A Baldwinsville boys basketball program that’s long sought the spotlight, yet rarely found it, had one of its finest days on Friday afternoon.
With the stands at Baker High School’s main gymnasium overflowing and the reigning state Class AA champions in town, the Bees witnessed a milestone for sophomore standout J.J. Starling and, more importantly, a 57-52 victory over West Genesee.
“This win boosts our confidence,” said Starling. “And it show that we’re a contender, and a force to be reckoned with. The win feels exciting, but our ultimate goal is a championship.”
Starling is quite a force all by himself. On the day he surpassed 1,000 career points, he put 33 on the board, 16 of them in the fourth quarter to help the Bees overcome a six-point deficit.
“Coach (Mike Lewis) told me to take over and look to score, and that’s what I did,” said Starling.
Much attention before the game involved Starling going up against WG’s star senior, Will Amica, the MVP of the Wildcats’ 2018-19 state title run. Ironically, Amica reached the 1,000-point mark just six days earlier in a narrow defeat to Shenendehowa.
The stands were filled long before tip-off, and among the spectators was Syracuse University assistant coach Gerry McNamara, with SU one of many schools that have made scholarship offers to Starling.
As if all of that hoopla wasn’t enough, there was the small matter of B’ville seeking some payback against WG, who had knocked them out of the Section III Class AA quarterfinals last winter on its way to sectional and state honors.
For the first five-plus minutes, Starling was kept off the board. But then, trailing 10-4, Starling converted a basket and free throw and then, with a 3-pointer seconds later, reached 1,000.
Once the brief ceremonies to mark Starling’s milestone were done, the Bees and Wildcats engaged in a close first half, but thanks to some effective defense, B’ville appeared to gain control when it took a 33-24 lead early in the third quarter.
Then the Bees hit a drought, not getting a point for more than five minutes. WG used that time to move out in front and, by the early portion of the final period, had extended that lead to 41-35.
Several different Wildcats had taken turns defending Starling, which had caused some frustration. But once the Bees told Starling to take charge, he did so.
A corner 3-pointer and delicate floater sparked a 15-4 run, with Starling either converting baskets or drawing contact and converting at the free-throw line.
Amica’s 3-pointer cut it to 50-48 with nearly two minutes left. But the biggest sequence came with WG holding the ball and trailing 51-48.
Again utilizing his quick first step, Amica drove to the basket, trying to reduce B’ville’s margin to one, but Dan Fabrizio blocked the shot and, on the other end, Starling converted a lay-up.
Four more free throws closed it out, Starling getting the best of Amica, who finished with 23 points. Yet the two friends posed for lots of pictures at game’s end as many other fans also got their pictures with Starling to help celebrate his big day.
Improving to 5-2 with that win, B’ville will take on Liverpool Tuesday at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall before visiting Henninger next Friday. The Bees and West Genesee face each other again Jan. 31 in Camillus.
