SAN FRANCISCo, CA. - With New Year’s Day in the rear-view mirror and high school basketball season well underway, play began in the Western Catholic Athletic League with overwhelming favorite Archbishop Mitty making the trip up to the city to play the St. Ignatius.
Coming off a trip to Arizona to participate in the Nike Tournament of Champions, Mitty took care of business despite not having played in two weeks, but not without a little struggle. After a rough beginning, Mitty simply outplayed the Wildcats, winning the encounter in a 72-37 Saturday evening victory.
In a first quarter where nothing appeared to fall for Mitty (10-2, 1-0 WCAL), they exploded in the second, opening the period with 19-2 run. The Monarchs used their superior strength and height to create easy shots inside, as well as producing openings for perimeter shooters. The catalyst for the run was none other than star freshman, McKenna Woliczko, who recorded 21 points, seven boards and three blocks on the night. Her sense for where the basket in in tandem with her finesse around the rim caused problems for St. Ignatius all night.
The reigning NorCal Open Division champions showed those in attendance at McCullough Gymnasium, as well as teams throughout Northern California, that even without star junior guard Morgan Chelli, they are a force to be reckoned with.
“We played very undisciplined,” said legendary Mitty head coach Sue Phillips. “We have to shore some things up. No question, we played hard, but we have to play much more disciplined to be able to win the games we want to win.”
Despite Mitty having nearly double the number of points as St. Ignatius after the first half, both teams came to play hard in the third quarter. The ‘Cats, led by sophomore Meaghan Manning’s six third quarter points, tried to find ways to fluster the Monarchs, but simply couldn’t find their rhythm on offense. Meanwhile, Mitty continued rolling. Loyola Marymount bound guard Maya Hernandez added seven, while Woliczko added six to expand the Monarch’s advantage. Maxpreps national No. 17 and Cal-Hi Sports No. 6 Archbishop Mitty would not be denied, as their lead kept growing until the final buzzer.
“We made some nice halftime adjustments,” said Phillips. “Credit to SI for playing hard, really getting to the glass, we were tied at the half rebounding wise. We did end up ahead in the rebound count, plus they didn’t make a three in the second half which was also a priority.”
A young St. Ignatius team showed a lot of room for improvement against Mitty’s machine, but they also showed what they were capable of in the first quarter. The Wildcats came out of the gate playing hard defense, not allowing Mitty the easy shots in the paint. They forced turnovers and bad shots, giving Mitty a short scare as they fought their way back to a to a three-point deficit in the closing seconds of the first quarter. Three-pointers from Brigette Mahoney and Julia Alcantara made the game close, but not for as long as the Wildcats would have liked. It will be valuable experience for a St. Ignatius team that saw their entire starting lineup graduate after last year's Division 1 NorCal finals run.
“The gameplan was for us to just play our game and focus on us,” said St. Ignatius head coach Maya Fok. “We prepared for their pressure, and it’s really hard to prepare for Mitty’s pressure. We were prepared for the game, but it’s hard to maintain for four quarters at this stage, but we’re getting better.”
Archbishop Mitty will look to continue their run of dominance in the WCAL, as they host a rejuvenated Sacred Heart Cathedral on Wednesday. Meanwhile, St. Ignatius (5-7, 0-1) will look to bounce back during a trip down to San Jose to battle against Valley Christian.
