Inspired Wildcats fall short against Eagles

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Mike Peticca 

Plain Dealer Reporter ¶

The St. Ignatius boys basketball team did the best it could in tribute to its retiring coach, Brian Becker. ¶

The host Wildcats played an inspiring game, an effort that looked good enough to get into overtime until St. Edward’s Tom Pritchard hit a game-winning jump shot at the buzzer, giving the Eagles a 53-51 win on Friday. ¶

"I told the kids that it’s never been about me," said Becker, who will step down at season’s end to spend more time with his family. "It’s been about the kids. ¶

"They did everything we asked of them again. It’s like a coach’s dream. I’ve been blessed, with the kids and assistant coaches we’ve had here for all 18 years." ¶

Hundreds in the standing- room crowd at Sullivan Gymnasium wore yellow T-shirts that read "B2" — for Becker’s nickname, "B-squared" — and featured a drawing of the coach spinning a basketball. ¶

St. Edward coach Eric Flannery presented Becker, a close friend, with a plaque before the nonleague game. The Eagles, ranked second in The Plain Dealer’s seven-county poll, are 14-4 and swept the two-game series between the storied rivals. St. Ignatius, ranked 14th, is 10-7, making Becker’s career record with the Wildcats 281-140, including the 2001 Division¤I state championship. ¶

Pritchard, an Indiana University recruit, scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds despite facing a St. Ignatius defense that collapsed on him and at the same time denied opportunities for St. Edward’s sharp-shooting guard, Mike Hartnett (eight points). ¶

Forward Conor Tilow scored 12 points for St. Edward and point guard Frankie Dobbs totaled 10 points and nine assists. Guard Matt Rosinski led St. Ignatius with 17 points. Twin brothers Patrick, a forward, and Conor, a guard, both scored 10 points for the Wildcats. Patrick Sweeney, 6-1, and 6-6 center Ryan Meador keyed the Wildcats’ superb interior defense. ¶

Pritchard’s two free throws tied the game, 51-51, with 1:07 to go. St. Edward regained possession and called a timeout with 2.2 seconds left after the Wildcats knocked the basketball out of bounds. Dobbs tossed an inbounds pass from the left baseline across court to Pritchard just above the 3-point arc on the right wing. Pritchard pumped, took one quick dribble to his right to clear shooting space just inside the arc, and swished the 19-footer. ¶

"The play was designed for Mike or Conor off a double screen," Pritchard said. "When they were covered, I flared out, got the ball from Frankie and shot it. I’ve been working on that all year." ¶

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: 

mpeticca@plaind.com, 216-999-6177 