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A time to reward several players. Saint Ignatius' talent, depth and unselfish approach are more than Glenville could deal with. The Ice 'Cats complete their regular season at 33-0 and join Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights in that category.

By Eddie Dwyer, 02/03/12, 12:00AM EST

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****Coach Sean O'Toole's Wildcats bust the game open in the second quarter and leave no doubt early in the third, as they wear down the Tarblooders, 76-46, in Sullivan Gym on Friday night.

****Congratulations go out from this corner to Coach Pat O'Rourke '90 and his Wildcats varsity hockey team, which defeated University School, 3-0, at The Pond on Friday evening and wrapped up its regular season at 33-0. The Ice 'Cats also brought home another outright Red North Division championship.

****Coach O'Rourke's team placed itself along side Shaker Heights (1980-81) and Cleveland Heights (1985-86) as area teams who have compiled unbeaten regular seasons. NOTE: The 29-0 1980-81 Shaker team ran the table, going undefeated in the regular season and the postseason. The 1985-86 Cleveland Heights team took a 30-0 record into the state championship game that season and lost to St. Edward, 6-5. In 1990, St. Edward was 30-1 and won another of its many state hockey titles, but the Eagles' only loss that winter came early in the regular season.

*HERE IS FRIDAY NIGHT’S VARSITY BASKETBALL STORY, A RECAP ON THE HOCKEY TEAM’S PERFECT REGULAR SEASON AND A JV BASKETBALL RECAP.

BY EDDIE DWYER

As far as Saint Ignatius head basketball coach Sean O’Toole ’87 is concerned, the most pleasing thing about Friday night’s 76-46 victory over Glenville was that players who pay the price in practice every day saw significant time on the Sullivan Gymnasium floor.

“These kids work extremely hard all week and it’s always good when everyone can play and contribute,” Coach O’Toole said just moments after his Wildcats improved to 12-2 by taking over in the second quarter and never looking back.

“I thought we got great minutes off the bench,” Coach O’Toole continued. “Obviously (senior) Brian Joseph scored well for us, (senior) Jack Mahoney was out there leading the way defensively by drawing two charges and (senior) Max Connor got out there and gave us push and pace, and created a lot of scoring opportunities for his teammates. With our schedule, there are only so many games where we are able to reward everyone with minutes. And by no means did we think that was going to happen tonight.”

Glenville (9-5), which got some solid play from post Kevin Kinds and guard Craig Eubanks, stayed in the game for the first eight minutes. After Eubanks buried a 3-pointer, the Tarblooders trailed by seven points entering the second quarter.

The next eight minutes, however, were a lesson in Saint Ignatius basketball.

First it was gifted junior guard Francicso Santiago with a 3-pointer that could have brought rain. Then it was 6-foot-6 junior post Alec Papesch with a strong move inside off one of senior point guard Jack Tupa’s nine assists. Just seconds later Tupa found Santiago in transition and the Wildcats led, 25-11.

Senior guard/forward Eric Williams then heated up from the outside and after his two 3-pointers, a 3-pointer by Joseph, two free throws by senior guard Mike Svetina, the second of Joseph’s three 3-pointers and a layup by junior forward Matt Gawlik off an on-the-money assist by Connor, Saint Ignatius was in command at 42-18.

It was more of the same early in the second half, as Saint Ignatius rode a two-handed slam by 6-5 junior forward/post Derek Sloan and more of the Tupa-to-Papesch show to a 54-20 lead.

Clearing his bench and alternating players freely, Coach O’Toole got more insurance than he needed when he watched Joseph hit nothing but net on his third trey of the game and his 24th 3-pointer on the season. Joseph then made a nice underhand dish to 6-5 sophomore post David Black and Black returned the favor by feeding Joseph in stride for a layup.

The Wildcats, ranked eighth in this week’s Plain Dealer Top 25 seven-county poll and 11th in the Associated Press Division I state poll, added some no-doubt frosting to the victory cake with sweet and strong drives by Svetina and Connor, a layup by junior forward Austin Sterpka off a nice assist from sophomore guard/forward Kyle Berger and a steal by sophomore guard Danny Bova that he converted into a layup.

Joseph finished with a game-high 13 points, Papesch scored 10, Santiago totaled nine points and Williams and David Black each tossed in eight. Eubanks and Kinds led the Tarblooders with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

“We’re pretty comfortable at home,” said Coach O’Toole of the victory over an athletic Glenville team. “But we have a tough one tomorrow in Perrysburg. It’s a different style from what we faced tonight. They’re real structured.”

The Perrysburg Yellow Jackets, a member of the Northern Lakes League, will bring a 9-5 record into Sullivan Gym on Saturday night. A JV tipoff of 6 p.m. will precede the varsity game. A preview on Perrysburg was posted on the corner earlier this week and appears two stories below this report.

Behind 29 points by Shane Edwards, Perrysburg defeated Sylvania Southview, 60-49, on Friday night. It was the Yellow Jackets' fifth victory in their last seven games. Edwards has totaled 52 points in Perrysburg's last two games.

MATT KOVESDY’S GOAL KEEPING, ANOTHER SOLID ALL-AROUND EFFORT ON DEFENSE AND GOALS BY THE SAVVY VETERANS – COLTON RIEMENSCHNEIDER, PADDY SPELLACY AND MIKE ABOOD SHOW THE WAY TO THE ‘CATS’ PERFECT REGULAR SEASON.

Senior Matt Kovesdy put together a rock-solid effort in goal, as he came up with 21 saves in Saint Ignatius’ 3-0 triumph over University School at The Pond on Friday evening.

Coach Pat O’Rourke’s defense was outstanding in helping the Wildcats complete their regular season at a school-best 33-0 and take home an outright Red North Division Championship.

Senior standouts Colton Riemenschneider, Paddy Spellacy and Mike Abood provided the lamp lighters in a game that was in doubt until the final two minutes. The ‘Cats finished 12-0 in the Red North Division and accomplished the first of their three goals.

Sure, a perfect regular season is amazing (see the drop headlines above), but from day one of fall practice Coach O’Rourke and his players stressed what the 2011-12 season is all about – a Red North Division championship, a Baron Cup title and a state championship.

It’s one down and two to go as up next is the Baron Cup at the John M. Coyne Recreation Center in Brooklyn. The Wildcats’ first-round game is against Hudson on Wednesday. Saint Ignatius is seeking its first Baron Cup since 1992.

****If Saint Ignatius is successful in its next three games it will surpass the OHSAA mark of victories in a season (35), which is held by Gilmour Academy. This marks the third consecutive season that Coach O'Rourke has guided the Ice 'Cats to 30 or more victories. That includes the 31-victory, state-championship season of 2009-2010. Saint Ignatius' 2000 state championship team won 29 games.

University School is now 18-7-3.

JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL RECAP: Saint Ignatius 68, Glenville 45

It was a game very similar to the varsity encounter, as the Wildcats’ junior varsity team also improved to 12-2 by wearing down the Tarblooders’ jayvees in the third quarter.

After a foul-line jumper by 6-4 freshman forward Jaylin McDonald and a strong move to the basket by 6-4 sophomore forward/post Pete Mahoney, Jack's brother, helped Saint Ignatius to a 33-25 halftime lead, the Wildcats outscored Glenville, 22-6, over the next seven minutes.

Some of the highlights of the third-quarter barrage were a smooth pull-up jumper in transition by 6-6 sophomore post Eric Black, David’s twin brother, a highlight-reel move along the baseline by 6-2 sophomore forward Isiah Barbra, two free throws by Mahoney off a second-effort offensive rebound and a picture-perfect assist from sophomore guard/forward Ogo Okolo to sophomore guard John Thomas for a layup.

Eric Black led the way with 12 points, McDonald, Barbra and sophomore guard/wing Kyle Berger each had eight points and 6-4 sophomore post Jacob Strippy scored six points.