THE DEFENSIVE EFFORT WAS SOLID AND ALEC PAPESCH AND DEREK SLOAN WERE AGAIN PRODUCTIVE INSIDE. HOWEVER, AS SAINT IGNATIUS HEAD BASKETBALL COACH SEAN O'TOOLE '87 POINTED OUT, THERE WERE POINTS LEFT ON THE FLOOR EARLY ON AND SOME KEY SITUATIONAL MISTAKES.

BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT DECEMBER 2011

WARREN, OHIO - Many of Ohio’s veteran gym rats will look at the score from Thursday night’s game between the Saint Ignatius Wildcats and the Warren G. Harding Raiders and say, “Hey, Ignatius really played them tough, and on Harding’s home floor.”

Yes, the young Wildcats, still without their best player and one of the top players in the area for that matter – senior guard Jack Tupa (foot injury) – traveled to the Raiders’ basketball-rich facility and were turned away in the final seconds by a veteran and talent-rich Harding team, 39-36.

But, as Saint Ignatius head coach Sean O’Toole will be the first to tell you, there is no moral victory to take home.

Simply put, this was a game his Wildcats could have, and probably should have, won.

“I’m just frustrated,” said Coach O’Toole. “We haven’t even done the tough situational stuff yet and this game came down to situational stuff. So you feel like you let your team down because we’re not ready for those situations.”

Saint Ignatius (1-1), which was coming off a three-point home triumph over a highly regarded Detroit Jesuit team, wasn’t lacking in effort when it came to the defensive end of the floor. However, after missing too many close to mid-range shots, the Wildcats had to feel a bit frustrated, as they trailed, 16-5, with 6 minutes and 37 seconds remaining in the first half.

Sustaining the defensive intensity Coach O’Toole’s teams are known for and getting some offensive punch from its junior post combination of 6-foot-4 Derek Sloan and 6-6 Alec Papesch, Saint Ignatius closed to 16-13 on a smooth jumper in transition by Sloan.

After a highlight-film block along the baseline by Sloan and a running one-hander by senior guard Mike Svetina, the Wildcats were able to keep it a three-point game heading into the third quarter.

Sloan, a gifted player who prefers to let his actions do the talking, scored Saint Ignatius’ first six points of the second half and the ‘Cats clung to 21-20 lead with 5:22 left in third quarter.

Warren Harding, which improved to 4-1, regained the lead on two free throws by senior guard and Cleveland Central Catholic transfer Rasaun Smith.

After the Raiders increased their advantage to 24-21 on a follow by 6-9 senior forward Shaheed Davis with 2:40 to go in the third quarter, Svetina, one of the celebrated football players in Ohio as a strong safety, knotted the score on a three-point play off an authoritative drive inside.

Warren Harding, which has developed a spirited and classy basketball rivalry with Saint Ignatius, led, 28-26, entering the final eight minutes after 6-4 senior guard Kjartan Steinporsson hit a soft 16-footer.

With Sloan and Papesch continuing to fuel the Wildcats’ offense, the game was tied at 30 after Sloan laid in a driving one-hander with 5:56 left.

The Raiders moved to a 35-32 lead on a jumper and a free throw by Davis. Saint Ignatius answered with two free throws by Papesch and, after Smith pushed Harding’s lead back to three points by scoring off a tough leaning left-hander down the lane, Papesch again made it a one-point deficit by laying the ball in off a strong move with 46 seconds remaining

After a blocking foul on Wildcats junior point guard Bryan Fisher that could have gone either way, Harding scored the game’s final points on two free throws by senior guard and three-year varsity mainstay Jesse Hardin. A 3-point attempt by Saint Ignatius bounced away as time expired.

Papesch and Sloan led all scorers with 15 and 14 points, respectively, and Papesch took three key charges in helping spark the defense. Smith paced the Raiders with 13 points.

“Obviously we need a better job offensively,” said Coach O’Toole after Saint Ignatius finished with just four players in the scoring column. “Pappy (Papesch) and Derek did a great job, but we’ve got to get some more scorers outside of those two. We’ve got to get guys to run, convert and score from the perimeter. Until we get that balance, inside and out, it’s going to be a dogfight every night.”

Up next for the Wildcats are two home games – Wednesday, Dec. 28, versus Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep and Friday, Dec. 30, against the storied “Pups” from Canton McKinley.