading, 71-22, after three quarters, the Wildcats got some solid guard play from junior Joe Isabella and senior Jimmy Abraham during the final eight minutes. Joe had two of Saint Ignatius' nine 3-pointers.