St. Ignatius defender Michael Lamirand challenges the shot attempt of Centerville’s Baboucarr Njie during the DI Final at Dayton’s UD Arena. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Cleveland St. Ignatius used two runs in the middle quarters to seize control, then used its depth to wear down cold-shooting Centerville in the Division I state championship game.
Dayton, OH – When Cameron Joyce was hired to head up the Cleveland St. Ignatius basketball program five years ago, he had one simple goal.
“This is such a special place, I wanted to bring basketball back on the map,” said Joyce.
Mission accomplished.
In Joyce’s fourth consecutive trip to the Division I state final four, he finally got it done.
Riding big runs in the middle quarters, St. Ignatius built a lead it wouldn’t relinquish and beat Centerville 66-56 Sunday night for the big-school title at University of Dayton Arena.
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Best known for its successes in soccer (13 state titles), football (11) and ice hockey (eight), Iggy’s basketball team ended a 23-year drought in capturing its second crown.
“It feels great to be the best basketball team ever at St. Ignatius,” senior Reece Robinson said. “There’s a lot of tradition at this place.”
A 9-0 burst to end the first half gave the Wildcats a 30-24 lead. That pad gradually expanded to as large as 16.
“At halftime, coach was preaching to just win the first four minutes (of the third quarter),” senior Michael Lamirand said. “We pushed it to double figures and never gave it up. It was just gritty championship basketball. That’s what we do.”
Centerville coach Brook Cupps tried to make sense of how St. Ignatius took over the contest.
Reece Robinson gets free under the bucket late in the 4th quarter in the DI Final at Dayton’s UD Arena on March 24, 2024.
“I thought they got in the lane an awful lot and got easy shots,” he said. “A lot of their shots were in rhythm. On the other hand, we’re taking bad shots and that’s turning into quick offense for them.”
Jack Zapolnik led a balanced attack for the Wildcats (26-3) with 14 points and seven assists. Matt Ellis chipped in 12 points off the bench and four other starters had between eight and 11.
Jonathan Powell topped Centerville (20-9) with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but had a miserable night shooting. In fact, the Elks shot just 35.2 percent while hitting 5 of 19 three-point tries.
It was the fourth straight final four for the Elks, who won a title in 2021 and was runner-up twice during that span.
St. Ignatius shot 53.5 percent, and was 7 of 15 beyond the arc.
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“We thought we had an edge with our depth and we wanted to speed them up and wear them down,” Joyce said. “Zapolnik has been our guy all year. He makes us go. He’s such a competitive kid. It was a great way for him to end his career here.”
Jack Zapolnik drives the lane over Centerville’s Bryce Cowgill but earns a charging call in the process.
After a close call in a one-point semifinal win over Delaware Hayes, Joyce reassured his players that the pressure was off.
“I told in the locker room, you did the hard part. You’re in the championship game,” he said. “Just go out and play basketball and have fun tonight. It seemed to take the edge off a little.”
Joyce still has a ways to go to catch his father for state championship rings. Dru Joyce has won seven at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. Cam played for his dad but never won a title until now.
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