Boys Basketball: Notre Dame stuns St Ignatius in final seconds

Updated: February 19, 2012 9:14PM

Joe Ferrici made a delayed, though significant impact.

The 6-5 Notre Dame senior forward scored his team’s final six points, including a twisting layup with 10.2 seconds that proved the game-winner in the Dons’ 45-44 victory over then-No. 12 St. Ignatius in the Conference Challenge Classic at Gordon Tech Sunday.

Ferrici scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half for Notre Dame (19-7). He scored twice off beautiful assists from junior guard Matt Mooney in the final 1:08. Mooney’s drive and dish to Ferrici marked the fifth and final lead change of the fourth quarter.

“We have a lot of great shooters, and they were really jumping out to guard them, so I was really concentrating on slipping to the basket,” Ferrici said. “I knew that Matt would find me.”

Mooney scored a team-best 15 points and added five assists and three steals. His game-winning assist helped atone for a mistake moments earlier when he threw the ball away with a one-point lead. “I thought my arm was hit on that play, but I just had to play through it, and I really wanted to make a play after that,” Mooney said.

The play of the two Notre Dame stars offset the superb fourth quarter of Wolfpack senior guard Brian Howard and 6-8 senior forward Peter Ryckbosch. Howard spent most of the first half on the bench in foul trouble and was scoreless.

He wiped out a seven-point Notre Dame lead by drilling two three-pointers in the fourth quarter during an 8-0 burst. Howard scored 13 points in the second half.

Ryckbosch scored a game-high 17 points and added 12 rebounds and two blocked shots. A steal by William Langhenry set up Ryckbosch’s two free throws with 1:20 for a 42-41 Wolfpack advantage.

Mooney responded with his penetration and feed to Ferrici for the Dons’ lead. Howard returned the lead to the Wolfpack with 21.4 seconds by converting two free throws.

St. Ignatius (20-4) missed two shots, including a desperation three-quarter court shot, in the final seconds that preserved the Dons’ victory.

“They’re a tough team, especially defense and it took us a while to get into a rhythm offensively,” Mooney said. “I was [tired] after the end of the first quarter, and that doesn’t usually happen, because of how they picked us up full-court.

“We’ve struggled the whole year winning close games, and it was great to finally get one.’’

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