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Kent, Ohio – Saint Ignatius advanced to the regional finals for the second consecutive season, defeating Cleveland Heights, 58-52, in a regional semifinal at Kent State University.
Saint Ignatius led 15-10 after the first quarter. Six different Wildcats scored in the opening period, with Bradyn Sczepeniak scoring four points. Hosea Steele also had four points for Cleveland Heights in the opening stanza.
Just like the first quarter, six different Wildcats scored in the second. Shondo Green Jr. had five points, including a triple, one of just two for St. Ignatius Wednesday night. Sophomore guard CJ Little added four points to the efforts.
A Rondelle Pollard basket cut the Heights deficit to 30-23 going into the halftime break.
In the third quarter, Saint Ignatius padded their lead to as much as 42-30 before Cleveland Heights scored the last four points to cut their deficit to 42-34.
The Tigers continued their rally into the fourth quarter, eventually tying the game at 46, thanks to a triple from junior guard Shermarion Hardy. He had two triples in the stanza, and 13 points on the game.
Ignatius responded with back-to-back buckets to regain the lead back.
First was a layup from Jon Effertz, who had the first triple for the Wildcats in the first quarter. After a Heights miss, Cameron Jackson followed up an Ignatius miss with a put-back.
Jackson had eight points in the quarter and 13 on the game. His efforts went a long way towards helping Ignatius’ chances.
The Wildcats also hit their free throws down the stretch and came up with needed stops to fend off any attempt of a Cleveland Heights comeback.
Junior forward Brady Sczepaniak scored nine points. Senior forward and Hillsdale College commit CJ Yarian had eight points and five blocked shots. These two players also had key contributions towards St. Ignatius’ winning efforts.
As a result, the Wildcats (16-11) advance to take on Lima Senior at the University of Toledo.
Cleveland Heights finishes their season at 19-7. The Tigers were led by 17 points from sophomore Hosea Steele, and 13 points from junior Shermarion Hardy.
