Just when it looked like the Skaneateles boys basketball team had found a way to turn its season around and get even with one of its biggest rivals, things went awry again.
The Lakers went to Marcellus last Friday night and were tied in the waning seconds of regulation before Nate Kellar’s driving basket made the difference and the Mustangs prevailed by a 48-46 margin.
These same teams had met at Skaneateles Dec. 28 in the first round of the ‘Hoops for the Hospital’ Tournament, and Marcellus had pulled it out, 68-64. Barely a week later, the rematch carried even more drama.
Far tougher on the defensive side than it was in the first meeting with the Mustangs, Skaneateles fought its way to a 23-23 halftime tie and then appeared to take over in the third quarter, grabbing the lead and extending it to 39-33 when Kenny Peterson hit a long 3-pointer at the horn.
Unfazed by this, Marcellus stayed within range and then caught up when Kellar, relatively quiet to that point, made back-to-back baskets that, with 2:20 left, gave the Mustangs a 46-45 lead.
Defensive stops on both ends followed, but the Mustangs gave Skaneateles a chance to go back in front when it fouled Justin McClanahan with 25 seconds left. But McClanahan hit only one of the free throws, tying it at 46-46.
Marcellus originally planned to have Kellar work it inside to his forwards, Jerrod Gates or Nick Femano. But Kellar instead drove through an opening in the Lakers’ defense and, with six seconds left, hit the go-ahead layup. Though it had time for a winning shot, Skaneateles could not answer.
The winning basket gave Kellar 11 points, in between Gates’ total of 12 points and Femano’s total of 10 points. Jake Reed led Skaneateles with 18 points, while Jeremy Castle got nine points. McClanahan had seven points and Ben Delasin contributed six points.
So the Lakers hit the midway point of the regular season at 3-7 knowing it had to start winning games against the likes of Solvay and Cazenovia this week to improve its post-season chances.
