Whatever the name on the scoreboard and regardless of the colors of the jerseys worn, Bishop Ludden’s boys basketball team may get its greatest satisfaction from earning a win over Christian Brothers Academy.
And when the “Holy War” came to Sunday night’s Pathfinder Bank Zebra Classic at SRC Arena, the Gaelic Knights were the ones on top again, using a third-quarter surge to take control and beating the Brothers 59-46.
“It’s always great to beat CBA,” said Ludden head coach Pat Donnelly. “Anytime you beat them it’s great for the school.”
Several factors gave this “Holy War” chapter even more meaning. Instead of their usual uniforms, Ludden and CBA donned jerseys from Syracuse’s fondly-remembered Parochial League, with the Gaelic Knights in St. Patrick’s green and gold, and the Brothers in Sacred Heart maroon and white. Alums from both schools even sang their respective alma maters in between quarters.
But the meaning went beyond the uniforms. For the first time in a while, both teams entered the game in top form, with Ludden at 8-2 and CBA at 9-1, holding the no. 15 state Class A ranking.
The weeks of hype that led to this game, plus the large crowd on hand, led to a nervous start on both ends. In fact, the Gaelic Knights went nearly five minutes before getting its first field goal, but with the Brothers struggling just as much, it went out in front late in the first quarter.
Paul Aversa’s half-court shot at the first-quarter buzzer helped CBA tie it, 9-9. But after the Brothers went back out in front during the second period, Ludden countered with a 9-0 run and, at halftime, led 24-21.
That spurt offered a hint at the decisive spurt ahead. Challenging every shot CBA took and dominating on the boards, the Gaelic Knights went on an 18-2 run that spilled into the fourth quarter and included Ludden holding the Brothers without a point in the last 4:30 of the third period.
Donnelly said that his senior tandem of Zach Walser and Jack Rauch offered leadership on both ends, using their experience in past Ludden-CBA games to calm the rest of the team down.
That poise was needed during a foul-filled fourth quarter where CBA kept threatening to make it more stressful, but never got closer than a seven-point margin.
Will Engelhardt, hitting on several key free throws in the late going, matched Rauch with 14 points, while freshman Mika Adams-Woods continued to show his fast-improving form with 13 points and Walser finished with 10 points. On CBA’s side, only Monte Stroman, who had 17 points, scored in double figures.
Just before Ludden and CBA took the court, West Genesee met Fayetteville-Manlius, and the toll of three tough games in as many days proved too much for the Wildcats as it lost, 74-51, to the Hornets.
These same two teams had met Dec. 9, with WG winning, 73-57, on F-M’s home floor. But the Hornets had gone 7-2 since, and had played just once in the week leading up to the game. By contrast, the Wildcats had played in Jamesville-DeWitt’s Martin Luther King Jr. Tournament on Friday and Saturday.
Knowing all this, F-M and its senior point guard, Jake Wittig, pushed the tempo from the outset. Wittig, who is headed to the University of Rochester next year, had 11 first-quarter points, nearly matching WG by himself as the Hornets grabbed a 22-13 lead.
Try as it could, the Wildcats were unable to keep up, the deficit growing to 44-27 by halftime. F-M’s defense also did an effective job containing WG’s top players, as Troy Temara was held to seven points and Nick Cunningham to six points.
Rob Pocyntyluk led WG with 10 points, while Tyler Shoults, Jimmy Grabowski and Derek Jones had six points apiece. Wittig finished with 28 points, adding eight assists and seven steals.
