In advance of a big week of scheduled games against Bishop Ludden and Christian Brothers Academy, the Jamesville-DeWitt boys basketball team handled a pair of league tests, including one from its neighbors.

J-D and East Syracuse Minoa got together last Tuesday night, but it proved a lopsided affair as the Red Rams, locking up a Section III Class A playoff berth with its eighth win of the season, stomped past the Spartans 85-38.

Putting together its most productive first half of the entire season, J-D ran wild, eventually gaining a 50-23 margin. Though it couldn’t keep up with that pace and reach the century mark, the Rams were delighted to see all 11 players that got court time score at least one point.

Still, it was Jimmy Boeheim leading the way for J-D, getting 25 points. Darvin Lovette earned 12 points and Buddy Boeheim contributed 11 points as Barbaro Noda earned a season-best eight points and Matt Carlin had seven points.

ESM, in defeat, got just one player, Ty Barkins, into double figures, Barkins finishing with 13 points. Corey Wolf gained nine points, while Colton Cwikla had eight points and Gabe Holloman contributed six points.

Moving to Friday’s action, J-D hosted much-improved Chittenango, and got off to a near-ideal start, controlling matters from start to finish and handling the Bears 77-48.

Knowing how tough Chittenango could get, the Rams set an aggressive tempo and didn’t let up until it had a 25-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the margin was bigger, 47-20, and J-D got there with a bit more balance and scoring depth than it had shown before.

True, Jimmy Boeheim led again, 18 points, but Lovette was right behind, earning 16 points as Buddy Boeheim earned 15 points. Carlin added 11 points and Rahmel Smith six points. On Chittenango’s side, Hunter Hendrix earned 14 points and Zach Falkenburg added 12 points.

On that same Friday night, ESM faced Phoenix, and finally got an impressive win, prevailing 70-45 as it nearly doubled up the Firebirds during a first half where it accumulated a 42-22 lead, the hosts never able to recover.

Four Spartans scored in double figures, led by Cwikla, who earned 16 points. Colin Sloan stepped up, gaining 13 points, while Barkins got 12 points and Holloman finished with 11 points. Taylor Ashby paced Phoenix with 20 points.

Manlius-Pebble Hill earned an impressive win Friday night, going to Port Byron and topping the Panthers by a score of 63-57. The Trojans played a strong first half, building a 33-24 lead, and then withstood each of the Panthers’ comeback attempts to finish in front.

Much of the credit belonged to Joe Cerio, who had more than half of MPH’s output, finishing with 33 points. Josh Annan provided lots of support, too, earning 18 points as each of them hit on a pair of 3-pointers.

Prior to that, the Trojans faced Blessed Virgin Mary last Tuesday night, taking a 61-55 overtime defeat to the Saints, a result made more frustrating by the fact that MPH, down 44-37 through three quarters, rallied in the final period to tie it, 52-52, and force the extra period.

But BVM outscored the Trojans 9-3 in that extra period, led by Benedict Fullerton, who lit it up from the outside, getting most of his 28 points from eight successful 3-pointers. In defeat, Cerio earned 20 points, while Bryce Church had 14 points and Saad Burkhari contributed 10 points.