In the rematch between the Sacred Heart Cathedral Fighting Irish and the St. Ignatius Wildcats, the Irish came out fighting. The Wildcats clawed their way back in the early third quarter. But in the end, Sacred Heart was able to avenge their Bruce Mahoney loss and win handily 53-36.
The Irish scored the game's first 11 points before St. Ignatius scored with 5:30 left in the first quarter. Wildcat Johnny Mrlik had two 3-point baskets in the quarter. However, the Irish had four 3-point baskets to take a 20-12 lead.
The second quarter was a display of poorly executed offense, careless turnovers, and pressure defense. St. Ignatius scored the first field goal with 5:20 left while the Irish's first basket came with 3:10 remaining. St. Ignatius tallied 9 points in the quarter while the Irish was good for two field goals as their lead was cut to 24-21 at the half.
The Wildcats came out in the third quarter on a 5-1 run as a 3-point shot by sophomore Stephen Domingo gave them their only lead of the entire game at 26-25. The Irish would then put the clamps on defense as the teams became a bit feistier with the fouls. Sacred Heart went on a 12-2 run to lead 37-28 at the end of the third quarter.
Sacred Heart would maximize their lead at 19 points with a 48-29 fourth quarter lead. By the middle of the quarter, the benches from each team started to enter the game. The Irish would go on to win 53-36.
Notes
How this game was won: The Irish 11-0 run to start the game and the overall Irish team defense. St. Ignatius Coach John DeBenedetti cited how his Wildcats had to spend an inordinate amount of energy fighting back from that early deficit. And then in the second half, the Irish stepped up defensively when they trailed briefly in the game.
Turning Point: After trailing the Wildcats 26-25 at the 6:14 mark in the third quarter, the Irish allowed the Wildcats only two points for the rest of the quarter. Irish Josh Fox said that the team was talking to each other and rotating correctly on defense. Coach DeBenedetti also noted that the Irish defense played well and caused difficult shots.
Sacred Heart Cathedral analysis: Sacred Heart is a balanced offensive team. Taylor Johns led the Irish with 10 points but six Irish players in total had more than 6 points. The diverse scoring options both inside and outside will cause matchup problems for opponents. Johns said that the team came out and played its game against the Wildcats. And when they play their style, Johns feels that the team is a tough matchup. The Irish also made 7 of 12 on their 3-point shots.
St Ignatius analysis: Mrlik and Domingo had 24 of the 36 total points. The next highest scorer was at 3 points. These two can be prolific scorers but it is not a surprise when defenses key on them. In this game, the Wildcats made 3 of 17 on their 3-point shots. When the Wildcats top two scorers are not scoring, then the team will need other players to contribute. And shooting 3 of 17 from beyond the arc will not get it done for them.
What is next for Sacred Heart Cathedral: The Irish go to 16-4 overall and 8-2 in league. The WCAL is having a doubleheader on Friday and Saturday. When asked about the Archbishop Mitty game on Saturday, Coach Darrell Barbour was adamant that the team is focused on practice tomorrow and then St. Francis on Friday. He looks at it from a practice to practice and game to game mentality. He was not looking ahead to the possible first place matchup with Mitty.
What is next for St Ignatius: At 14-6 overall and 6-4 in league, the Wildcats will be battling to finish third in league. They just happen to have to play Mitty on Friday who will try to avenge their only league loss of the year. Sweeping Mitty would provide a big boost in confidence finishing the season and going into the playoffs for these Wildcats.
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