St. Ignatius takes ‘Clash at Public Hall,’ rivalry game with St. Edward

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It took St. Edward astir a 4th to settee successful Saturday evening astatine Cleveland’s Public Hall.

Alex Mack and his St. Ignatius hoops teammates quickly went to activity astatine some ends of nan floor. Both nan Wildcats’ protect efforts, starting pinch a stingy zone, and Mack’s long-distance shooting propelled them conscionable capable to bent connected for a 71-67 triumph successful their rivalry game.

“It’s drawback and shoot,” said Mack, who knocked down six 3-pointers and vanished pinch 20 points. “I activity connected it each nan time. These guys group maine up, gave maine awesome opportunities to get my feet group and conscionable sound them down. I don’t really deliberation astir it much.”

• Who is Northeast Ohio’s champion freshman girls hoops player? Our picks, your votes (poll)Jan. 1, 2026, 5:00a.m.
• How Magnificat hoops rebuilt astir elder Gemma WichmannDec. 31, 2025, 10:48a.m.
• Girls hoops scoreboard and apical performers from Dec. 30Dec. 31, 2025, 10:19a.m.

St. Ignatius (7-3), ranked 3rd successful nan cleveland.com Top 25, flirted pinch double-digit leads connected nan unbeaten and second-ranked Eagles (now 7-1). The Wildcats took a 51-42 lead into nan 4th quarter, but needed each spot of Mack’s shooting touch to clasp disconnected a comeback.

St. Edward trim its shortage to a constituent earlier University of Akron enlistee R.J. Jones recovered Mack for his sixth and last 3-pointer to springiness nan Wildcats immoderate breathing room pinch 1:15 near successful nan 4th quarter.

“He ever shoots nan shot crazy well,” elder R.J. Jones said. “Whenever I find him, I cognize it’s going in.”

Mack made six of St. Ignatius’ 7 3s, which included a third-quarter changeable by sophomore guardant Carlos Vaughn Jr. He vanished pinch 13 points, while Jones scored 15 of his 17 points successful nan 2nd half.

“I deliberation they were 5-for-5 successful nan 2nd half shooting nan ball,” St. Edward coach Eric Flannery said of nan Wildcats’ 3-pointers, “and successful a one- aliases two-possession game, you make those shots, that’s nan difference.”

The Eagles, who will get nan Wildcats astatine their gym connected Feb. 6, missed their first 7 shots of nan game. Flannery acknowledged extent cognition pinch nan baskets astatine Public Hall, location of nan G-League’s Charge, could person factored into it. He besides credited St. Ignatius’ defense, led by nan 6-foot-6 University of Akron enlistee successful Jones and sophomore defender Denahi Melton.

“They went to their area astir apt a small earlier than we had thought,” Flannery said. “Instead of getting to nan overgarment touches and attacked, we benignant of settled. We’re not a awesome shooting squad if we’re settling for shots.”

In summation to nan early shooting woes, St. Edward committed 4 of its 14 turnovers successful nan first quarter. Later, those turned into steals by Jones, who vanished them disconnected pinch a brace of slam dunks.

“That’s conscionable 1 of nan things we tin do, and it worked,” St. Ignatius coach Tom Parker said of nan early zone. “Beating a St. Ed’s squad coached by Flannery isn’t easy. The truth we tried it and it worked, I’m proud of that.”

St. Edward didn’t settee for long, though.

The Eagles rallied pinch their ain heavy shots successful nan 2nd half, often aft a 2nd aliases 3rd walk while swinging nan hoops astir nan court. Bryan Vlosich knocked down 5 3s, 4 successful nan 2nd half and vanished pinch 21 points. St. Edward deed 8 3s, including 1 by Zymir Knox, who scored 15 points. The Eagles’ defense helped them settee in, too, arsenic sophomore guardant Kaleb Gettis came disconnected nan chair pinch 4 blocks, including 3 successful nan 2nd quarter.

St. Edward ne'er led and it had to play nan free-throw crippled for nan last 30 seconds pinch St. Ignatius successful nan prize to effort and widen its chances.

Mack’s only 2 free throws pinch 2.5 seconds near sealed nan consequence successful beforehand of 3,891 spectators.

“I talked to my seniors earlier we started nan play and asked them if they wanted to springiness up their location crippled vs. St. Ed’s and travel to Public Hall,” Parker said. “They said yes. This opportunity was great.”

Matt Goul has covered precocious schoolhouse sports pinch immoderate assemblage and pros radiated successful since 2005 pinch a bachelor's grade from Kent State University. He has covered precocious schoolhouse hoops and shot successful Northeast...