DAYTON, OH- The third trip in 5 years in the state championship final four paid off for Cam Joyce and the St. Ignatius Wildcats, playing the last game of the 23-24 boys basketball high school season besting the Centerville Elks 66-56.
It was a game of defense for the Wildcats who wore Centerville down the stretch of the game as they couldn't stop the scoring and holding the lead for 25+ minutes with only 4 lead changes for the game.
As for Centerville they could not hit the shots when they needed them specifically in the 3rd quarter going 3 for 10 from the floor and 1 for 4 from behind the arc shooting a modest 30% and 25% respectively, not the kind of night for the 4 time returning team to states.
Cam Joyce the son of long time Head Coach of St. Vincent/St. Mary Dru Joyce has compiled a 96-37 record as the lead man of the basketball program, which has a reputation of a powerhouse football school makes it more fitting considering he will graduate 9 seniors by schools end. It was his time with a loaded deep roster.
The lead scorer for the Wildcats was senior PG Jack Zapolnik 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block and 2 steals to round out the game. Jack shot 6 for 6 from the charity stripe on 29 minutes of play.
The bright spot for the Div. I state runner-ups was Jonathan Powell who scored 17 points and 11 rebs, which he scored 11 of the 17 in the fourth quarter helping close the gap by winning the quarter 24-21 but it still was not enough to get the victory.
This championship locked in a 2nd in 23 years for the Wildcat basketball program as things are looking bright in the Cam Joyce era.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
Comments / 0