A TOUGH AND BASKETBALL SAVVY CATHEDRAL PREP TEAM AND AN ATHLETIC, DISCIPLINED AND TRADITION-RICH CANTON MCKINLEY SQUAD COME TO SULLIVAN GYNASIUM ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY NIGHT, RESPECTIVELY.
THE WILDCATS WILL LOOK TO CONTINUE THEIR PROGRESSION AFTER SPLITTING GAMES AGAINST TWO HIGH CALIBER PROGRAMS – DETROIT JESUIT AND WARREN G. HARDING.
*NOTE: WILDCATS HAVE TW0 SITE CHANGES FOR UPCOMING GAMES. SEE AFTER THE PREVIEW.
BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT DECEMBER 2011
After a five-point opening-night loss to General McLane, a game that saw them squander an early 14-point lead, the Ramblers from Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep come into Sullivan Gymnasium tomorrow (Wednesday) night on a four-game winning streak.
Cathedral Prep, under the direction of veteran head coach Mark Majewski, started its four-game swing by dominating St. Francis (Athol Springs, N.Y.), 71-44, and then went on to capture the KSA Pre-Holiday Tournament in Disney World.
In winning the tournament for the first time in what was their fifth trip to Disney World, the Ramblers defeated Miami Gulliver Prep, 67-34, in the championship game.
Not only did Cathedral Prep lay down some nasty “D,” as Gulliver Prep’s 34 points indicate, but Coach Majewski’s team also got 22 points from the tournament MVP – 6-foot-0 junior guard Sheldon Zablotny.
“We were able to get down there (to Erie) to see them,” said Wildcats head coach Sean O’Toole ‘87, whose team stands 1-1 on the season. “They absolutely impressed me with their execution. I walked in the gym and I didn’t see a lot of size. But boy, what they lack in height, they more than make up for in toughness and intelligence.
“They execute and they play hard,” Coach O’Toole continued in his evaluation of the Ramblers. “You can tell there is a real camaraderie on their team, and that’s something you don’t see with every team. They’re well-coached and they have a lot of capable pieces, meaning they play a lot of guys.”
While depth has not been a problem for Cathedral Prep, it is, said O’Toole, obvious that everything runs through Zablotny. Zablotny enters Wednesday night’s game with 81 total points.
As has been the case with most of Coach Majewski’s teams, the 2011-12 Ramblers like to mix it up defensively. They’ll play man, zone and they like to trap. Cathedral Prep has just one senior in its rotation.
“Offensively, they run a lot of stuff,” Coach O’Toole said. “They run a lot of action, and we have to be prepared to handle their actions. With it being game No. 3 (for the Wildcats), it’s more about us. We have to find a way to put the ball in the basket, to get consistency from more than just two guys.”
Currently fueling Saint Ignatius’ offense are 6-6 junior post Alec Papesch and 6-4 junior post/forward Derek Sloan. Papesch and Sloan are averaging 16.5 and 14 points, respectively, and are each grabbing eight rebounds a game.
The team taking the Sully floor on Friday night is no stranger to West 30th and Lorain Avenue and no stranger to any veteran gym rat from Northeast Ohio.
Canton McKinley’s Bulldogs, or the storied “Pups,” as their faithful love to refer to them, are sure to bring another loyal group of supporters to Ohio City.
Now in its 112th season of varsity basketball, McKinley has 102 winning seasons. This winter, the Bulldogs (3-2) are under the direction of new coach Keith Noftz. Noftz is the former No. 1 assistant for the men’s basketball program at Central Michigan.
McKinley, which hosts Dayton Dunbar on Wednesday night, went 11-10 last season. One of those 10 setbacks was a 50-40 loss to Saint Ignatius in the atmosphere-rich Memorial Field House. Oh, if only the walls could talk in that facility.
“Once again, they have great quickness at the guard positions,” said Coach O’Toole of the Bulldogs. “The big fella Mills is back inside and he’s only a junior, and Rorie is back, a great athlete who can score at the power forward position or the wing position.”
Coach O’Toole was referring to 6-8 post Mike Mills and 6-6 senior Da’Vontai Rorie.
“They’ll play full-court man with great pressure,” O’Toole said. “They have capable shooters who will absolutely attack you off the dribble. They have scorers out there, five guys that can put the ball in the basket. And they bring exceptional athleticism off the bench.”
Devaugntah Williams, a 6-3 senior wing, is another of those capable scorers Coach Noftz can call on.
“They’re a team that is just going to get better and better,” said Coach O’Toole of the Pups. “They’re a dangerous team that plays sound fundamental basketball and let’s their athletes do what they need to do.”
Saint Ignatius and Canton McKinley have each played Warren G. Harding this season. The Wildcats lost to the Raiders, 39-36, and the Bulldogs fell, 48-43.
CHANGE OF VENUES: The Wildcats’ Jan. 8 game versus St. Vincent-St. Mary, which was originally scheduled for Cleveland State, will now be played in Ursprung Gymnasium on the campus of Baldwin-Wallace College. And the ‘Cats’ Jan. 29 game vs. Pickerington High School Central has been moved from JAR Arena at the University of Akron to Walsh University.
AIR SIBN: The Saint Ignatius Student Broadcasting Network will provide live audio and video coverage of the Cathedral Prep and Canton McKinley games. John Fanta ’13 and Paddy White ’14 will dish the rock for the junior varsity games and Lewis Backus ’12 and Greg Ziton ’13, who are as cool as Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Earl “The Pearl" Monroe, will describe every bounce during the varsity encounters. Sorry Clyde, Lewis and Greg don't have any gray hairs yet.