Even before the clock started running, the school spirit was already in the air. From H period on, the halls of 1076 W Roosevelt were decorated in leis, Hawaiian print, and special SICP shirts. The excitement and energy were electrifying, radiating out of every room in the 350s, reaching Tully Hall, all the way to the Student Lot. The players and students all piled on buses and cars to make their way to the Credit Union 1 Arena. 

The game opened up with both inspiring speeches and a beautiful prayer from Saint Ignatius College Prep’s leaders, President John Chandler, Principal Brianna Latko, and Father Fairbanks. Once Senior Jackson Sheerin sang the National Anthem, the time finally came and the Varsity girls were on the court and ready. 

Our Girls Varsity starters included Senior Ava Owens (4), Junior Ada Taute (3), Junior Brigid Kennedy (20), Junior Maureen Regan (1), and Sophomore Audrey Mahoney (22). Mahoney quickly dominated the tip off and got the ball in Wolfpack possession. 

Though the Loyola Ramblers scored quickly in the 1st quarter, the girls did not let this get to them and continued to play their best. They recovered with an inbound pass from Ava Owens straight to Ada Taute who went up strong for the layup. Taute did not stop there, she made both of her free throws during the next possession and put the Wolfpack in the lead. Taute made all 6 of the points for the Pack by the close of the 1st quarter which ended with the Ramblers in the lead by 4. 

As the Student Section continued to pile in, our girls made sure to show us their strong defense by holding back the Ramblers for the start of the 2nd quarter.  We made sure to try to even the score. With a few sneaky threes and layups from the Ramblers, they finished the first half 21-12. 

It was evident in the crowd, though, that the girls were not going down without a fight and showed their energy at the start of the 3rd. We were lucky to see the newest additions to varsity, freshman, Reganne Reardon (11) and Maggie Helms (43), during this half. The 3rd and 4th quarters were full of turnovers, travels, and free throws from both teams, but the Pack kept the energy up and played it through. 

The final score was 43-28. Though it may have been sad to lose this early in the night, the Varsity girls’ effort and perseverance was extremely commendable and only proves the true mental and physical strength of their team. 

The second half of the night was opened in prayer by Father Taber and the National Anthem sung by Senior Alaina McGill. Boys Varsity kicked off the game with their starting lineup, Senior Kolby Gilles (32), Senior AJ Redd (2), Senior Noah Davis (10), Senior Miles Casey (1), and Junior Richard Barron (23). 

Gilles scored an early point post-tipoff to Casey, foreshadowing the success of this game; shortly followed by a three-pointer by Redd. The 2nd quarter was plagued by the Ramblers long offensive possessions in an attempt to hold us back from scoring. After Loyola held the ball for eight minutes during the second quarter, it was halftime and the Pack was down by three, from a three-point shot milliseconds before the buzzer. 

Within eight seconds of the third quarter, Davis makes a beautiful turnover giving Redd a chance for his seventh point of the night. In the same minute, Gilles made a strong and power block as the Ramblers tried to go up for the layup. He also kept us neck in neck with the Ramblers with four points so far. 

The third quarter was the quarter for skills. After the powerful block from Gilles, Redd threw up a spin-fake, giving Casey a chance to put us in the lead. Seconds after his last shot, Casey made yet another layup led by a down court break away. It was an extremely strong showing from our senior boys. 

Just before the final quarter, Gilles makes a cross court pass to Barron giving him a chance to put up a three… now going to the last eight minutes with an eight point lead.

The Pack opened up the fourth with a three-pointer from Junior Emmett O’Shaunessy (15). They kept up the energy with aggressive defense from Davis and Gilles as well as extreme offense from Redd (twelve points), Barron (ten points) and Casey (six points). 

The final score of the game was 37-24, and the Wolfpack secured the Jesuit Cup for the first time in six years. Congratulations Varsity Boys!