Not so long ago, the Solvay boys basketball team was 1-6 and the West Genesee Wildcats were undefeated, two seasons going in completely opposite directions. Except that now, their courses have reversed. The once-dormant Bearcats claimed its fifth win in six games by stunning defending state Class B champion Westhill 58-55 Friday night just as the Wildcats, once 11-0, dropped its third consecutive game, and its second in a row at home, to Fayetteville-Manlius 59-55. Solvay had been building to this performance for weeks and was determined to erase years of disappointment and losses to their neighbors from Westhill. And the Bearcats’ timing was perfect, as the Warriors had played a hard-fought game against OHSL Liberty division leader Skaneateles (and lost, 73-64) the night before. Wasting little time, Solvay bolted to a 19-10 lead in the first quarter that it would hold the rest of the night, mainly because, against the smaller Westhill lineup, the Bearcats’ 6-7 senior center, Dan Aiello, feasted. Time after time, Aiello got the ball inside and converted, or grabbed an errant Westhill shot, and he didn’t stop until he had registered 29 points, half of Solvay’s total, plus 14 rebounds. Offering the inside help, Chuck St. Andrew nearly had his own double-double, with 12 points and nine rebounds. The Bearcats steadily built a 45-31 lead before the fourth quarter, then had to hang on as the Warriors fought back behind Nathan Nigolian, who matched Aiello with 29 points of his own as Kevin McAvoy, with 12 points, also made key contributions. Yet John Savo’s free throws with 37 seconds left allowed Solvay to hang on. While Solvay’s late-season charged continued, West Genesee, reeling from back-to-back defeats to Cicero-North Syracuse and Oswego, had to face a young Fayetteville-Manlius squad vastly improving as it makes a late push tor each the Section III Class AA playoffs. For three periods, the two sides, familiar rivals in so many sports (especially lacrosse), barely separated from each other. WG trailed, 26-24, at halftime, and though it pulled back even 37-37 by the fourth quarter, it was not getting much from star center Eric Spencer, as the Hornets held him to 10 points, one of his lowest totals of the season. That would ultimately hurt WG, as F-M moved back in front in the final period and stayed there, mostly because Mike Palermo could not be contained. He finished with 27 points, connecting on three 3-pointers and 14 free throws, many of those foul shots in the homestretch. Nick Wood set a season mark with 18 points, while Brian Burns poured in nine points and Matt Naton added six points. But WG got just five total points, and one field goal, from the duo of Greg Wadach and Corey Herrington, and took its third straight defeat. In girls action on Friday, WG lost to F-M 60-45, as droughts in both the second and fourth quarters proved costly. Marie Temara led the Wildcats with 12 points, with Melissa Fumano (10 points) and Claire Kelley (nine points) close behind. Kiley Shoemaker led the Hornets with 15 points. As with the boys, a close girls contest unfolded between Westhill and Solvay on Friday – but in this case the favored Warriors prevailed, 41-35, to improve to 9-3 on the season in advance of a big Monday trip to unbeaten Cazenovia. In some way, the Warriors almost got caught looking ahead, falling behind 17-13 at halftime as its leading scorer, Ashley Cianfriglia, had a particularly rough night, only earning six points. With Cianfriglia cold, Solvay had its chance, and Tessa Pucello did manage 16 points. Still, the Bearcats only got four points in the third period, allowing Westhill to sneak ahead, and in the homestretch freshman Anna Ross took over, working her total to 20 points as forward Maggie Tripodi added 13 points, her fourth straight game in double figures.