by Cover photo by – https://twitter.com/PhotoDAC
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CLEVELAND, OH – My old Head Coach Bill Wheeler was fond of saying, “In order to win, you have to be razor sharp and bad to the bone!”. The “razor sharp”, clearly meant fundamentally sound while the “bad to the bone”, referenced fearing no opponent or anything in your path. The 2021 – 2022 St. Joseph Jaguars personify everything about the Wheeler motto.
It is with that type of mindsight that that the Jaguars have reached the State Elite Eight with a 65-58 overtime win over the previously unbeaten Archbishop Hoban Knights. They fear nothing and focus on what they can do to win. It is with that passion and attention to detail that Karen Swanson Haan has led this team with all year, and now it is shining brightly on the biggest stage.
This is a team that has played some of the toughest competition in the area all season long. Like tempered steel, it has only made them better. People can look at their 12-8 regular season record and instantly make a wrong judgement about the talent level with this program. Watch five minutes of one of their games, and that will tell you the true story.
Some of their losses came to Brush, Olmsted Falls, Magnificat, Westlake, CVCA and Solon. A murderer’s row of competition to make them better. They also scored wins over Magnificat, Elyria Catholic, Strongsville, Rocky River and Laurel. Not exactly cream puffs. They are now beating the best when it counts because they have been playing against the best they could find the entire season.
Against Hoban, The Jaguars overcame early foul trouble to their leading scorer Ava Haddad to pull off the incredible team win. For Haddad, she brings so much more than scoring to this Jaguar squad. We all know about her 42 points again Solon, but what may get over looked is her ability to rebound, play defense and find the open girl when she is getting doubled. Haddad leads by example and her teammates respond to her play.
Mya White came off the bench and instantly stepped in to do all the little things that will keep a team in the game. The bench has been strong for the Jaguars all season long and stepped up again. It doesn’t matter if it is Samantha Kim, White, Elise Larsen, Maddie Roth or any of the other numerous threats, this team is deep. Mix all that in with Haddad, Ella Neitzel, Ryan Elbert, Abbey Flannery, Lizzy Lenahan and this team becomes even more dangerous.
The poise of point guard Abbey Flannery was just part of a total team effort from start to finish as they had to deal with a relentless Hoban press. Abbey, the daughter of perhaps the greatest Boys Basketball coach in Ohio High School history, Eric Flannery of St. Edward’s, continues to show poise and a mental understanding of the game that is wise beyond her years. Abbey played 34 of the 36 minutes against Hoban. In crucial situations, you need someone you can trust to bring up the ball, and Abbey is that kind of player
This Jaguar team can beat you in so many ways and they have shown that in the playoffs already. They held Wadsworth to 19 points in a District Championship win last Friday night. This was a Wadsworth team that had just put up 46 on Medina a week prior. They kept Hoban under 60 while also giving them an overtime period to try to score. Defense wins championships, and defense is something this squad does very well. It has long been a staple of the Karen Swanson Haan school of coaching.
A big factor not only in the Hoban win, but this entire run has been the fantastic play of Ella Neitzel. She is not only clutch from the three-point line, but has shown several times this year that she can hit key free throws as well. To me, Ella is this area’s best kept secret. Her talent gets better every time she touches the court and becomes a threat with the ball every time she touches it. It is a joy to watch Ella play.
You may call them underdogs if you want, but it makes no difference because when you get to the Final 8 in the state, they’re all here because they are elite. There is no “sneaking in” or catching someone with their guard down. But if an opponent is going to make that mistake against these Jaguars, make no mistake, they will get clawed.
In closing, a lot of things in life are measurable, your height, your weight, your bank account and even your shoe size. Everything has measurements, but two of the biggest factors to success in any walk of life, have no measurement as they are heart and soul. When you have heart and soul and truly put that into your daily life and your passion to succeed, you cannot be stopped. This Jaguars team and coaching staff have plenty of both. We are witnessing something very special with this bunch!
The Lady Jaguars play for the Regional Championship this Saturday at 2pm at Medina High School. Their opponent will be the Massillon Jackson Polar Bears for a trip to Dayton. Good luck!
Mr. McKee! Nice story and great notice of St. Edward basketball coach Eric Flannery and his daughter Abbey! Eric is an icon of NEO basketball! Great pick up there!
FANTASTIC TEAM EFFORT FDCIII