SYRACUSE – It was not the fact that the West Genesee boys basketball team lost the Section III Class AA championship game 53-50 to Liverpool Sunday night at SRC Arena that, by itself, caused so much pain and heartache.
The way it happened, though, could haunt Wildcats players, coaches and fans for a long time to come.
Up by nine points with less than five minutes to play, top-seeded WG was unable to score a single point the rest of the way, watching as the no. 2-seeded Warriors went on a stunning 12-0 run to snatch the sectional title away.
What made it even more shattering was that, right up to that ending, everything unfolded just as the Wildcats had wanted.
Almost from the moment this season began, it had unfolded with this ending, and these two teams, in mind – who just happened to be the last two winners of the state Class AA tournament, Liverpool having taken in 2018 before WG did so in 2019.
Given all the drama of the semifinals the week before – WG’s last-second basket to beat Fayetteville-Manlius, Liverpool’s triple-overtime classic with CBA – the game had a lot to live up to, and just about did.
What was different from the two regular-season meetings that these two sides split was that the Wildcats would get off to a much better start, Christian Cain netting eight points in the game’s first four minutes.
WG led by as much as six in the first half before Liverpool battled back to tie it, 29-29, at halftime. Then the game settled into a defensive battle and the Wildcats appeared to have the better defense on hand.
At one stretch of the second half, WG held Liverpool to just one field goal in an eight-minute span. It was here that the Wildcats appeared to seize control, with Cain’s back-to-back baskets and two free throws from James Tully creating a 50-41 margin with 4:20 left.
But these were the same Warriors who rallied from six points down in the final 30 seconds of regulation against CBA and, once more, Liverpool would find its way back.
After a Jacob Works basket cut it to 50-43, Bruce Wingate hit on a 3-pointer and then another basket while getting fouled. The ensuing free throw made it 50-49 with 2:30 to play.
Bearing down on defense, the Warriors kept making stops and, with 1:25 left, inched in front on a driving layup by Jah’Deuir Reese.
Now both sides stood up to make big stops, with Tully and Jordan Cain both missing possible go-ahead shots. Off a Liverpool miss late in the shot clock, Jordan Cain tracked it down and was fouled with 13.2 seconds left. With a one-and-one free throw, Cain missed the front end.
`Grabbing the rebound, the Warriors’ Andreo Ash was fouled with 9.5 seconds to play. With his own one-and-one chance, Ash made them both.
WG still had a chance to force overtime, and Christian Amica had a 3-point look from the top of the key, but it rolled off the rim and time ran out.
Christian Cain led all scorers with 17 points, two more than Ash’s total of 15 points. Jordan Cain had nine points, with Tully and Amica getting eight points apiece.
