ONONDAGA COUNTY – Based on all it had done in December, the West Genesee boys basketball team had every reason to consider itself a prime choice to earn Section III Class AA glory in the new year.
The state Class AA no. 24-ranked Wildcats had already picked up big wins over Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse in the seven days prior to its Dec. 23 game against Corcoran, the reiging sectional champions.
Led by the duo of Christian Cain and Christian Amica, WG then beat the Cougars 61-52, again jumping out to a terrific start as it doubled Corcoran’s production in a first quarter where it gave up just eight points.
Through the game’s middle stages, the Cougars stayed within range, led by Amir Reaves, who poured in 22 points. But the Wildcats, only up 38-36 going to the fourth quarter, did enough down the stretch despite just four players getting on the scoreboard.
Absorbing up most of the offense, Cain earned 26 points, including four 3-pointers, while Amica connected twice beyond the arc on his way to 23 points. James Tully and Gary McLane, with six points apiece, accounted for the rest.
During the holiday break, WG first met Fairport in the “Hoops for the Hospital” Classic Wednesday night, the Red Raiders just coming off handing Bishop Grimes its first defeat of the season.
And this game would evolve into a fierce defensive battle, but it was the Wildcats who proved more stingy, especially in a decisive first half as it topped Fairport 48-39 for its seventh win in a row.
Cold on one end, WG made up for it by limiting the Red Raiders to 14 total points in the first half, thus able to establish a comfortable lead.
And after going through its own third-quarter drought, the Wildcats closed it out thanks to Christian Cain, who had 22 points, nearly half his team’s output, including seven successful free throws. Amica had 10 points, while McLane had six points.
WG then traveled to Bishop Grimes Thursday and from the outset was in complete command on the way to a 78-47 victory over the Cobras.
McLane netted the game’s first seven points as part of an opening 11-0 spurt. Then Jordan Cain took his turn in the second quarter with 11 points as WG built a 31-12 margin before Grimes briefly fought back.
Any doubts were erased, though when the Wildcats put together a 13-0 run late in the third quarter, with Jordan Cain continuing to dazzle as he finished the night with 20 points.
Amica finished with 14 points as Christian Cain, with 12 points, and McLane, with 10 points, also got to double figures. Deng Garang (16 points), Jon Corl (12 points) and Sylvester Seton (10 points) accounted for most of Grimes’ production.
A busy first full week of the new year has the Wildcats scheduled to host Baldwinsville Tuesday and Henninger on Saturday, with a Thursday trip to Utica Proctor in between.
