DeWitt — Though close in proximity, Christian Brothers Academy and Jamesville-DeWitt are a bit further apart when it comes to the position of their respective boys basketball teams.
For while the Red Rams brought an all-out effort to Wednesday night’s clash in the opening round of the Bottar-Leone Holiday Tournament, the host Brothers relied on all the facets of its game to turn J-D back and prevail by a 78-60 margin.
CBA entered the tournament sporting a perfect 8-0 mark and holding the no. 7 spot in the latest state Class A rankings. J-D, with a record of 4-2, was chasing them as the rivals met for the first time since last March’s Section III Class A final won by the Brothers at SRC Arena.
It was the Rams getting off to the quick start, gaining a 16-9 lead, only to soon discover just how many different ways the Brothers could hurt them.
To begin with, sophomore guard Charles Pride took over, netting 14 of his team-high 18 points in the first quarter and igniting a 15-4 run that put CBA in front for good.
During the second quarter, it was all about the bench – what it produced for CBA, and what it didn’t for J-D.
Led by Mark Purcell, who hit a pair of 3-pointers and all eight of his points in that period, the Brothers gradually added to its margin. Between them, Purcell, Paul Aversa, James McGlynn and Kevin Underwood had 18 first-half points, while none of the Rams’ reserves could earn a basket.
All of this gave CBA a 44-35 halftime lead, though J-D was hanging close mostly due to the work of senior forward Jimmy Boeheim, who had 13 points in the first two periods.
The third quarter proved decisive, for while sophomore Buddy Boeheim kept the Rams in it thanks to 11 consecutive points (he had 19 of his 21 points in the second half), CBA never let J-D go on any sort of sustained run.
And this was due to the Brothers’ senior core. When the Rams closed the gap to six, 46-40, Nick Aversa, normally a pass-first point guard, sparked his side with a 3-pointer, steal and lay-up. Fellow seniors Nate Brower and Mark Lutz also made key baskets.
CBA would add to that margin in the final minutes as Lutz finished with 14 points and Dan Damico contributed 11 points. Also, the Brothers’ defense held Jimmy Boeheim to just two baskets after halftime, though Matt Carlin did produce a season-best 15 points.