WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, OH - The Saint Ignatius Wildcats opened their 2024-25 campaign on Saturday against the Warrensville Heights Tigers with a 76-70 victory, their first in the quest to repeat as State Champions. The first-ever match up between the Wildcats and the Tigers certainly lived up to the hype.
The Cats jumped in front early and led by two heading into the second quarter. Behind the shooting of Alex Mack and Quinn Woidke, Saint Ignatius authored a 23-6 run to take a 19-point advantage into halftime. With just under 5 seconds left in the half, senior Damon Friery dribbled up the court and launched a fade away three-point shot that hit nothing but net as time expired.
But Warrensville, which advanced to the Division II regional semifinal last season, chipped away at the Wildcats' lead in the third behind the play making of senior Noah Chambers, who finished with 17 points, including a pair of threes.
The Wildcats, who returned three key contributors from last year's championship squad, had trouble playing from in front, committing uncharacteristic turnovers and missing free throws down the stretch.
However, senior Kalli Johnson, who scored a career-high 16 points, helped the Wildcats maintain their advantage with several late rebounds and put back layups.
Johnson said it felt good to start the season with a win, but the Wildcats have plenty of areas to improve, including limiting turnovers in the second half.
"We've just got to work on free throws and finishing at the end of the game," explains Johnson.
Friery, who led the Cats with 19, looks forward to opening the home portion of the schedule on Saturday when Westerville North comes to Sullivan Gym for a 3:30 p.m. tip.
Friery said one of the team's goals is to go undefeated at home and pursue another state title.
"We know we're getting everyone's best shot," Friery says. "So we've got to beat Westerville to be able to do that."
Coming off an 83-47 win over a highly rated Richmond Heights, Westerville North should provide a good early test for the defending champions.
