After a statement win against rival Saint Edward, the Wildcats wanted to keep the tide rolling against a talented Erie Cathedral Prep on Friday night.

In the end, the Wildcats did just that, extending the win streak to eight with a dramatic victory in Sullivan Gym.

The game started out slow for the Wildcats. The Ramblers put up 21 points in the first quarter to the Wildcats’ 15.

But the Basketball Cats cut into the deficit in the second. The halftime score was 31-29, with the Ramblers ahead. The two main scorers in the first were freshman Jonathan Effertz and junior Chase Toppin, who both tallied eight points.

The second half was a grind. The Wildcats took an eight point lead in the third, thanks to hot shooting and improved interior defense.

Our first ever Magis Moment of the game presented by the Carfagna Family Magis Athletic Center occured in the third. The #MagisMoment was a corner three by Effertz to give the Wildcats the lead back. The Wildcats looked to be in control heading into the final stanza after rolling through the third.  

In the fourth, the Ramblers made the game close again. The game came down to the last minute.

Down by one, the Wildcats took a timeout with thirty seconds left. The Cats inbounded to Chase Toppin, who waited for the last shot.

With ten seconds left, Toppin drove and put up a floater. He missed, but then got his own rebound with four seconds left. He put up a shot and made it at the buzzer in spectacular fashion.

After the game, Head Coach Brian Becker ‘77 said: “Our bench stepped up today. We had a lot of issues this week with players being sick, hurt, etc. and I think today really showed us how good of a team we are.”

A wide range of Wildcats stepped up over the course of Friday’s game.

“Jonathan Effertz, the freshman had 18 points in his first varsity start, Tommy Spear hit a big three ball, Caleb Blake had a big steal at the end, and of course Chase Toppin played his heart out with 15 points,” Coach Becker said.

The next game for the Wildcats is on Tuesday night at Cornerstone Christian Academy. The JV game starts at 6 pm  and Varsity plays at 7:30 pm. Both games can be heard on the SIBN.