In a high-profile week of games, the Cicero-North Syracuse boys lacrosse team had a bit of payback on its mind.
Up against Baldwinsville last Tuesday night at Bragman Stadium, the Northstars remembered the humiliation of its previous encounter with the Bees, and used that to great advantage in a 14-7 romp.
They had met three weeks earlier, on April 10, in the muddy grass next to Ray Middle School. Unable to find its feet away from its home artificial surface, the Northstars were pummeled 12-5 – an early lesson, for sure.
Having absorbed that lesson, CNS treated B’ville in the exact same way once it got back home on May Day.
Punishing the Bees’ defense, the Northstars raced to a 9-3 halftime lead, and its defense protected that margin well, limiting the Bees’ main offensive threat, Jack Venditti, to a single assist all night.
Meanwhile, Nick Lococo had one of his best outings, pouring in five goals and adding a trio of assists to anchor a steady CNS attack.
Steven Ianzito continues to step up his play, as his four goals and one assist kept the Bees from hammering Lococo. Nick Blumer was just as valuable, with three goals and one assist, while James Haney scored twice.
Other than frustrating Venditti and holding Jeremy Boltus to two goals, the Northstars got a great effort from goalie Jamie Praino, who finished with 15 saves.
Now the trick would be to see if the Northstars kept this up Friday against Fayetteville-Manlius, a team trying to heal a community grieving over the loss of two students in a car accident earlier in the week.
