It is said that a rivalry never turns full-blooded until both sides have found success. If so, then the boys basketball saga of Syracuse’s two smaller high-school powers, Institute of Technology Central and Syracuse Academy of Science, is maturing into something special in a hurry. A year after the Atoms swept three games from the Eagles, including the Section III Class C final, now ITC holds the upper hand after a regular-season sweep, capped Wednesday night with a come-from-behind, 64-55 win at SAS’s home gym, dubbed “The Lab”. On its way to a 13-1 start and a no. 5 state Class C ranking, the Eagles counted, as its biggest win, a 63-58 decision over SAS. Home-court advantage helped in that firstr meeting, so ITC was determined to catch the 12-3 Atoms again when it ventured across town for the rematch. A loud, boisterous crowd provided noise from the opening tip, and SAS fans were pleased with what it saw in an uneven first quarter, the Atoms moving ahead 12-5 at one point and holding the Eagles’ top scorer, Mikell Clemons, without a point. ITC head coach Joe Boronczyk said it was his team’s worst half of the season, a continual stretch of poor passes and turnovers. Yet SAS could not expand on its early margin, and the last 30 seconds of the half would prove telling. Down 23-19, the Eagles pulled within one when Clemons got a three-point play. Then, as the clock wound down, Kyseem Robinson tried a 3-pointer that bounced high off the back of the rim, and went through. Just like that, ITC, despite its struggles, led 25-23 at the break. The level of play improved on both sides in the third quarter. SAS, led by guard Kaleel Johnson and forward Dogukan Zalal (who finished with 17 points apiece), kept forcing turnovers and finding baskets, and the Atoms took a 39-36 lead to the final period. With less than three minutes to play, ITC still trailed, 50-48, but another quick sequence would turn the game permanently in the Eagles’ favor. It began when Clemons hit on a layup with 2:56 left. ITC forced a turnover and point guard Victor Cruz was fouled. Cruz hit both free throws to give his side a 52-50 lead, and another Eagles steal led to Joe Boatwright’s basket – six points in a span of less than 20 seconds. SAS called time-out, but the Eagles’ 9-0 run decided matters. All told, Boatwright had nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, while Clemons, despite his slow start, managed to lead both sides with 21 points. Boronczyk had high praise for Cruz, saying that the guard’s poise and ability to control the ball calmed down the rest of his teammates in the frantic homestretch. With the growing enrollment of both schools, ITC and SAS are expected to stay together when they move into the OHSL Liberty division in the 2012-13 season, increasing the possibility that this city rivalry can remain a twice-every-season event.