On consecutive Tuesday nights at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall in December, each of West Genesee’s basketball teams took defeats to Liverpool. Come January, both sets of Wildcats made sure it didn’t happen again.
Back at OCC again for Saturday night’s marquee game of the Pathfinder Bank Zebra Classic, WG’s boys pulled out a 67-62 victory, its seventh win a row. In Camillus a night earlier, the girls Wildcats made its own late comeback to prevail 58-53 over the Warriors.
Adding to the value of the boys game was that, again, it matched up the last two state Class AA champions. Liverpool had won 66-53 back in that initial meeting Dec. 10, and was quite familiar with the Allyn Hall floor since it was used for all of the Warriors’ home games this winter.
Sparked by six straight points from Will Amica, WG went on an 8-0 run to close the first quarter, and maintained that lead through a foul-filled first half, only to have Liverpool storm back and go in front 40-38 late in the third period before Anthony Dattellas hit six straight points to return the lead to the Wildcats.
After that, no one had a lead more than five points the rest of the way. Josh Young, with a career-high 22 points, paced a Warriors team that led for most of the fourth quarter.
But they were tied, 58-58, when Amica made his biggest play of the night, a block on a Warriors breakaway to prevent a go-ahead basket with 1:30 to play.
They exchanged free throws before Adam Dudzinski, with 30 seconds left, hit a driving layup to put his team in front for good. Trying to answer, the Warriors instead turned it over when Jack Pento stepped on the baseline.
Amica took it from there, hitting on five of six free throws in the waning seconds to give him 22 points for the night as eight of Dudzinski’s 13 points came in the fourth quarter, John Benson adding 11 points.
It was on this same OCC floor on Dec. 17 when WG’s girls team got upended 49-44, unable to hold a fourth-quarter lead as the Warriors outscored them 20-10 late.
The same scenario presented itself in Friday’s rematch, which didn’t seem too likely when the Wildcats jumped out 14-5, only to see Liverpool unleash its attack through the game’s middle stages.
Led by Naveah Wingate, who had 21 points and 15 rebounds, the Warriors made up ground and then, in the third quarter, outscored WG 19-10, giving itself a 40-35 advantage.
Just like that first game, though, it was the team five points down that finished fast. The Wildcats utilized a diverse attack in charging to the lead and ultimately outscoring Liverpool 23-13 in those final eight minutes.
WG had nine different players score points when compared to the Warriors’ five, with Catie Cunningham’s 14 points in front of a well-balanced attack. Molly Benetti got 11 points, with Meredith James adding nine points and Ellen Kearney six points.
Before all this, WG’s boys had won three times in four days from Jan. 16 to 19, holding off Nottingham and then dominating the annual Juggler Classic at Utica-Notre Dame.
In the opening round, the Wildcats handled Buffalo’s Cardinal O’Hara 69-48, using a 27-11 outburst in the third quarter to take control.
Amica put up 15 points as Benson had 12 points and Kam Jones got 10 points. Dudzinski had nine points, with Eric Leubner stepping up to earn eight points and Jack Dalgety getting six points.
When West Canada Valley knocked off host Utica-Notre Dame 76-70, it was the Indians drawing the Wildcats in the Jan. 19 final, which WG had little trouble with, earning a 90-64 victory.
It was 27-6 through one period, and after WCV closed within 39-29 by halftime, the Wildcats ran away in the second half as Benson, with 22 points, and Dudzinski, with 21 points, both had season-high totals, as did Jones, who had 15 points. Amica got 13 points.
Both of the Wildcats’ teams go up against Corcoran and Baldwinsville next week.
