Jack Tupa plays another outstanding floor game and Derek Sloan, Eric Williams, David Black and Brian Joseph have some major moments.

The 'Cats go 4-0 this week, including three consecutive triumphs this weekend that were capped by what Coach Sean O'Toole '87 described as a "true team win" on Sunday.

BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT JANUARY 2012

NORTH CANTON, OHIO – Saint Ignatius’ talented junior post Alec Papesch said every team has its runs and that the game of basketball is like a roller coaster.

“When we go down, we have to bring it right back up,” Papesch said.

Sunday night in the Dunk 4 Diabetes Shootout at Walsh University, Papesch and his teammates took the Wildcats’ faithful on a ride of a lifetime.

Saint Ignatius, behind Papesch’s MVP efforts down low and a silky smooth game-winning 12-foot jumper by gifted junior guard Francisco Santiago, defeated previously unbeaten Pickerington High School Central, 66-65, in overtime.

The highly touted Pickerington Central Tigers came into the game with a 14-0 record and a ranking that placed them second in Ohio among Division I programs.

Saint Ignatius, which took its first lead with 2 minutes and 47 seconds remaining in overtime, improved to 11-2 and substantiated its ninth-place ranking in The Plain Dealer’s seven-county Top 25 poll.

The Wildcats, who had to make a less than 24-hour turnaround after defeating Walsh Jesuit in a very physical game at Sullivan Gym on Saturday night, trailed by 11 points entering the second quarter, by five points at halftime and by four points after the third quarter.

“It was a whole team effort,” said the 6-foot-6 Papesch after he scored a game-high 22 points, hit 10 of 14 shots from the floor and pulled down eight rebounds en route to being selected as Saint Ignatius’ Most Valuable Player for the game.

“From the opening tip,” Papesch continued, when asked at what point of the game he became confident of his ability to take the ball right at the Tigers and their skilled space eaters. “But I couldn’t have got it done without our guards. Inside and out, that’s what we have to do.”

The Wildcats went outside early in the second half, as they closed to 37-36 on the second of two consecutive 3-pointers by Santiago. “Cisco,” who was coming off a solid all-around performance against Walsh Jesuit, scored 14 points, dished out five assists and grabbed eight rebounds.

Pickerington Central, which is under the direction of former Columbus Wehrle and Ohio State basketball standout Jerry Francis, did hurt the Wildcats with second and third shots off the offensive glass. The Tigers totaled 19 offensive rebounds.

After Papesch made a strong and athletic move to the basket for a one-handed finger roll, an effort that cut the deficit to 51-49, Pickerington Central came up with a second-effort basket by 6-4 sophomore forward Javon Bess and led, 53-49, entering the final eight minutes of regulation.

Those eight minutes were a battle of wills that saw Saint Ignatius close to 56-54 on Santiago’s third rain-maker from 3-point land and Pickerington Central stretch that two-point advantage to five points with 4:10 left in the fourth quarter.

Wildcats senior guard Brian Joseph made it a two-point game by burying his 21st 3-pointer of the season with 3:11 to go in regulation and a layup in transition by Papesch off yet another on-the-money assist from standout senior point guard Jack Tupa tied the game at 59 and forced the Tigers to take a timeout with 2:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Saint Ignatius, which hosts Glenville and Perrysburg this weekend, tied the score at 60 on a free throw by Papesch with 5.4 seconds left in regulation and then it was on to overtime.

Wildcats 6-5 sophomore post/forward David Black gave Coach O’Toole’s team its first lead of the night when took a picture-perfect assist from Tupa and scored on an all-in-one-stride layup.

Tupa finished with eight points, eight assists and five rebounds, 6-4 junior post/forward Derek Sloan overcame foul trouble to score 11 points and bring down eight rebounds, and senior guard/forward Eric Williams contributed six points and several other facets that don’t show up in a box score.

A follow by Papesch gave Saint Ignatius a four-point advantage, but Pickerington Central’s MVP – 6-2 sophomore guard Connor Kern – was bumped while attempting a 3-pointer and converted two of his three free-throw attempts.

Kern, who led the Tigers with 16 points, put his team in front one last time when he hit a nothing-but-net 3-pointer with 33.2 seconds remaining. Pickerington Central's go-to guy, senior guard and Ohio University recruit Caris Levert, scored 15 points.

Setting up for the last shot, Saint Ignatius benefited from the poise of Black, who, after the first option broke down, alertly fired a pass out to Santiago on the perimeter.

“Cisco” faked a 3-point attempt, drove to the left side, pulled up over the defense and sent home a high-arching shot that was so smooth it tickled the twine.

Pickerington Central’s long-range desperation shot in the final 2.4 seconds fell short and the ‘Cats walked away with a victory that was not only huge for Saint Ignatius, but Cleveland-area basketball as well.

“The play was designed to go in the corner to try to get an isolation for Jack Tupa,” said Santiago. “We passed it, they trapped and David Black made an excellent move baseline to get it to me. I work on that pull-up shot all of the time, every day. I knew it was good the moment it left my hands.

“We had to take it one step at a time tonight,” Santiago continued. “And that’s exactly what we did.”

And what Santiago and his teammates did left Coach O’Toole in words this corner thought I would never hear – “No practice tomorrow!”

“It’s a signature win, there is no doubt,” said Coach O’Toole, after his Wildcats shot 56 percent from the field. “Number two in the state, great athletes and a neutral site. We got down early, weathered the storm, played from behind almost the entire game and never quit. We still have great things to learn and work on, but the bottom line is that when we needed plays we made them. Confidence is so important in basketball and this is a confidence game.”

NOTE: The corner posted an update on the injury to standout senior hockey forward Liam Geither on Sunday afternoon along with what we projected all week - Mike Svetina's commitment to Illinois (see story below).