JACK TUPA'S DRIVING ONE-HANDER DOWN THE LANE WITH 1.5 SECONDS REMAINING GIVES THE 'CATS A TWO-POINT LEAD AND PERRYSBURG INBOUNDS THE BALL TO SCOTT MILNE NEAR MIDCOURT, WHERE THE 5-9 SENIOR LAUNCHES A SHOT AS TIME EXPIRES THAT HITS NOTHING BUT NET.

HERE IS THE VARSITY BASKETBALL STORY, WHICH IS FOLLOWED BY A VARSITY WRESTLING RECAP AND A JV BASKETBALL RECAP.

BY EDDIE DWYER

There is a saying in the sports arena that at times you just have to tip your cap to the opponent.

And Saturday night in Sullivan Gymnasium, with a Senior Night and Safety Forces recognition crowd looking on, that saying never rang more true.

The Perrysburg Yellow Jackets, the team from the Northern Lakes League in Northwest Ohio, took away what appeared to be Saint Ignatius’ sixth consecutive victory when Yellow Jackets 5-foot-9 senior guard Scott Milne launched a shot from behind the mid-court line that soared in the air as time expired and dropped through the net for a 52-51 triumph.

Milne’s game-winner, which saw him take the inbounds pass from senior forward Jake Pfleghaar, make one dribble and leave his feet as he was letting the ball go, came after Saint Ignatius’ standout senior point guard Jack Tupa dribbled nearly the length of the floor and hit a floating one-hander down the lane that gave the Wildcats a 51-49 lead.

The clock showed all zeroes after Tupa’s basket, but the officials conferred with one another and had the operator put 1.5 seconds on the scoreboard.

With Saint Ignatius playing back in a pick-them-up-at-half court defense, Milne was able to get off an unbelievable shot that will be the talk of Wood County for some time.

“I’m extremely proud of our kids,” said Wildcats head coach Sean O’Toole ’87, who was obviously hurting for his players. “They did a great job against their zone and did everything we asked of them, including putting us in a position to win.

“We always tell the kids that it never comes down to one play. But tonight it did, and that’s nobody fault but mine.”

In what was an intense and well-played game between two well-schooled and hard-nosed programs, the score was tied at 14 after the first eight minutes thanks to a determined move around two defenders by Saint Ignatius’ gifted 6-5 junior forward/post Derek Sloan.

With Milne and 6-3 junior forward Shane Edwards fueling the Yellow Jackets’ offense, Perrysburg moved to a 24-19 lead after Edwards hit a soft one-hander down the lane with 2 minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the first half.

Edwards and Milne led the Yellow Jackets with 20 and 18 points, respectively. Edwards has now scored 72 points in his last three games combined. Pfleghaar contributed 12 points, as only four players scored for Perrysburg.

Sloan responded with a two-handed crowd-pleasing slam and, after the Yellow Jackets turned the ball over, Sloan hit a fade-away jumper down low that cut the deficit to 24-23 by halftime.

Just like the first 16 minutes, the second half was a test of wills.

Wildcats strong and talented 6-6 junior post Alec Papesch tied the score early in the third quarter when he scored off an assist from Tupa. Papesch led the ‘Cats with 20 points, as he found the net off a variety of second-effort moves around the basket.

Milne’s 3-pointer gave Perrysburg a 31-28 advantage that Sloan erased by converting a game-tying three-point play with 3:45 left in the third quarter. Sloan finished with 10 points.

Edwards and Milne stepped up again, as Milne drained a 3-pointer from deep in the right corner that extended the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 35-31 with 1:23 to go in the third quarter.

Saint Ignatius (12-3), which entered the game ranked 11th in the Associated Press Division I state poll, answered with the second of three 3-pointers by versatile junior guard Francisco Santiago and, after a jumper by Edwards pushed Perrysburg’s lead to 37-34, Santiago, off a nice recovery of a blocked shot, sent home another smooth and in-rhythm shot from beyond the arc. The score was tied at 37 and the stage was set for more drama.

The Wildcats, who were coming off a 30-point victory over Glenville on Friday night, took a 39-37 lead on an authoritative move along the baseline by senior guard/forward Eric Williams and led, 43-39, after Papesch powered up four more points.

Then things really started to heat up.

Edwards and Milne would even the score at 43 and, after Saint Ignatius senior guard Brian Joseph gave the Wildcats a one-point lead by burying his 25th 3-pointer on the season, Edwards countered with a baby hook with 1:23 remaining to be played.

Papesch, who is having an exceptional season for the ‘Cats, put his team in front, 49-47, by muscling the ball up to the rim for a second- and third-effort three-point play with 49.8 seconds left.

Edwards, who has helped Perrysburg to a 10-5 record and six victories in its last eight games, tied the score again by scoring off a big-time reverse layup along the baseline with 10 seconds on the clock, an effort that set the stage for Tupa’s determined drive and Milne’s launch that almost flirted with the roof in Sullivan Gym before greeting the basket on the Lorain Avenue end of the storied facility.

Saint Ignatius, which finished with eight players in the scoring column, will now gear up for next Saturday night’s second game of the home-and-home series with St. Edward. It will be the usual 6 p.m. junior varsity start in Sullivan Gym, with the varsity match up to follow at 7:30. St. Edward defeated the Wildcats, 65-61, at the Eagles Nest on Jan. 20.

WRESTLING: HIGHLAND 38, SAINT IGNATIUS 34: Wildcats nationally acclaimed 120-pound senior George DiCamillo extended his remarkable winning streak to 62 matches with a pin on Saturday afternoon. George’s career victories now stand at 140 entering his final match at Sullivan Gymnasium, which will take place on Friday night against Lake Catholic.

Jimmy Ferritto at 106 and Tommy Zeigler at 113 continued their winning ways, as Jimmy recorded a major decision and Tommy racked up another pin.

Also recording pins for the Wildcats were Scott Chase at 182, Brett Bendokaitis at 220 and Max Baughman at heavyweight.

Saint Ignatius head coach Mark Sullivan said the ‘Cats suffered a setback in the match when 160-pounder Tyler Calton suffered a cut and had to default.

JV BASKETBALL: SAINT IGNATIUS 58, PERRYSBURG 37: The Wildcats, who improved to 13-2, found themselves trailing, 8-1, in the early going.

At that point, 6-6 sophomore post Eric Black and 6-2 sophomore wing Kyle Berger helped pick up the ‘Cats’ game at both ends of the floor.

Saint Ignatius went on a 19-5 run that was capped by a smooth baseline drive by sophomore guard Matt Ivancic, a 3-pointer by versatile 6-2 sophomore wing Isiah Barbra and a text-book turnaround jumper by 6-4 freshman forward Jaylin McDonald.

A 3-pointer by Berger extended Saint Ignatius’ lead to 23-15 with 5:36 remaining in the first half.

After a two-handed slam by Black off a Berger assist, a layup by sophomore guard Dameon Willis Jr. off a steal and an assist by Berger, a driving layup by Berger off a turnover and two free throws by McDonald, the Wildcats led, 31-17, with 3:40 to go in the half.

Perrysburg got back in the game by going on a 7-0 run to end the first half, but the third quarter told the tale as Saint Ignatius’ talented rotations took the sting out of the Yellow Jackets.

The Wildcats built a 20-point lead entering the final seven minutes and stayed in command the rest of the way.

Some of the third-quarter and down-the-stretch highlights were another text-book turnaround jumper, this time by 6-4 sophomore post Jacob Strippy, a breakaway layup by Willis Jr. off a nice dish from Black, a three-point play by Strippy and a leaning one-hander along the baseline by sophomore guard John Thomas that was quickly followed by his breakaway layup.

Strippy and Black led the ‘Cats with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Berger tossed in nine points, Willis scored seven and Barbra and Ivancic each had six points.