Basketball returned to the corner of West 30th and Lorain on Friday evening.
In fitting fashion, the hundreds of Wildcats faithful in attendance witnessed a dominant second half Saint Ignatius performance that paved the way for a 78-55 victory over Strong Vincent.
Led by the talented senior duo of Matt Davet and Austen Yarian, the Wildcats used size to wear down the visiting Colonels.
The Basketball Cats now stand even at 2-2 on the year after the home opener win.
The Wildcats leaped out to a 21-11 lead in the first quarter, finding open looks and enthusing the crowd with 3-point shots. The Colonels closed the gap before the end of the stanza, leaving the score at 24-17 at the conclusion of the quarter.
Strong Vincent started the second quarter on a tear, using an up-tempo offense and quick defensive play to limit the Wildcats' offense. The Colonels narrowly outscored the 'Cats in the second, 13-12, bringing the score to 36-30 Wildcats at breaktime.
The Wildcats changed the approach in the third quarter, finding space inside and drawing foul after foul by the Colonels. A third quarter technical foul by the Colonels placed Matt Davet at the free throw line. The savvy senior converted all of his chances.
The turn of momentum proved to be a killer for the Colonels, leaving the visitors with a 16-point deficit with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter.
The Wildcats never looked back, outdueling the Colonels, 23-12, in the quarter.
The men of head coach Brian Becker '77 finished off the win with a solid fourth quarter, sending fans to the exits happy.
Davet led the Wildcats with 25 points, shooting 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. Yarian followed close behind with 22 points. Each hauled in 11 rebounds, too.
Many other Wildcats enjoyed great games, too. Devin Jackson dished out passes like a master, finishing with 6 assists. Michael Spear shot 4-of-5 from inside the arc for a 13-point evening. Luke Wiskes pulled down 5 offensive rebounds.
The Wildcats' bench also factored in well, with players such as Aymin Bahhur and Neeko Melendez converting on shots.
The Basketball Cats will need production from everyone again tomorrow, as the formidable Northland Vikings come to Sullivan Gym at 7 p.m.
The Vikings will likely have revenge on the mind after the Wildcats snapped Northland's 91-game home winning streak last season. The Cats will place their 12-game winning streak at Sullivan Gym on the line on Saturday.
The SIBN will have coverage of tomorrow's varsity game beginning after the JV contest, as Matt MacKenzie '18 and Brendan DeVenney '17 will bring you the game right here at ignatiuswildcats.com.