St Ignatius High School - Ignatian Yearbook (Cleveland, OH)

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RIGHT After deftly launching a lengthy umpshot. Paul Mazanec eyes the results of effort. BELOW Anticipating an opponent's errant shot. Jim Farragher prepares to dear the boards. 975-76 Varj(ly'0aj«ofO ll7ca'T» front fiort J»CkJ 0«n TorryPtall. JoeTrmM'if'O Ma-klanoi MikeElino.RobOBhory Pat JO(C«. Brian Boeker Sac Wo - Bill Burns. jimJcnien Al Molina Paul Mazanoc. 8'yan Carter. j rnFarraQhcr Ti-nVain Marty W i« Dan Koaling. Chri tuck Coach MaM.n Chamber llO.'Sports

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LEFT With the help of Jim Farragher and Paul Mazanec. Bryan Carter slips past his defondor for an easy jumper BELOW. Patiently waiting for a break in the Collinwood defense, playmaker Rob O'Brien searches for a man under the basket. r Fired'Up Cagers Crush Collinwood To Claim City Title It was the night of Febru- t ary 19 and the Wildcats, y W f with two losses in their Si Tim last three outings and supposedly without the services of junior star Marty Wise, confidently took the floor against favored Collinwood in the annual Senate championship contest. The stage was set for a classic confrontation as the Cats, ranked ninth in the state, were pitted against Collinwood coach Pat Gallagher, who piloted varsity basketball at Ignatius from 1970-1975. Although Ignatius slipped behind in the early going, the Cats Stymied the Railroaders with an inpenetrable zone defense and surged to a 32-28 half-time lead. Tim Vala, the West Senate MVP, scored 21 points and collared 11 rebounds to pace the stunning 63-48 Ignatius triumph. Adding great impetus to the Wildcats' explosive offensive attack were Robbie O'Brien with ten assists and Bryan Carter with 18 points. Coach Chambers added a spark of drama to the contest by twice sending onto the court Marty Wise, whose fiberglass cast did not prevent him from sinking two of three field goal attempts. The key to the game was the tenacious zone defense which Coach Chambers cunningly employed midway through the first period. This defense, which had only been used once during the entire regular season, held the Railroaders to a measely ten points in each of the final three periods. By soundly derailing Collinwood the Cats erased all doubts of their ability and gained confidence for the upcoming state tournaments. A Sports-109

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 Varsity Basketball Record Ignatius Opponents 83 Latm 61 83 West Tech 53 78 Rnodes 46 69 John Marshall 47 82 . Max Hayes 62 67 Lincoln West 58 50 Parma 32 CA o oyuMi O’ 57 74 Padua 'SI South West Tech 54 69— i Jr' Rhodes 47 68 John Marshall 48 101 Max Hayes 69 61 Lincoln West 63 81 Lakewood 55 49 St Edward 58 m Collinwood Id Max Hayes 74 67. Rhodes 48— 68 Padua 58 .58 East Tech 64 Won 19 ‘City Chamtwonship Lost 3 Cats Falter Vs. Tech • Sparked by the dramatic victory over Collinwood in the City Championship game, the Wildcats stormed into the state tournaments with high hopes and lofty goals. Top seeded and carrying a 16-2 record, Ignatius emerged as the team to beat in the Lincoln-West District. In the opening sectional battle the fine-tuned Wildcat machine was pitted against the less than formidable Max Hayes Lakers. The continued phenomenal play of forward Tim Vala once again paced the Ignatius attack as the Cats easily dumped the Lakers by a 97-74 tally. The following Wednesday the Cats maintained their momentum by breezing past the Rhodes Rams 67-43. The Wildcats then rolled on to crush Padua 68-58 to set up what seems to be the annual contest against East Tech for that elusive berth in the Canton Regionals. As the blue and gold clad Wildcats took the court against the favored Scarabs, the stage was set for a classic confrontation. This, however, was not destined to be the Cats' night, as Tim Vala's twenty-three points were not L enough to offset the hot hands of Techmen Rafi Azeez and James Bo” Green. Falling behind in the early going, the Cats were forced to play catch-up basketball throughout the game until knotting the score at 51 on Paul Mazanec's field goal at the end of the third period. The Cats were able to hang close until the final minute of play when Keith Oglesby signed the City Champ's death warrant with two quick field goals. The loss to Tech marked the end of one of the most exciting and dramatic campaigns in Ignatius basketball history. It was a year in which first year coach Marty Chambers led his team to unprecedented state rankings and a thrilling city championship. Both Tim Vala and Bryan Carter were named All-Scholastics, while Vala also received the ultimate honor of being named first team All State by both the AP and the UPI. Although the season may have ended on a low note, it will undoubtedly be a long time before another Ignatius team can match the records and the memories of the 1975-76 Wildcat cagers. Sports 111