GEORGE BECOMES ONLY THE FOURTH WRESTLER TO BRING HOME FOUR STRAIGHT TITLES AT BRECKSVILLE, AS HE ADDS THE HOLIDAY FOURSOME TO HIS THREE STRAIGHT CROWNS AT THE NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED IRONMAN.
IN WINNING THE 120-POUND CHAMPIONSHIP AT BRECKSVILLE, GEORGE EXTENDED HIS WINNING STREAK TO 53 MATCHES. LAST SEASON, THE VIRGINIA RECRUIT WENT 35-0 AND CAPTURED OHIO'S 112-POUND TITLE. THE CORNER WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CONGRATULATE NICK LEES FOR FINISHING AMONG BRECKSVILLE'S TOP EIGHT AT 152.
SLOAN LEADS THE 'CATS WITH 23 POINTS, JOSEPH BURIES FOUR BIG-TIME 3-POINTERS, "CISCO" SCORES NINE CRUCIAL POINTS AND DISHES FOR OTHER KEY BASKETS, AND "PAPPY" BATTLES ALL NIGHT UNDERNEATH.
THE WILDCATS' JUNIOR VARSITY TAKES THE BARK OUT OF THE BULLDOGS (SEE AFTER VARSITY GAME STORY).
BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT DECEMBER 2011
As they were approaching the late stages of the second quarter in Friday night’s game against Canton McKinley, the Saint Ignatius Wildcats found themselves trailing the Bulldogs by 10 points.
Then, almost like he told himself that’s enough, Wildcats gifted 6-foot-4 junior forward Derek Sloan stepped up and hit a nothing-but-net 3-pointer, scored on a strong drive, converted a nice assist from senior guard Max Connor into two more points and took a charge.
It was game on!
Saint Ignatius, cutting that 10-point deficit to one point by halftime, went toe-to-toe with McKinley the rest of the way before turning back the Bulldogs, 65-61, in front of a large and spirited crowd at Sullivan Gymnasium.
The Wildcats, ranked 14th in The Plain Dealer’s seven-county Top 25 poll, improved to 3-1. McKinley, which has now lost three consecutive times to Coach Sean O’Toole’s program, slipped to 3-4.
“We had to have better help defense and better on the ball pressure,” said Sloan of Saint Ignatius’ second-quarter surge. “And we did that. That’s why we were able to come back.”
The Wildcats, trailing, 30-29, entering the third quarter, were still in search of a way to slow down Bulldogs junior guard Devaugntah Williams.
Williams, who scored on a variety of drives and soft pull-up jumpers, was almost a one-man show for new head coach Keith Noftz, as he maneuvered his 6-3 frame to a game-high 31 points. Sixteen of those 31 points came in the second half.
Behind some strong play with the ball by junior guard Francisco Santiago and the determination down low by 6-6 junior post Alec Papesch, Saint Ignatius continued to counter punch with the Bulldogs.
An athletic move to the basket by Santiago and a Papesch layup off a Santiago dish kept it a one-point game in favor of McKinley.
After two free throws by Bulldogs 6-8 junior post Mike Mills pushed his team’s lead to four points with 5 minutes and 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Wildcats answered with two free throws by Sloan and a three-point play by Santiago off a pull-up jumper. Santiago’s effort put Saint Ignatius in front, 39-38, at the 3:30 mark of the third quarter.
“My teammates just got open,” Santiago said of a Saint Ignatius offense that featured a good inside-out balance. “If I can attack a seam, they know where to go so I can get them the ball.”
And finding his spot on the floor and making McKinley pay almost every time he got his hands on the ball was senior guard and tri-captain Brian Joseph.
After back-to-back, catch-and-shoot 3-pointers by Joseph and a layup in transition by senior forward Eric Williams off an assist by Santiago, the Wildcats led, 47-41, entering the final eight minutes.
The fourth quarter alone was worth the price of admission, as the Bulldogs would come back to cut the deficit to 49-48 on two free throws by Williams with 5:51 left.
Sloan, much like he did in the second quarter, put together an offensive spurt that included a crowd-pleasing scoop shot off the glass on a move down the lane and another 3-pointer that barley grazed the net. Sloan led the Wildcats with 23 points.
Papesch followed Sloan’s 3-ball with two free throws and, after McKinley junior guard Hollis Alexander hit a trey, Joseph countered with his fourth 3-pointer of the night and the ‘Cats clung to a six-point lead.
“I was ready for this game, I was feeling it in warm ups,” said Joseph, who hit five shots from beyond the arc in Saint Ignatius’ three-point victory over Detroit Jesuit on opening night. “I got some good shots off and just like always my teammates found me in good spots.”
McKinley, which has compiled 102 winning seasons in its 112 years of varsity basketball, drew its fans back in the game by tying the score on two free throws by 6-4 senior forward Tyler Trammell, a driving one hander by Alexander and a jumper by Williams with 1:25 to go.
The Wildcats, who face University School on Jan. 6 at John Carroll University and the talent-laden Fighting Irish of St. Vincent-St. Mary on Jan. 8 at Baldwin-Wallace College, kept their composure down the stretch and sealed another gutsy victory on a free throw by Sloan, some hard-nosed half-court defense by junior point guard Bryan Fisher that forced a turnover, a free throw by Fisher and two pressure free throws by Joseph with 6.4 seconds remaining.
Joseph finished with 16 points and Papesch and Santiago had 10 and nine points, respectively. Along with Williams’ impressive output, the Bulldogs got 11 points from Mills and 10 from Alexander.
"We go into a game just seeing who is playing well and we try to stay with them," said Coach O'Toole of his team's depth. "It's going to differentiate and these guys are going to have to be patient. When someone is playing well, they have to be happy for their teammate and we have to ride him.
“I thought Bryan Fisher gave us incredible minutes,” Coach O’Toole continued. “Against those guards, he stuck it out and obviously Brian Joseph came up with the big baskets and free throws. When push came to shove, we were able to withstand their early run.
“We were uncharacteristic at one point in that we took two awful shots under three minutes. Good teams don’t do that. But now we have a whole week before our next game, which is a breath of fresh air. We’ll watch it, work on it and improve it.”
WILDCATS JUNIOR VARSITY HAS ITS WAY, EARLY AND OFTEN
Saint Ignatius’ junior varsity team (3-1), with Kyle Berger, Eric Black, Dameon Willis Jr. and point guard Danny Bova helping fuel the offense, got into a fast-paced and relentless flow from the get-go and never looked back in the 56-39 triumph over McKinley’s jayvees.
After Willis Jr. and 6-4 freshman Jaylin McDonald came up with impressive moves to the basket late in the first quarter, Berger’s three-point play, two free throws and a layup by the 6-6 Black and two more baskets by Berger had the Bulldogs running for cover early in the second quarter.
Following a smooth and strong drive the hoop by Ogo Okolo and a high-arching 3-pointer by Ryan Napoli, the Wildcats held a 20-point lead at halftime.
It was more of the same in the second half, as the JV ‘Cats left no doubt on a baseline jumper by 6-4 Jacob Strippy, a breakaway slam by Berger, a text-book follow by Black and a layup by Cole Larson off an assist from John Thomas.
ON THE MEND: Saint Ignatius’ outstanding senior guard and tri-captain Jack Tupa was in uniform on Friday night and could be returning to action sooner than we thought. Jack has been sidelined since preseason because of a broken bone in his foot.
CONGRATULATIONS GO OUT: To Ryan Ivancic ’11, who was honored at halftime on Friday night with the prestigious John J. Wirtz Award and to Wildcats Hall of Famer Garry Roggenburk ‘58, who was recognized during the pregame for being an inductee into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
Ryan was an outstanding soccer player for the Wildcats’ nationally acclaimed program and a gritty guard for the ‘Cats’ basketball program. He was a captain for both teams.
During his four years at Saint Ignatius, Ryan was a 4.0-plus student, a member of the National Honors Society and was very active in the “Men for Others” community service work. On personal note, Ryan is one of the finest student/athletes and human beings this old-timer ever had the privilege to cover and report on.
Garry was a basketball legend at Saint Ignatius and the University of Dayton, and was drafted by the NBA.
However, Garry was also an excellent baseball player and elected to go that route. As a left-handed pitcher, he played in the Major Leagues for the Minnesota Twins, the Boston Red Sox and the then Seattle Pilots.