The Saint Ignatius junior varsity basketball team came into the big rivalry game against St. Edward riding an 11 game winning streak which included a 52-47 victory over the Eagles earlier in the season. 

The streak had helped Saint Ignatius to a 14-1 record coming into the game, and the Cats were fresh off of a 75-35 beat down of Cleveland Heights last weekend in Sullivan Gymnasium. 

The streak would end on Friday in Lakewood, as the Wildcats fell, 67-64. 

From the start, the Wildcats knew this would be a challenging game, especially due to the fact starting center Kevin Davet would miss the game because of an ankle injury. 

Despite Davet's absence, the Wildcats jumped out to a 23-12 lead after the first quarter, and were led in scoring by Lukas Bielek who dropped in eight points in the first. 

The Cats were also given a spark off the bench by Chase Toppin, who showcased his driving ability in the first quarter and tallied six points of his own. 

The second quarter would balance the game, as Saint Edward would win the quarter 15-6 to make the game 29-28 before the half. 

The Eagles were led by freshman Devontae Blanton, who is also on the varsity roster. Blanton scored six points in the second quarter to help make it a one point game. 

Saint Ignatius would bounce back in the third quarter to take a 48-45 lead into the fourth. Lukas Bielek got his point total to 12 by the end of the third, two of which came on a beautiful backdoor cut which was assisted by Tevin Jackson. 

It truly was a complete team effort through the first 21 minutes of play, as Hubbard and Valenzuela were up to seven points on the night, and a trio of Scelza, Reali and Toppin all had six. 

The beginning of the fourth quarter was back and forth, but the Eagles broke ahead and led 61-59 with a minute left to play. 

After multiple fouls on both teams the Wildcats found themselves trailing by 3 with 5 seconds left, and Steven Logan smartly fouled Chase Toppin to not allow the three pointer. 

Toppin would miss the front end of the one and one which sealed the victory for the Eagles, as they walked away with a 67-64 win. 

The loss does not take away the fact this has been an incredible season for the JV Wildcats, and they still control that impressive 14-2 record. The team is right back at it tonight as they will take on the Solon Comets in Sullivan, JV tip-off at 5:30pm.