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For the second year in a row, the Wildcat boys' basketball team lost its opening round to the eventual champion. And, for the second consecutive year, took third place in its own holiday tournament by beating Osceola, Wisconsin.

CL vs. Holy Family

In round one, the 'Cats made several late charges, but each time, the Fire heated up to hold off the host school in a 69-59 win Thursday, December 27.

Chisago Lakes seniors Kyle Hogie, Josh Figini and Evan Tienken scored in the first four minutes to help the Wildcats build an early lead. Hogie's long three gave the home team a 3-2 lead in the first minute. Figini's two from the paint and freethrow made it 6-2 Wildcats 25 seconds later. The 'Cats regained their four-point lead when Tienken's jumper gave CL an 8-4 lead with 13:10 to go in the first period.

However, Holy Family came back with a six-minute, 15-2 run that gave them the lead for good. Despite a pair of blocks by Figini, HF began the run by scoring nine consecutive points, giving the Victoria school a 13-8 lead with 8:10 left. After Figini converted two freethrows, Holy Family fired in three more hoops, giving them a 19-10 advantage, prompting Wildcat Coach Herb Jangor to burn a timeout.

After play resumed, Tienken closed the gap to six with a three-pointer from near the top of the key. But, Holy Family scored the next four points. When Fire big man Trent Johnson singed the net with a one-handed jam from the left side, Jangor took another timeout. With 3:15 left, it was all in favor of the Family, 23-13.

A Zak Vrudney freethrow, a baseline drive by Taylor Jones and another Hogie rainbow colored a Wildcat 6-0 surge after the latest timeout. With less than two minutes on the clock, the 'Cats had cut the Fire lead to 23-19.

Following a Family basket, Tienken hit another three and the lead was down to three points, 25-22. But, the Fire outscored their hosts 6-0 in the last seconds of the half. A last-second steal and a prayer from near the 10-second line gave Holy Family a 31-22 halftime lead.

Mike Corradi's freethrow gave the Wildcats the first point of the second half and a Fire score gave them a 10-point, 33-23 bulge in the first minute of the final period. Figini's eight point outburst highlighted a 10-0 run that knotted the game at 33. The big junior scored on putbacks 30 seconds apart, went two-for-two from the charity stripe and scored on a layup resulting from a Wildcat steal. Corradi stole the ball and scored on a break to tie it with 14:45 remaining.

Defenses dominated for the next four minutes. Figini ended the Wildcat drought with a leaner from in the lane and Tienken scored from the right corner and, at 10:15, the Family led 40-38. Taylor Jones scored to make the CL deficit two points (42-40) 25 seconds later.

Holy Family pulled away, again, with back-to-back three pointers and completed a 9-0 run with an inside basket and foul shot. With 8:39 left and a 51-40 Fire lead, Jangor took a timeout halfway through the last period.

When play resumed, Hogie's three and another Figini hoop from the paint cut the margin to 51-45. Holy Family responded with five points in the next minute to take a 56-45 lead at the five minute mark.

The 'Cats made one more run. The scoring of Figini and Jones brought the home team to within six points several times in the final minutes. (Jones hit a pair of long threes and Figini scored eight points as the clock kept running). Meanwhile, the Fire scored enough from the floor and the line to maintain its lead and hold on for a 10-point win.

"It was a matter of finishing," said Wildcat head coach Herb Jangor. "Every time we'd come back and cut down the lead, they'd come right back and score some quick points. They took advantage of three consecutive turnovers near the end. It was a team coming off a state championship versus a team that's still inexperienced. We've got to learn how to make our own breaks.

"Figini had a monster game (25 points, 12 rebounds and two assists) and Evan (Tienken) played well. We're all playing well, but making crucial mistakes when we can't afford to."

SCORING SUMMARY

Holy Family 31 38 69

Chisago Lakes 22 37 59

Wildcat Scoring

Zak Vrudney 1

Kyle Hogie 9

Mike Corradi 3

Taylor Jones 10

Josh Figini 25

Evan Tienken 11

Total 54

CL vs Osceola, Wisconsin

Friday, against the Osceola Chieftains, the Wildcats pulled away in the second half for a 59-45 win. The victory gave the 'Cats third place in Chisago Lakes Invitational Tournament.

"We're still a young team, but we're starting to understand our roles," coach Jangor said.

CL did a nice job of getting the ball inside to Figini, who had another outstanding game with 28 points and 11 rebounds. When the Wildcat center was covered, he found teammates on the perimeter for open shots. Those shooters, especially Kyle Hogie (18 points, including 5 three pointers), responded.

"When they went to a zone, we showed some good patience. Josh (Figini) did a nice job of kicking it back outside. Cole Johnson got his first extended minutes and did a nice job of running the show. He was outstanding," Jangor said. "He and Eric Reed did a good job at the point. They have contrasting styles and that presents some problems for the other team."

The veteran coach also praised the play of Taylor Jones and the other Wildcats. "The rest of the guys ran the system and showed patience. We've been close all year. The question is 'Can we maintain?' We can't use the scoreboard to judge things. With our schedule, we have little room for error. We need to keep playing well and doing the little things. If we play like we're capable of, we'll do okay," the coach concluded.

SCORING SUMMARY

Osceola 30 15 45

Chisago Lakes 34 25 59

Wildcat Scoring

Quinn Collins 3

Kyle Hogie 18

Mike Corradi 2

Taylor Jones 4

Josh Figini 28

Jake Warkel 4

Total 59

CL at Columbia Heights

The Wildcats held the Hylanders to 20 points in the first half and put back a furious second half Columbia Heights comeback Friday, January 4. When the dust settled, Chisago Lakes was on the right side of a 71-69 North Suburban Conference score.

The 'Cats rode junior center Josh Figini's 14 first half points to a 36-20 halftime lead. "We played well in the first half," said Wildcat head coach Herb Jangor. "But, we should have been ahead by a lot more. We missed a bunch of easy shots."

Senior Kyle Hogie picked up two quick second half fouls, and, with him on the bench, the Hylanders came storming back. They cut the big Wildcat lead and seemed to have momentum on their side.

"It was a good game for us. A couple of weeks ago, we would have lost this game," Jangor projected. "We panicked some, but took a deep breath and came back when we needed to. I put Manny (Cruceru) into the game and the other kids seemed to feed off of his energy.

"We showed our character. Cole Johnson really did a great job for us. He and Eric Reed really did a nice job at the point," Jangor added.

The Wildcats were never headed, and, after Heights tied the score, the CL seniors took control of the game. "Taylor Jones hit three big shots (including two 3-pointers) for us. Kyle Hogie's leadership really helped us when he came back in," the Wildcat coach said. "Josh (Figini) didn't have one of his best games. That shows you what kind of a player he is. He scored 33 and had 20 rebounds and it wasn't one of his best games. He stepped up for us at the end when we needed him to. He hit four freethrows in a row and got the last rebound to seal the win.

"This was a game that I'll remember for a long time. It was very exciting," Jangor concluded. "We started the season 1-6. Now we've won two in a row."

SCORING SUMMARY

Col. Heights 20 49 69

Chisago Lakes 36 35 71

Wildcat Scoring

Kyle Hogie 8

Cole Johnson 3

Eric Reed 4

Mike Corradi 4

Taylor Jones 12

Evan Tienken 1

Josh Figini 33

Jake Warkel 4

Henry Fitzpatrick 2

Total 71

The Wildcats are on the road for their next two games. Friday, January 11 the play at Robbinsdale-Cooper and Thursday, January 17 they play in North Branch. Both games start at 7:15.

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