Wildcats hang on, 46-44, on a layup by Alec Papesch, as the Ironmen miss a close-range bunny with time expering.

*Congratulations to the JV 'Cats, who improved to 9-2 with a 63-55 triumph over Central Catholic and to the Freshmen Gold, who continued their winning ways with a dominant 65-29 victory over Central Catholic's freshmen. The jayvees were coming off an impressive victory over Cleveland Heights on Saturday.

BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT JANUARY 2012

Saint Ignatius head basketball coach Sean O’Toole ’87 said he thought his Wildcats were right where they needed to be after the first half of Tuesday’s game against Cleveland Central Catholic – holding a 10-point lead on the Ironmen’s home floor in the St. Stan’s Social Center.

However, it was the third quarter and most of the second half that left Coach O’Toole frustrated and disappointed.

Saint Ignatius, despite being outplayed for most of the final 16 minutes, hung on to defeat Central Catholic, 46-44, after the Ironmen missed a close-range shot as time expired.

The Wildcats, who were outscored, 12-4, in third quarter, improved to 8-2. Central Catholic, which stormed back into the game by scoring the first 11 points of the second half, slipped to 5-6.

“We came down (to the locker room) at halftime and talked about winning the first three minutes (of the second half),” Coach O’Toole said. “And then we come out and score four points in that quarter. It’s a mixture of things. It’s missed shots and bad shots. I’ll have to watch the film to get a full gage on what it is, but it’s beyond frustration right now.”

Saint Ignatius, ranked ninth in The Plain Dealer’s Top 25 seven-county poll, rode an 8-for-8 performance from the free-throw line by senior point guard Jack Tupa to a 21-17 lead late in the second quarter. Central Catholic, on the strength of a 3-pointer by junior wing Carlos White, closed to 21-20 only to watch the Wildcats close out the first half on a 9-0 run.

The ‘Cats' run included a basket along the baseline by junior forward/post Derek Sloan, a steal and a slam dunk by Sloan, a 3-pointer by junior guard Francisco Santiago and a tip in by Santiago, who was alertly following his shot.

With the momentum Saint Ignatius was riding at the end of the second quarter, it would have been better for the Wildcats if there was no halftime intermission. The ‘Cats, as assistant coach Kevin Neitzel ‘90 pointed out, were outworked for most of the final 16 minutes.

Central Catholic, the Division III state champion in 2009 and a Division III state runner-up last season, went on an 11-0 run after halftime that was fueled by a driving layup from gifted sophomore Chelvonte Montgomery off an assist from 6-foot-6 senior post Darrian Bruster and a 3-pointer by Bruster.

Saint Ignatius, which travels to Strongsville on Friday night for the second of its four games in six nights, regained the lead on a basket by Sloan. After Bruster made 1 of 2 free throws to tie the score, the Wildcats, on the strength of a layup by sophomore post David Black off an assist from Tupa, led, 34-32, entering the final eight minutes.

“First of all, Central Catholic is very athletic, they’re quick, they’re scrappy,” said Coach O’Toole. “So you have to work hard to defend them. It’s just that we were right where we needed to be and I am absolutely embarrassed. The way we performed tonight cannot happen and we certainly aren’t going to beat anyone left on our schedule with that kind of offensive performance.

“It can’t be the kids, it’s the whole thing,” O’Toole continued. “Something we’re doing scheme-wise. There is no flow. I said it when we were 7-1 and I’ll say it now that we’re 8-2. We’re nowhere near where we need to be. We staggered off (tonight).”

After a basket from Sloan, two free throws by junior post Alec Papesch and free throws from Tupa and Sloan, Saint Ignatius led, 40-34, with 4 minutes and 33 seconds remaining.

Central Catholic, under the direction of former Rhodes head coach Jonathan Harris, closed to 42-40 on a strong leaning one-hander by junior guard Greg Snyder. Following a basket down low by the 6-6 Papesch, Snyder tied the score on two free throws and a steal and a layup with 44 seconds left.

Papesch scored what turned out to be the game winner when he drove nearly the length of the floor for a layup with 3.65 seconds to go and the Wildcats hung on after the Ironmen just missed the mark on an open shot not more than four feet from the rim.

Snyder led all scorers with 16 points and Tupa and Papesch finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Nine of Tupa’s points came from the foul line. Saint Ignatius was 13-of-18 from the charity stripe and Central Catholic made just 6 of its 14 free-throw attempts. The Wildcats played without senior guard/forward Eric Williams, who was ill.

“There is no time to re-invent and no time to feel sorry,” said Coach O’Toole, whose team closes out its four-game stretch with a home game against Walsh Jesuit on Saturday night and a trip to Walsh University on Sunday night for a match up with the state’s second-ranked and undefeated Pickerington High School Central Tigers in the Dunk 4 Diabetes Shootout.

The corner will take a look at Strongsville, Walsh Jesuit and Pickerington Central later this week.