JACK SHEEDY, ST. IGNATIUS
Prep2Prep Student Contributor

January 8, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO - When supporters of both Sacred Heart Cathedral and St. Ignatius think of the Bruce-Mahoney basketball games, they draw visions of thousands of fans packed together under one roof, a smorgasbord of tradition deriving from a rivalry which dates back 120 years.

Tuesday night’s battle on the Hilltop in USF’s War Memorial Gymnasium had everything of the sort, except the traditional down-to-the-wire ending both teams are accustomed to. In a 70-39 drubbing, St. Ignatius (9-2, 1-0 WCAL) handed the Fightin’ Irish of Sacred Heart Cathedral (8-2, 0-1) their first loss against a Northern California opponent, a truly unexpected outcome on the first night of WCAL league play.

SHC entered the game a favorite, having lost just once on the season, at the hands of highly-touted Bishop Montgomery of Southern California, a team ranked 12th in the nation. But in this game, the Fightin' Irish were rattled early and often by a tenacious SI zone defense, which forced many turnovers throughout the game. The turnovers undoubtedly played a large role in the 26-11 SI lead at the end of the first quarter, and ultimately the final scoreboard.

“It was a tough night for us,” Sacred Heart Cathedral senior point guard Deondre Otis said. “Their zone affected us tonight. We didn’t get much penetration and our shots just weren’t falling. We rushed our shots instead of moving the ball.”

Otis, one of Sacred Heart's top scorers, finished with just three points on the night.

The MVP of the game was St. Ignatius senior forward Julian Marcu. Marcu, who finished with 19 points and an astounding 18 rebounds on the night, scored eight points in a key third quarter, essentially putting the game out of reach, and ending any slim chance the Irish had of a comeback after facing a 45-20 deficit at halftime.

“I came out firing because this was my last opportunity to be a part of the Bruce-Mahoney tradition,” Marcu said. “I kept working hard throughout the entire game and it paid off, especially in the third quarter.”

Quick flashes of offense were paramount to the Wildcats’ success Tuesday night. Early in the battle, SI went on runs of 16-0 in the first quarter and 15-2 in the second, while hitting seven 3-pointers in a first half in which they shot 50-percent from the field (16-32). From the opening tip, the Wildcats ran their offense at a quicker tempo than usual, which seemed to confuse SHC and catch the Irish off guard. Before anyone in the gym had blinked, SI was up 23-9 with 1:22 left in the first quarter. SHC never got back on track.

By halftime, Wildcat point guard Trevor Dunbar had accumulated 15 points, while also dishing the ball to senior guard Jaren Yang for two key transition 3-pointers. Dunbar, a three-year veteran of the varsity squad, had a tough shooting night to begin the game, but scored nine points in the final 55 seconds of the first quarter to do his part in propelling his team into a comfortable lead.

“This was my last Bruce-Mahoney, and I wanted to make sure that I let it all out there on the floor,” said Dunbar. “I didn’t want to have any regrets after the game.”

A silver lining for the Fightin' Irish was the play of senior center, Liam O’Reilly. Despite SHC's upsetting start, O’Reilly brought his A-game, scoring seven of his team’s first nine points, including one 3-pointer. His ability to step outside of the paint and score with his jump shot created significant mismatches for the SI defense in the early going, but after the first quarter, the Wildcat zone seemed to shut him down for the rest of the game. He finished with nine points.

“Liam has improved every year,” Sacred Heart Cathedral head coach Darryl Barbour said. “With his improvement, his versatility got better. He can play from both the inside and outside.”

Being more physical on the glass played a key role in this Wildcat victory. SI recorded 19 second-chance points, many of which came from Marcu’s effectiveness in offensive rebounding. Sacred Heart Cathedral gave two highly publicized freshmen, 6-foot-5 forwards Alfred Hollins and Ramzi Carter Jr., quality minutes throughout the night, which may have contributed to 13 of those 19 second-chance points coming in the second half, when SHC's big men seemed to simply run out of gas.

“I think they did what they could tonight,” said Otis. “You can’t blame it on the freshmen but yes, I agree, experience did play a part. They just got introduced to the WCAL, a physical league. They’ll be alright and get better.”

The importance of this rivalry game was not lost on Marcu, who stepped onto the USF court on Tuesday night for his final time as a player.

“From day one I’ve always understood not only the gravity, but also the privilege and honor to play in the Bruce-Mahoney,” he said.

Senior guard Cole Feeney, who hit two key threes to kill momentum in the middle of threatening SHC runs in the second and third quarters, echoed that statement:

“I was not able to play last year, and being in the game was an experience like no other,” Feeney said. “Playing in the Bruce-Mahoney game is something we all have looked towards since our freshman year, it’s truly a special opportunity.”