Just as so many times before, the West Genesee boys basketball team enters the Section III Class AA playoffs with a modest record (11-8), but a sense that it could take down anyone in the field if it played well and things broke right.
The Wildcats’ regular-season homestretch began Feb. 7, at SRC Arena, where it beat Elmira and got another big-time performance from Troy Temara in a 64-57 victory over the Express.
On the same floor where he scored 77 total points against Corcoran and Utica Proctor in the “More Than A Game” Holiday Classic on Dec. 27-28, Temara poured in 31 points, and Ryan Cunnigham added 19 points, as WG took an early lead and withstood all of Elmira’s charges.
WG went from there to last Tuesday’s game at Auburn, where, with Sam Brown and Ryan Greco back in the lineup after missing significant time due to injury, it was far less dependent on Temara, and far more comfortable with its winning margin as it beat the Maroons 74-55.
And it really wasn’t that close, either. The Wildcats overwhelmed Auburn in the first two periods, steadily building a 43-18 margin, which allowed WG to breeze through the last two periods without any kind of stress level.
Greco, with eight points, and Brown, with five points, helped out as Temara led with 19 points. Chris LaValle had 12 points as Cunningham and Tyler Shoults each had nine points. Jimmy Grabowski got six points. Auburn got 18 points from Kevin DiCola and 13 points from Jonathan Bell.
The Wildcats were back home Friday night to meet Central Square without Temara in the lineup, and it proved a rousing regular-season finale, WG needing to work hard, but getting a 54-45 victory over the Redhawks.
Out of playoff contention, Central Square intended to spoil the Wildcats’ Senior Night, not getting too discouraged when WG built up a 32-23 first-half lead.
Clamping down on the defensive side, the Redhawks held the Wildcats to four points in the third quarter. Then, throughout the final period, Central Square made charges, only to see WG answer and prove that it could win while short-handed.
Brown had a rousing final regular-season home game, hitting four 3-pointers and leading the Wildcats with 14 points. Cunningham earned seven of his 13 points at the free-throw line, while Rob Pocyntyluk emerged as a force again with 12 points. Will Randall added seven points as Mike Talone (13 points) and Dante Rogers (11 points) led Central Square’s efforts.
Given the no. 6 seed in the 10-team Class AA sectional tournament, WG is off this week and will await next Feb. 24 to play in the quarterfinals against no. 3 seed Bishop Ludden in Geddes.
