CENTRAL NEW YORK – When it took the court last Tuesday night at East Syracuse Minoa, it was the first time the Marcellus boys basketball team had seen game action since nearly winning the program’s first-ever state championship a season ago.
Stillwater stopped the Mustangs in last March’s state Class B title game in Glens Falls. Ever since, the returning players have put all of their energy into wanting a similar season with a slightly different ending.
And the schedule would test them, too, including last weekend when Marcellus went to the Capital District to face two large schools, Shenendehowa and Bethlehem, from the Section II ranks.
All of this followed the Mustangs’ opener last Tuesday night, a 51-44 victory over East Syracuse Minoa where it took the lead in the second quarter and withstood all of the Spartans’ attempts to catch up with stellar defense.
Dom Gosh-Sandy, now in the starting lineup, led with 15 points, followed closely by Tucker Burnett’s 14 points. Mitch Donegan earned eight points and Jacob Meyer gained eight points.
Westhill would take on two Class AAA schools in a 48-hour span capped by a showdown against reigning sectional champion Liverpool on Friday night that ended with a hard-fought 50-46 victory.
Even with Eli Prince not scoring a point in the second quarter Westhill erased most of a 22-11 deficit, catching up by the third period and then going back and forth the rest of the way.
In the end Westhill’s defense was a difference-maker holding Liverpool without a field goal in the game’s final five minutes. Prince’s fadeaway jumper with 2:15 left and two key throws with 21 seconds to play
made it 49-46, and he hit a clinching free throw after Sean Frawley’s tying 3-pointer in the waning seconds fell short.
Though Alex Trombley got 15 points, Freddie Fowler 14 points and Giancarlo Galimi 11 points for Liverpool, they all trailed Prince, who with 26 points had more than half of Westhill’s output.
Two nights earlier, Westhill routed Baldwinsville 68-39 as it limited the Bees to just eight points in the second quarter and six points in the fourth quarter.
Prince helped lead the getaway, earning 25 points, while Kamari Lewis (12 points) and Jack Hayes (10 points) also hit double figures. Brahim Altheblah and Trevor Young ha d six points apiece.
While all this was going on, Skaneateles suffered its first defeat of the season last Monday against PSLA Fowler, falling 72-61 to the Falcons, who took charge with a 22-8 push through the second quarter.
The Lakers got a modest 14 points from Reid Danforth, though he addded nine points, seven assists and five steals. Finlay Coyne led Skaneateles with 21 points, with Jack Peenstra and Joe Delmonico each getting seven points.
Now Skaneateles challenged 4-0 Cazenovia at Buckley Gym and would pass that challenge, winning the Laker duel by a comfortable 63-49 margin.
Trailing 18-12 after one quarter Skaneateles turned it around with a 25-12 surge through the rest of the half, then kept adding to its lead in the second half while its defense assured the outcome holding Cazenovia to seven points in the fourth quarter.
Danforth got a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, adding six assists and five steals. Coyne finished with 16 points, while Peenstra earned 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. Delmonico had nine rebounds to go with his seven points.
As a follow-up on Saturday Skaneateles hammered Clinton 76-43, sprinting out 26-8 on the Comets in the first quarter and cruising from there.
And this was done with Danforth getting just eight points, though he added 12 assists and six rebounds. Coyne led with 20 points, Peenstra adding 16 points and Shea Musso earning 13 points.
