Ohio City - As a young man who grew up following the example of his late father, Gerry, Saint Ignatius' Hall of Fame Head Basketball Coach Brian Becker '77 knows the history of area high school basketball, chapter and verse.
"I've been involved with Saint Ignatius probably since I was a fourth or fifth grader," Coach Brian Becker told this corner when he returned for his second stint as the Wildcats' Head Varsity Coach in 2015-16. "My father was good friends with Coach Wirtz (the late Wildcats Hall of Fame Coach and Athletic Director John J. Wirtz), Coach (Pat) Gallagher and Coach Chambers (the late and legendary Marty Chambers), so I would tag along with my Dad down to the gym numerous times. I've seen a lot of very good basketball here. It's humbling to be part of the tradition at Saint Ignatius."
While many of the current Wildcats basketball faithful have only experienced huge success versus Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Coach Becker and former Bees Head Coach Dave Bielak had some classic battles in the late 1990s at the then Baldwin-Wallace Sectional/District in storied Ursprung Gymnasium. You can bet your last dime that Brecksville-Broadview Heights' outstanding writer Dom DiPasqua still recalls fondly those nights on Bagley Road.
Leading Coach Bielak's teams of the late 1990s was All-Area (by The Plain Dealer and Sun News), All-District, All-Pioneer Conference and All-Ohio guard Ryan Stefanski. Ryan was among the best of the best that this corner had the privilege to cover and report on for The Plain Dealer.
And let's not overlook former Bees all-around standout Bill Kern. Bill (1997-98) and Ryan Stefanski (1998-99) were the first and only back-to-back winners of a league MVP (Pioneer Conference) honor in the Bees' athletic history.
As they prepare for their OHSAA Sectional Final matchup in legendary Father Sullivan Gymnasium on Saturday night at 7:30, Saint Ignatius (14-6) and Brecksville-Broadview Heights (15-8) are focusing on the present.
Quite frankly, the past two seasons have brought about OHSAA Tournament encounters with the Wildcats that the Bees and their faithful would just as soon forget.
In March of 2016, Saint Ignatius held the Bees scoreless for a 16:25 stretch and rolled to a 60-23 victory in a Division I OHSAA District Semifinal at Strongsville High School.
The Bees actually took a 7-0 lead that night before Saint Ignatius responded with a 10-0 run.
Entering the second quarter locked in a 10-10 tie, the Wildcats put together a 17-4 run and, with 3:11 left to play in the first half, Brecksville would score its last points until then sophomore Michael Rose scored inside with 2:46 remaining in the game. Yes, the Bees were held scoreless in the third quarter.
Last season, Saint Ignatius and Brecksville-Broadview Heights met again in a District Semifinal at Strongsville and the Wildcats walked away with a 66-41 victory.
Among the current Bees to keep an eye on are 6-foot-5 junior Kenny Ganley, whose ability to score inside and out has produced an average of 18 points per game and 60 3-pointers. Kenny's patience and ability to draw fouls has resulted in 62 made free throws.
Helping direct the traffic for Bees basketball savvy veteran Head Coach Steve Mehalik is 6-1 senior point guard Sam Wiglusz (5 assists per game). Sam is also an aggressive defender who will willingly take a charge.
Michael Rose, mentioned earlier in this story's reference to the 2016 postseason meeting with Saint Ignatius, is now a strapping 6-5 senior, who has accepted a football scholarship from Iowa State as an outside linebacker.
Rose is relentless off the glass, averaging 11 rebounds per game, and has a good shooting range that has produced 16.5 points per game and 24 3-pointers.
Nate Fuentes, a 6-0 senior, is a more than capable outside shooter who has 45 3-pointers among his 9 points per game average. Wildcats outstanding Assistant Coach and Chief Scout Jerry Porath made it clear that Fuentes "must be pressured."
Youth has been served with Brecksville's skilled 6-3 freshman and all-around athlete Joe Labas. Coming off a promising Varsity football season as the Bees' starting quarterback, Joe is averaging 7 points per game. He had five 3-pointers in the January 19th 65-53 victory over the area's fourth-ranked Stow Bulldogs at The Bee Hive. Stow avenged that loss last weekend, 78-41.
Also providing key minutes for Coach Mehalik are 6-0 junior Thomas Green, who rebounds well for his size, 5-10 sophomore JC Sejba, a capable shooter off the bench, and 6-2 senior Cam Seibert, who has returned from the injured list and will provide his good range as a shooter.
Along with its leave-it-all-on-the-floor players, Brecksville-Broadview Heights, like Saint Ignatius, has an outstanding coaching staff.
FROM COACH BECKER ON THE 2017-18 BRECKSVILLE BEES, WHO UNTIL THE EARLY 1930s WERE KNOWN AS THE BADGERS: "Steve ( Coach Mehalik) does a really good job getting his kids prepared," said Coach Becker, who has his Wildcats on a four-game winning streak and last week came up with his 350th and 351st career victories. Coach Becker has 337 victories at Saint Ignatius, including a State Championship in March of 2001 and a State Runner-Up in March of 1998.
"We've been fortunate the last two years to really execute game plans (versus Brecksville) and take care of business defensively," Coach Becker continued. "This is a new year with a new team. Certainly it's nice to be able to play them at home, but the game plan is the same. We have to come out and defend. If we come out and defend, and make it difficult for (Kenny) Ganley, (Michael) Rose and their other shooters, I think good things will happen.
"You have to be on point against them, they're a very dangerous team," added Coach Becker. "They pass the ball well, the run the floor well and they have guys that can put the ball in the hoop. And they play in a good league (the Suburban League) against good competition. You never know, the tournament breathes new life into teams."
Please Note: This old-timer, who has crossed many OHSAA Tournament Trails while trying to avoid Heartbreak Highway, would like to wish all of the best to seniors Dom DiNunzio, Luke Wiskes, Jon Barnes, Neeko Melendez, Aymin Bahhur and Josh Ozanne, who will be playing in their final home game on Saturday night.
The same best wishes go out to senior Team Managers Gabe Liberatore and Reilly Casey, gifted senior Ryan Grabowski of the Student Sports Information Department and the dazzle them duo of Senior SIBN Broadcasters, Matt "The Dean" MacKenzie on Play-by-Play and savvy Color Analyst Brad Anderson, who this corner has awarded a permanent residence in "Slam City."
Gentlemen, May God Bless You Always. We will see you at Father Sullivan Gymnasium.