Despite what was a tough start from the jump, the Saint Ignatius JV basketball team was able to easily dispatch the John Marshall Lawyers on Thursday evening in Sullivan Gym, 65-37.

Coming off a victory over Cleveland Central Catholic, the Cats were able to control the tempo, and most everything else on the court, as there was nothing the Lawyers could really do to stop them.

Most of the first quarter was sloppy basketball, as both teams tried to get into a good rhythm. The period featured aggressive defensive play on both sides of the ball, which lead to a lot of fouls. But near the end of the first quarter, the Wildcats began clicking, and lead 22-12 at the end of the first.

In the second quarter, and through most of the game, the JV Cats picked it up on the defensive end, and only allowed 4 points in the second quarter. This was mostly due to more aggressive on ball play, lead by sophomore Caleb Bielek, who was able to nullify John Marshall’s guards through aggressive defense. Also on the defensive side, the Wildcats were able to intercept passing lanes, and stifle Marshall’s motion offense, which lead to many steals and turnovers, resulting in the Cats having a 20 point lead going into half.  

Much of the defensive dominance of the first half carried into the third quarter, as John Marshall struggled to get anything going, and it seemed as if the ball refused to go into the net. With a 50-21 lead going into the 4th, the Wildcats took their foot off the gas, and cruised to the win.

The JV Wildcats dominated all facets of the game, none more impressive than in the post, led by centers, junior Darius Moss and sophomore Gabe Duban, and company.

Even though John Marshall had a height advantage in the paint, their bigs lacked athleticism, which the Wildcats clearly had, which lead to domination in the paint.

The JV Cats are back in action Saturday evening, 5:30, when they face the Benedictine Bengals in a tough away game.