The schools are less than two miles apart, and both are paragons of academic excellence.
So Young athletic director Sue Franklin thought she’d have a little fun scheduling St. Ignatius on a regular basis.
“I’m hoping this can become an intense neighborhood rivalry,” Franklin said.
On Friday night a near-capacity crowd filled Young’s gym with partisans on both sides screaming at each other while the team mascots, a dolphin and a wolf, got into a spirited wrestling match that smiling security guards came onto the floor to break up.
On the court, Young made a defensive switch that limited No. 13 St. Ignatius to just 11 shots in the second half and came away with a 48-40 victory.
“In the first half we were trying to fight through screens, and their two shooters [Max Kaplan and Alex Brzozowicz] got open looks,” Young coach Ron Branch said. “In the second half we decided to switch on every screen.”
Defense is the watchword at the alma mater of Los Angeles Clippers star Quentin Richardson, since Young (3-2) doesn’t have its usual firepower. The only consistent offensive weapon so far has been 6-foot-5-inch Northwestern signee Sterling Williams, who led the Dolphins with 16 points and seven rebounds.
“We seem to ride on Sterling’s back all the time,” said forward Chris Hicks, who contributed 11 points, four assists and a critical steal in the fourth quarter. “Before the game tonight I told Sterling that the rest of us would step it up. We can’t just leave him out there alone.”
Trailing 23-19 at halftime, Young made its move in the third quarter and emerged with a 35-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter. After making just two of nine free throws in the first quarter, the Dolphins buried five of six in the fourth quarter.
The man-to-man defense of Williams, Hicks, Marcelus Ross, Brandon Bright and Garth Walker was so tight that St. Ignatius (6-2) had trouble getting off a shot after closing to 42-37 with 1:42 left in the game.
“We were giving our opponents too much space in our other games,” Williams said. “Tonight we got right up in their faces.”
Although Kaplan finished with 20 points–half of the Wolfpack’s output–Young clamped down in the second half. St. Ignatius could only get off 11 shots–making six–in the final 16 minutes.
“Since they’re right down the street from us, I think this could be a nice rivalry,” Williams said. “They always think they’re better than us at everything–sports, academics, you name it. This could be the start of something.”
