SAINT IGNATIUS, WHICH ALSO GOT A MOMENTUM-SWINGING 3-POINTER FROM BRIAN JOSEPH, HAS NO TIME TO SAVOR THE 50-47 TRIUMPH OVER THE RAMBLERS, AS IT IS BACK TO THE PRACTICE FLOOR TOMORROW IN PREPARATION FOR FRIDAY NIGHT'S HOME GAME AGAINST TRADITION-RICH CANTON MCKINLEY.
BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT DECEMBER 2011
After Saint Ignatius’ thrilling 50-47 victory over Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep in Sullivan Gymnasium on Wednesday night, Wildcats senior guard Max Connor talked about the emotions he experienced while being given the opportunity to play a major role, especially down the stretch.
“It meant a lot, finally getting in there for meaningful minutes,” said Connor, who is part of a deep and ready-when-called-on bench that Wildcats head basketball coach Sean O’Toole ’87 has at his disposal. “I worked hard last year and getting into a position where your teammates and coaches are counting on you is really special.”
Connor had several special minutes on Wednesday night, as he helped Saint Ignatius improve to 2-1.
First it was his on-the-money assist to 6-foot-6 junior post Alec Papesch, a play that saw Papesch’s basket push the Wildcats’ lead to 23-18 by halftime. Max was also part of a 10-2 late third quarter run that allowed Saint Ignatius to take an eight-point lead into the final eight minutes.
After senior guard Brian Joseph ignited the run with his second 3-pointer of the night, Connor fed promising 6-5 sophomore forward David Black for a basket. Black, who also had several key moments to cherish in what was his first extended action, followed with a 3-pointer and senior forward Jack Mahoney capped the run with an authoritative driving layup along the baseline.
“All 16 guys on our team can play,” Connor said. “We’re a very deep team. That’s the special thing about this year. We’re so deep that everyone can contribute something.”
Some more major contributions were needed in the waning moments of the fourth quarter after Cathedral Prep (4-2) rode the scoring of juniors Matt Hess, Chris Francis, Alex Geanous and Sheldon Zablotny to a 43-39 lead with 4 minutes and 54 seconds remaining.
Keeping its composure, Saint Ignatius was able to tie the score at 43 on a driving body-control layup down the lane by Connor.
The Ramblers, who entered Wednesday night’s match up on a four-game winning streak, moved to a 46-44 lead on a deep 3-pointer by sophomore Matt Harris with 58 seconds left.
Following a timeout, the Wildcats answered with a three-point play by gifted 6-4 junior forward/post Derek Sloan off a smooth inbounds pass from junior guard Francisco Santiago with 39.3 seconds on the clock.
After a heads-up hustle steal by Connor, a play Coach O’Toole referred to as crucial, Sloan pushed his team’s lead to 49-46 by burying two free throws with 30.7 seconds to go.
Saint Ignatius then turned Cathedral Prep away on a huge offensive rebound by Black and a free throw by Joseph.
The Ramblers did get off a long-range 3-point attempt by Zablotny that fell short as time expired.
Some other early efforts that Saint Ignatius can build on saw junior point guard Bryan Fisher score off a picture-perfect assist from Black, Fisher fly down the lane to follow his own shot and lay it in for a basket, a three-point play by Papesch off a Fisher assist and two free throws each by Mahoney and junior post/forward Matt Gawlik.
Sloan led the Wildcats with 12 points and Cathedral Prep had three players in double figures – Zablotny (12 points), Francis (12 points) and Harris (11 points). Saint Ignatius was 11-of-15 from the free-throw line and the Ramblers were 4-of-8 from the charity stripe.
“We know we’re deep and we’re still trying once again to figure out the final rotation,” said Coach O’Toole. “And by no means are we near where we have it. But when guys get minutes they’ll be rewarded and David Black gave us great minutes tonight. It wasn’t just his scoring (8 points). He rebounded and he defended. He’s got great feet and great moxie for a sophomore.
“And obviously Max Connor took advantage of minutes,” Coach O’Toole continued. “We know what we’ve got in Max. He’s tough and he’s smart. And those combinations can always win you games. This was a good win for us.
“Right now, we’re going 100 percent with guys who know what we’re doing. And when push comes to shove, some of these guys can’t come off the floor. Derek Sloan has to be on the floor. We’re surviving, that’s all we can be asked to do right now. We’ll watch it, we’ll learn from it and we’ll get better from it.”
DOMINANT SECOND HALF TELLS THE TALE. SAINT IGNATIUS’JUNIOR VARSITY TEAM STANDS 2-1.
Trailing by four points at halftime, the Wildcats’ junior varsity basketball team went on to a 33-21 victory by outscoring Cathedral Prep, 21-5, over the final 14 minutes.
Some of the highlights of the second half were an all-in one-motion block and ensuing driving layup by 6-6 sophomore post Eric Black, David’s twin brother; an Eric Black layup off an assist from smooth point guard Danny Bova; a breakaway layup and a driving one-hander high off the glass by Bova; a catch and stop-on-a-dime 3-pointer by guard Matt Ivancic; a classic put back by 6-4 Jacob Strippy and back-to-back, nothing-but-net 3-pointers by guard Ryan Napoli.