St. Ignatius wins its first boys basketball title in 19 years

The St. Ignatius Falcons put to rest a 19-year-old varsity boys basketball drought.

The Falcons, buoyed by Nick Soulias’ 24-point gem and 23 more from Matt Mustapic, rallied from an early seven-point deficit on Monday to capture their first title in nearly two decades, downing the St. Patrick Saints 74-66.

Hard work pays off said Soulias, back for a fifth year with the Falcons and just happy to finally hoist the hardware.

“It’s a great feeling. I’ve never had a trophy. We’ve always been beaten by Churchill in previous years. But (the coaches) put in a solid game plan. They really knew what they were doing coming into this year, so it was great,” said Soulias, the younger brother of Lakehead Thunderwolves guard Cassandra Soulias.

Being such an important part of the victory made the triumph that much sweeter.

“I know it’s in me to do it. I’ve done it multiple times this year. It was a huge confidence booster, for sure. And it’s something I can build on,” said Soulias, who hopes to follow in his sister’s footsteps and join the university basketball ranks next season.

By no means was the win a given.

The Saints, who could have extended the final with a victory, took a 22-15 lead in the second quarter, but the Falcons kept chipping away at their deficit, Mustapic tying the game with a clutch three-pointer after the Falcons proved strong on the offensive glass.

The teams traded the lead back and forth, with four lead changes in the final three minutes of the first half and four more in the first three minutes of the second.

Soulias was virtually unstoppable late in the second, scoring eight points, including a pair of three-pointers that gave St. Ignatius a slim two-point edge at the half.

But the Saints, the No. 1 seed heading into post-season play, kept pressing after the break, Diego Villeneuva burying a pair from beyond the arc to help St. Pat’s keep pace in the early going.

The Falcons’ long-distance success proved to be the difference.

Soulias and Trevor Ludy nailed back-to-back treys to push the St. Ignatius lead to nine, an advantage they’d maintain into the fourth.
St. Patrick pulled to within five midway through the period on a Mike Charlebois basket, but Mustapic restored the eight-point St. Ignatius lead, completing a three-point play at the foul line.

The Saints would never get closer than six the rest of the way.

“The coaches have been talking to us all year about how we face adversity and when we go on runs we try to stay calm and on an even keel,” Mustapic said, explaining how they weathered the early storm.

He added the team was well aware the school had only captured two previous titles and none since 1996 and desperately wanted to end the drought.

“We’ve been told all season that it’s been 19 years since St. Ignatius has won the SSSAA title for boys varsity basketball. So it felt really good.”