Once surrendered, all the momentum that the Liverpool boys basketball team gained early this season could never get recovered.
Even when the no. 9 seed Warriors’ full roster returned in time for Friday night’s Section III Class AA opening-round game at no. 8 seed Baldwinsville, it could not slow down a red-hot Bees side that put five players in double figures and prevailed 77-64.
Liverpool had beaten the Bees 69-63 back on Jan. 6, but that came before the Warriors were slowed down by injuries to three starters (Matt Hunter, Sumit Singh and Tyler Sullivan) that caused a late-season slump, and it also took place before B’ville’s big 6-1 surge that got it into the playoffs following a 2-9 start.
Hunter, Sullivan and Singh were all back for this sectional game, and Hunter hit three 3-pointers in a first quarter where B’ville did not get a field goal for more than four minutes before Ryan Kohutanich’s 3-pointer broke that spell.
And once that happened, the Bees got into a long-term groove, taking the lead for good with a 12-2 spurt late in the half. Tim Marshall, scoreless in the opening period, had nine points in the second quarter to spark that surge.
Trailing 39-28 at the break, the Warriors tried to spring to life early in the third quarter, when Singh scored seven quick points in a 9-2 spurt which cut B’ville’s margin to 41-37.
Butthe Bees countered by going on a 10-0 run of its own, sparked by DiOrio’s leaning jumper that led to a three-point play. Marshall had five of the 10 points in that run.
Liverpool kept fighting until the end, though Hunter cooled off, finishing with 15 points as Singh got all 14 of his points in the second half and Sullivan, who had missed two weeks of action, added 13 points.
But B’ville would never let the margin get closer than eight points again. Marshall led with 20 points and added six rebounds. DiOrio did a bit of everything, dishing out 12 assists, making five steals and grabbing five boards to go with his 17 points.
McLeod nearly got to a double-double, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds. Skipworth and Kohutanich earned 13 points apiece, with Skipworth adding six rebounds.
In all, six seniors depart from this year’s squad, including Hunter and Singh, but Sullivan, along with the likes of Will Cutler, Nate Cutler and Naz Johnson, lead a strong returning cast for 2015-16.
