Seven wins in its first 17 games of the season landed the Fayetteville-Manlius boys basketball team in a precarious spot heading into the last week of the regular season.
All the Hornets needed was one more win to return to the Section III Class AA playoffs, but faced three difficult opponents, including the area’s top prospect and the reigning state champions.
The “easiest” of these three games was last Tuesday’s visit to Nottingham, and it started well, F-M taking a 19-17 lead through one quarter as its shots fell with regularity.
From there, though, the Bulldogs gradually took over, eventually prevailing 87-64 as Mazi Jackson got 24 points and Marlen Peters 20 points, with Deandre McGrew and Jaden Ezomo each earning 17 points.
No one on F-M’s roster could match that production, with Josh Michel getting 14 points and Luke Davidson adding 13 points. Jack Nucerino added nine points.
Now F-M would take on Baldwinsville Thursday night, looking to contain sophomore sensation J.J. Starling the way they had when they first played in late January, when Starling only got 21 points, even though B’ville still won 67-55.
Again, the Hornets’ effort was quite good, the game close most of the way. Down 54-44 in the fourth quarter, F-M made one more comeback attempt, but the Bees prevailed again, this time by a 66-60 margin.
Michel led with 18 points as all of James Madill’s 15 points came from five 3-pointers. Charlie Gadsden contributed 12 points. Starling led the Bees with 25 points and got ample help from teammate Bo Nicholson, who poured in 19 points.
Now a playoff berth depended on F-M finding a way to knock off those state AA champions from West Genesee, who entered Saturday’s game winners of 11 in a row.
It all got decided in the first half, the Wildcats building a 46-27 advantage, too much for the Hornets to overcome as it lost, 76-68. Davidson had 15 points, with Michel earning 12 points and Madill finishing with 11 points.
As for the F-M girls basketball team, it welcomed back Lexie Roe to the lineup just in time for last Tuesday’s game against Nottingham, one where playoff position was at stake since the Hornets were 9-8 and the Bulldogs 10-7.
And F-M started well, only to see it all go away in the last two quarters of a 54-51 defeat.
Remembering that the Hornets beat them 58-29 on Jan. 14 with 24 points from Roe and 25 points from Lily Fish, the Bulldogs again fell behind, but this time had far more scoring production.
Ahead 32-25 at halftime, F-M could not hold it, Nottingham’s defense stepping up and eventually taking the lead in the game’s final minutes, led by Amaya Williams’ 21 points and Nazjae Howard’s 15 points.
Roe put up 19 points and Fish had 14 points, plus seven rebounds. Kendra Broddus got six points, five rebounds and four assists.
Thursday’s non-league game against Chittenango proved an exciting one, the Hornets having to hold on late to earn a 53-51 victory over the Bears.
F-M outscored Chittenango 29-19 in the second and third quarters, led by Roe, who poured in 24 points as Fish had 10 points and Ava Angello got eight points.
Down 37-28, Chittenango closed strong, but fell a basket short despite Cassidy Kelly’s 22 points and 14 rebounds. F-M held Ally Shoemaker to six points, but she still had nine assists, five steals and four rebounds.
Then came the Saturday visit from West Genesee, whom F-M nearly beat in January, but could not get as close to in the rematch as it lost 53-43 to the Wildcats.
WG jumped out 22-7 in the first quarter and maintained a comfortable margin the rest of the way, Roe only getting three points as Fish led with 14 points and Angello got eight points.
