Gilmour vs. St. Ignatius boys basketball: Third-quarter Wildcats run pushes them ahead of Lancers, 71-41
Dec. 2—It was an encouraging first quarter for Gilmour when it traveled to St. Ignatius on Dec. 2.
The Lancers were only down by four and a quick 3 from Jimmy Lawless made it a one-point differential early in the second quarter.
But that was the last time Gilmour was within shouting distance of the Wildcats' lead. They went on a 15-4 run to end the half and followed it up with a 33-point third quarter.
It was to much for the Lancers to overcome and they fell, 71-41.
Gilmour (0-2) saw its biggest issue of the contest be ball control, as it committed 17 turnovers, nine of which were in the third.
Before Ignatius pulled away, Coach Dan DeCrane thought his team was right there and could take the lead back. However with the lack of ball control and trouble scoring, that proved to be a hurdle too tall.
"We didn't respond well to that run they had," DeCrane said. "We won the first possession, got to the line and missed the free throws. Our message at halftime was to win the third quarter, and I think we were right there.
"We did some things schematically that first half that bothered them. I joked with the guys that we went on a run without scoring as we forced a few turnovers but couldn't finish in transition."
Another issue for Gilmour came in second- and third-look chances as everything bounced the way of the Wildcats off the rim. St. Ignatius held a rebounding edge of 29-16.
As they entered the game, that was something DeCrane knew would be in favor of the Wildcats, as the Lancers' tallest starter is Brandon Rose at 6-foot-3. Three St. Ignatius players were taller.
That was still something DeCrane thought his team could overcome. While it gave up the height, he believed it would be able to use its zone defense to even things on the boards.
Turnovers and rebounds sealed the fate for @GALancerBoysBB. Head coach Dan DeCrane talks about the issues for the Lancers in their defeat against St. Ignatius #NHBasketball pic.twitter.com/3KWqKAzpXl
— Ben Hercik (@BHercikNH) December 3, 2022
"We have to fight for inside position," DeCrane said. "I think we did a good job of that early. I thought that when the ball was lower than us we did a good job, there were some loose balls as well. But physically there were some signs at times where we showed it, but we need to do a better job of doing it in those 32 minutes."
Rose led the way in the scorebook for Gilmour with 15, and Adisa Molton had eight. St. Ignatius had the duo of Damon Friery and Ace Buckner combine for 27 of its points, most of which came from beyond the arc.
Even with a zero in the win column currently, DeCrane isn't concerned with how his team has performed. It was a two-point defeat to Toledo St. John's to start the season before the defeat against St. Ignatius.
Slow starts to the seasons are nothing new for the Lancers, as they took a few games to get their legs under them. DeCrane knows they'll be able to recover as the season progresses.
"We're a team that is playing for March," DeCrane said. "We're here to play the best teams, and that idea has worked the past two years. It puts our players in these different environments, and that exposure helps us later in the year."
The Lancers have another chance to score their first victory of the season when they have their home opener on Dec. 3. They will welcome Cleveland Central Catholic.
