Francisco Santiago scores 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half and Eric Black turns in his second solid performance in as many games in leading the Wildcats past the Cardinals, 63-44, on Saturday night in Sullivan Gymnasium.
Saint Ignatius' varsity hockey team, coming off Friday night's emotional 3-1 victory over St. Edward, completes a memorable weekend by defeating highly touted Shaker Heights, 5-3, in Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday evening (see the summary after the basketball story).
By Eddie Dwyer
Ohio City - Saint Ignatius' Eric Black said he and his teammates had plenty of the shots they wanted during the first half of Saturday night's varsity basketball game against Shaw in Sullivan Gymnasium.
"We got the looks we want, they just weren't falling," said the Wildcats' versatile 6-foot-6 junior. "As a team, we're confident in ourselves and confident in our teammates that they are going to fall, eventually. You just have to be patient."
Confidence, patience, depth and talent.
Coach Sean O'Toole's team unleashed all of the above in the second half and wore down the scrappy Cardinals, 63-44.
Trailing by 10 points with 4 minutes and 59 second remaining in the first half, Shaw, sparked by a 3-pointer by sophomore wing Maurice Lashley and a three-point play by standout senior guard Cordell Smith, went on an 11-3 run and cut the Wildcats' lead to 22-20 with 2:32 to go in the half.
Saint Ignatius, on the strength of a strong and athletic follow by Black, a block by 6-6 senior post Alec Papesch that fueled a three-point play by junior guard Kyle Berger and a slam dunk in transition by 6-5 sophomore post Jaylin McDonald from an on-the-money dish by senior guard and tri-captain Francisco Santiago, clung to a seven-point advantage at halftime.
"There is a lot of tradition with the Shaw Cardinal basketball team," said Coach O'Toole '87, after his Wildcats improved to 2-0. "They have a bonafide stud (Smith) and their kids played with a lot of heart. Obviously last night they didn't play well and were embarrassed (Shaw was dominated at home by Lorain). They came out tonight and played extremely hard and brought it to us.
"We're leaving points on the floor right now," Coach O'Toole continued. "But hey, give them credit. It was a physical game. We had some mental breakdowns defensively that can not happen. We're too smart and communication is all it is - making sure we're all on the same page."
In the second half, Saint Ignatius appeared to get on the right page in a hurry and went on to perform like the team that was ranked third this past week in The Plain Dealer's seven-county Top 25 poll.
Playing without 6-5 All-District senior post/forward and tri-captain Derek Sloan, who was resting a sore ankle, the Wildcats took command with an impressive 11-1 run in the early stages of the third quarter.
Berger, a highly recruited All-Ohio linebacker in football, got the run started by soaring in the air for an offensive rebound and passing the ball to Black, who converted the assist into another strong move inside.
Black, who teams with his 6-5 twin brother David in the frontcourt, scored down low again and on his team's next offensive possession, he stepped outside and hit a smooth baseline jumper.
After a tip-in by Papesch, who also garnered All-District honors last winter, a layup in transition by junior point guard and tri-captain Danny Bova off another Santiago assist and a free throw by Eric Black, Saint Ignatius was taking command, 40-23, with 4:18 left in the third quarter.
As Eric Black so astutely pointed out, the Widcats' second half-surge was as much about the effort at the defensive end of the floor as it was the offense starting to click.
"We were able to pressure them, get up in their face without reaching and cause turnovers," said Eric, who finished with 13 points. "That sparked us offensively."
Shaw didn't play like a team that fell to 0-4 on the season, as Coach Steve Chandler, a former basketball mainstay for the Cardinals, watched his players close to 11 points late in the third quarter.
It was at that point, however, that Coach O'Toole's team took its play to an even higher level of emotion and skill.
Santiago, who watched several of his shots rim out in the first half, played with a crowd-pleasing passion down the stretch en route to scoring 15 of game-best 17 points in the second half.
An authoritative drive down the lane by Santiago, two free throws by underrated senior wing Austin Sterpka and two free throws and a nothing-but-net 3-pointer by Santiago extended the Wildcats' lead to 19 points entering the final eight minutes.
With Saint Ignatius' adult and student-body crowd back in the game big time, Santiago scored on another impressive body-control drive and fed Papesch for a high-percentage shot that pushed the 'Cats' margin to 23 points.
After Shaw made it a 15-point game, the kid they call "Cisco" left no doubt as he buried another rainbow 3-pointer and conveterd a three-point play that came off a steal by senior point guard Bryan Fisher and Fisher's highlight-reel, behind-the-back pass to Santiago.
"He attacks so well," said Coach O'Toole of Santiago. "He's a shooter, but he's long, quick, goes to the rim and gets fouled. What he has to realize is that teams are going to be keying on him. So now he has to be patient and look for the second opportunity, instead of rushing the first one. And that will come with film watching."
Next up for Coach O'Toole and his Wildcats is a trip to the storied Memorial Field House in Canton for the yearly encounter with the tradition-rich McKinley Bulldogs. Action will begin in Stark County this coming Saturday night with a junior varsity game at 6. The varsity tipoff is scheduled for 7:30. The corner will preview the McKinley game on Tuesday night.
HERE ARE RECAPS FROM SAINT IGNATIUS' SWIMMING AND DIVING AND ICE HOCKEY PROGRAMS.
The Wildcats' swimmers competed in the prestigious Viking Invitational on Saturday at Cleveland State University. The 'Cats won the opening medley relay and All-American senior Derek Hren won the individual medley, but was disqualified during the preliminaries of the 100 breastroke. Derek was the state runner-up in both of those events.
In describing the disqualification, Derek told The Plain Dealer's outstanding reporter Joe Maxse '69 that he had to separate his hands and thought he did it on the third lap.
In front of a healthy and spirited crowd at The Q on Saturday, Saint Ignatius' varsity hockey team turned back Jacob Shick and the Shaker Heights Raiders, 5-3. The Wildcats, who were coming off a 3-1 victory over staunch rival St. Edward (see the corner's story from Friday night), improved to 7-2-1 on the season.
Trailing, 1-0, after Shick scored the first of his three goals in the first period, Saint Ignatius tied the score in the second period on a goal by sophomore forward Matty Geither off an assist from junior defender Harry Smith.
Shick struck again for the Raiders in the second period, but the Wildcats came back with the equalizer off the stick of sophomore forward Brady Wells. Junior forward Danny Brogan provided the assist.
In what was described as a third period that alone was worth the price of admission, Saint Ignatius' brilliant senior forward and captain Miles McQuinn gave his team the lead by scoring off another Smith helper. Shick would tie the score on his hat trick, but the Wildcats wouldn't be denied their memorable weekend.
McQuinn stepped up again and gave his team a 4-3 lead through an assist from sophomore forward Kevin Yarcusko, and Yarcusko scored the sealer unassisted.
Senior goalie Bernie Cook, who was outstanding against St. Edward, had another solid outing that produced 29 saves.
Up next for the Ice Cats is a game against Lake Catholic on Wednesday night at 7 in Mentor and another encounter with Toledo St. John's Jesuit in the Padua Holiday Tournament on Friday at IceLand USA. The puck will drop at 5 p.m. The Wildcats defeated the Titans, 3-2, on Nov. 25 at Miami of Ohio University.