Josh WeirCanton Repository
KENT — Too big. Too fast. Too strong.
The St. Ignatius Wildcats simply were too much for the Canton McKinley High School boys basketball team Saturday night at Kent State University.
The Wildcats — the defending Division I state champions — certainly looked primed for another state title as they rolled past McKinley 73-46 in a D1 regional final.
"That's a championship ballclub. Championship pedigree," McKinley coach Sean Weatherspoon said. "Helluva coach. Great players. They did what they're supposed to do."
Weatherspoon hopes some of his younger players took note of what they saw Saturday.
The Wildcats (22-4) received numerous contributions as they pulled away from McKinley during the second and third quarters to win in a rout and move within two victories of repeating. They are aiming to become Ohio's first repeat state champs in Division I since Cincinnati Moeller won in 2018 and '19. State semifinal matchups should be announced Sunday by the OHSAA.
McKinley (20-6), playing in its first regional final since 2016, led for some of the first quarter and trailed just 10-9 entering the second. But, soon, Ignatius' size and speed started to take effect, especially on the defensive end.
Sped up and a bit out of control, the Bulldogs shot just 6-of-27 from the floor and committed 11 turnovers in the middle quarters, during which Ignatius outscored McKinley 45-19.The Bulldogs seemed to perpetually be shooting over out-stretched Ignatius arms. Everything contested. Nothing easy.
"I thought we had opportunities in the first half," Weatherspoon said. "We just weren't finishing layups. We were playing up and down. That's our pace, and that's their pace as well."
Saturday's game followed a similar script to the regular season matchup between these two teams: A 96-69 Ignatius win at Memorial Field House on Dec. 29.
Senior Reed Sims Jr. had 18 of McKinley's 28 points entering the fourth quarter Saturday. The 6-foot-5 Sims finished with a game-high 21 points to go with two blocked shots.
Anthony Chavers, a 6-4 junior, totaled 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Junior guard Jayveion Carter scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter.
Ignatius senior point guard Quinn Woidke, a Kent State recruit playing on his soon-to-be college home floor, did not score in the first half and finished with four points.
Still, the Wildcats didn't miss a beat.
Kalli Johnson, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, scored a team-high 19 points. Senior Damon Friery, a 6-10 Dayton recruit, totaled 16 points and nine rebounds. RJ Jones, a 6-5 junior, added 11 points.
And, it should be noted, Woidke left his imprint on the game with six assists and five rebounds.
"We're a team," Ignatius coach Cam Joyce said. "We're not just one guy or two guys. ... We need all of our guys locked in for practice and obviously the games. We fully believe when our team is playing well, we're really hard to stop."
The phrase "big-boy basketball" comes to mind when watching Ignatius, and it's not just about height. It's about muscle.
As Weatherspoon said after the game, "I think the biggest thing for us is the weight room. Our physicality. You know, they've got a 6-10 kid. (Woidke) is a strong guard. We're getting bumped off our drives. At the end of the day, they were a little more physical than us."
There were plenty of positives to take from this season for the Bulldogs. They won 20 games, earned a share of the Federal League championship and were within one game of the program's first final four in 19 years.
"Credit to Canton McKinley," Joyce said. "They've had a great year. Sean does a great job with those guys. He's getting that program where it's supposed to be."
Said Weatherspoon, in his second year as McKinley's head coach, "I thought my guys came in every day and competed. I'm happy for those kids accomplishing some things. We definitely took a step forward in the program."
Ultimately, Weatherspoon hopes the Bulldogs are hungry for more.
Weatherspoon was a junior when McKinley lost in the 2004 state semifinals to Hamilton.
The Bulldogs returned the next season on a mission and won the first of two straight state championships, with Weatherspoon as the senior leader.
"That (2004) loss ate at me and my teammates for the whole offseason," he said. "I'm hoping this loss can fuel us and we'll be in this situation next year, and it can be a little different result."
Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com
On X: @jweirREP
