SYRACUSE – In their collective dreams, the West Genesee boys basketball team imagined a run to the Section III Class AA championship that took out the Liverpool side which, over the previous 12 months, had turned into a nemesis.
The reality of what transpired Sunday night at SRC Arena proved harsh as the Wildcats were unable to fully overcome a mid-game surge from the Warriors and lost by a score of 66-53.
Including the 2022 sectional final, Liverpool had topped WG four straight times going into the title game. Two of them had involved late fourth-quarter leads surrendered. Both regular-season encounters this winter were settled in overtime.
Here, the Warriors took a different approach, proving aggressive and energetic right from the opening tip and often giving it to forward Andreo Ash, who instead of dominating the game’s latter stages did so early here, helping Liverpool lead 14-8 after one period.
Absorbing this, the Wildcats got a big spark from Christian Cain in the second quarter and charged in front 22-18, but those good feelings did not last long, mostly due to the outside shooting of Liverpool guard Bruce Wingate.
After a pair of free throws, Wingate drained a 3-pointer right before halftime, giving the Warriors a 25-24 lead at the break, and hardly stopped there.
Seeing one outside shot go in seemed to boost Wingate’s confidence, and he burned the Wildcats for three more 3-pointers early in the third period, the mid-game outburst accounting for most of his 19 points.
Combined with key baskets from Jason Lawler and Freddy Fowler, it left WG staring at a 47-33 deficit late in the third, but the Wildcats were far from done.
Determined to make the same kind of rally it fell victim to both late in the 2022 sectional final and at home a month ago, WG picked up full-court pressure, forced turnovers and, with a 13-4 run, moved within five, 51-46, with more than three minutes left.
But then Liverpool’s Jah’Deuir Reese, hampered by early foul trouble, provided an answer.
It was Reese’s driving layup as the shot clock ran down with 3:03 to play that halted WG’s run. Then he hit two free throws, initiating a closing stretch where the Warriors made 10 in a row at the line to seal another championship.
Ash ended up matching Wingate’s 19 points, while Christian Amica led the Wildcats with 16 points, Christian Cain adding 14 points as Sincere Smith added 10 points and Gary McLane seven points.
