Derek Sloan, Alec Papesch, and Eric and David Black provide the force down low and Danny Bova, Kyle Berger, Francisco Santiago, Austin Sterpka, Bryan Fisher, Isiah Barbra and Jaylin McDonald help fuel a relentless effort on defense, as Coach Sean O'Toole's varsity basketball Wildcats improve to 4-0.
The JV 'Cats also come on strong in the second half and pull away from the Meteors, 48-28. Coach Larry Arthur's jayvees stand 4-0 behind 18 points by freshman Deven Stover, 12 points from sophomores Dre' Mont Jones and Andre Wolford, and the constant hustle of sophomores Mikal Outcalt and Dylan Nieto.
Up Next: A match up with the talent-laden Ironmen from Cleveland Central Catholic (6-0) on Saturday night in Sullivan Gymnasium. The JV game is scheduled for 6, with the varsity tipoff at 7:30. Senior John Fanta and junior Paddy White will have the call over the Saint Ignatius Student Broadcasting Network.
By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright December 2012
Ohio City - With a smile as broad as his gifted skills, Saint Ignatius' senior post and tri-captain Derek Sloan talked about the defensive effort he and his teammates put forth on Friday night in Sullivan Gymnasium.
"We knew they were a very good team," Sloan said of Coach Duke Barther's Midpark Meteors. "We had to put great pressure on them so they couldn't pass off to their bigs. They have good size, so we had to make it difficut for them to see over the top. We made them put the ball on the floor."
Applying relentless pressure over the final 23 minutes and 28 seconds, and dominating inside on offense, Saint Ignatius erased an early second quarter one-point deficit and went to dominate the Meteors, 69-43.
After senior guard and tri-captain Francisco Santiago converted an on-the-money inbounds pass from junior guard and tri-captain Danny Bova into a three-point play with 7:28 remaining in the second quarter, the Wildcats (4-0) would steadily pull away from a gritty Midpark team that slipped to 4-3 on the season.
Santiago would follow his three-point play with a rainbow 3-pointer and junior guard Kyle Berger converted a steal into a layup that gave the 'Cats a seven-point lead.
Meteors senior forward Mark Lombardo buried a 3-pointer that cut his team's deficit to 19-15, only to watch the 6-foot-5 Sloan counter with a three-point play. Sloan finished with a game-high 16 points, 12 of those coming in the second half.
Continuing to make a concerted effort to get the ball inside, Saint Ignatius moved to a 27-15 lead off a strong offensive rebound and putback by 6-6 junior post/forward Eric Black and two free throws by hustle-personified senior guard Bryan Fisher with 3:47 left in the second quarter.
Midpark refused to cave in, however, and closed to seven points late in the first half on a driving one-hander by junior guard Dylan Nguyen and a layup by 6-6 sophomore David Dunnigan. Dunnigan combines with 6-9 sophomore post Nolan Gerrity to give the Meteors a promising frontcourt.
The Wildcats, ranked third in The Plain Dealer's seven-county Top 25 poll, took a 10-point lead into the halftime break after 6-7 senior post Alec Papesch converted a strong and athletic three-point play.
"This game was scheduled on purpose," said Saint Ignatius' fifth-year head coach Sean O'Toole '87, who will take a career mark of 70-26 with the Wildcats into tonight's match up with the seventh-ranked Ironmen of Central Catholic in Sullivan Gym. "That is a vey well-coached basketball team. We're better for playing them.
"People will look at the box score and say why did they play the game?," Coach O'Toole continued. "But Midpark did things tonight that we hadn't seen in our first three games (versus John Hay, Shaw and Canton McKinley) and might not see again until an opponent down the road or maybe the tournament. They're very well coached in their spacing and skill. Once again, our depth is able to wear teams down and we're pretty good at the rim right now."
That depth and the ability to attack the rim took its toll on the Meteors in the second half.
With Sloan and Papesch setting the tone, the Wildcats began to pull away on a layup by Papesch off a drive and dish by Santiago, another steal and layup by Berger and two free throws and a strong move to the rim by Eric Black.
Leading by 15 points entering the final eight minutes, Saint Ignatius took command on a Papesch layup off another smooth inbounds pass from Bova, a basket by Sloan off a Santiago assist, a hustle offensive rebound and putback by Sloan, a crowd-pleasing block by Sloan, a soaring two-handed layin by Sloan off an alley-oop pass from Santiago, and the constant hustle of senior wing Austin Sterpka and junior forward Isiah Barbra.
"We knew if were to dominate this game, we had to do it at the rim," Sloan said. "That was our mindset from the beginning."
The Wildcats left no doubt, as the seal was applied on another 3-pointer by Santiago, a soft baseline jumper by the 6-5 David Black, Eric's twin brother, an authoritative move along the baseline by Eric Black, a breakaway layup by Sterpka and a 3-pointer by junior guard Ryan Napoli.
Saint Ignatius shot 60 percent from the field and the Meteors shot 45 percent.
"I think just the wear and tear of 10 guys or 11 guys keeping the pressure on," said Coach O'Toole of what enabled his team to dominate down the stretch. "We were able to speed them up and create easy baskets. But the bottom line was our point-blank shots at the rim. Derek Sloan is fun to watch when he is on."
COACH O'TOOLE ON THE AIR: Coach Sean O'Toole will talk basketball on 92.3 The Fan Saturday morning at 7:30.
*THE JAN. 5 GAME BETWEEN COLUMBUS POWER NORTHLAND AND SAINT IGNATIUS WILL BE TELEVISED BY TIME WARNER CABLE. PATRICK PIERSON AND DAVID WILSON, THE TOP HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS CABLE TV TANDEM IN OHIO, WILL BRING YOU THE ACTION FROM SULLIVAN GYMNASIUM.
*In hockey, the Ice Cats (9-3-3), ranked No. 1 in the Ohio coaches state poll, will begin play in the prestigious Purple Puck 20th annual National Capital Hockey Tournament on Saturday in Washington D. C. Here is Saturday's schedule from the Fort Dupont Ice Arena:
Saint Ignatius vs. Huntingtown, 9 a.m.
St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) vs. Georgetown Prep, 11 a.m.
Loyola Academy (Ill.) vs. Gonzaga, 1 p.m.
Canisius vs. Georgetown Prep, 3 p.m.
Saint Ignatius vs. Gonzaga, 5 p.m.
*And in wrestling, all of the best to Wildcat senior Tommy Zeigler, who advanced to Saturday's 126-pound semifinals at the 52nd annual Brecksville Holiday Wrestling Tournament.