ONONDAGA COUNTY – By the time they closed their 2021 seasons against each other in one more chapter of their ongoing rivalry, the Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool boys basketball teams both needed the lift.

Both the Warriors and Northstars had both taken a handful of defeats in the previous two weeks, so whoever won this game would take some local bragging rights into the off-season.

And it was C-NS gaining the honor, using a big third quarter to take charge and ultimately defeating Liverpool 73-54 to finish at 8-4 overall in Kyle Martin’s first season at the coaching helm.

When they first met Feb. 19, it was tight start to finish and the Warriors pulled it out 74-71, and they were following that same path in the first half of this game, too, with neither side able to break clear.

But that changed after halftime. Clinging to a 33-31 edge, C-NS used its depth and balance, plus an airtight defense, to outscore Liverpool 23-7 in that decisive frame.

A sign of the Northstars’ unselfish approach was the 15.1 assists per game it put together along with the fact that it was the only Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division team with four players scoring in double figures.

And they all did so against Liverpool, Luke Paragon leading the way thanks to his 22 points as Brian Bonin gained 15 points, Noah Wieczorek earned 14 points and Kevin Felasco got 12 points.

For the Warriors, who finished at 9-3, Jacob Works got 21 points and Andreo Ash added 12 points, with Jaiden Reynolds and Bruce Wingate getting seven points apiece.

C-NS faced West Genesee last Tuesday, sporting a five-game win streak and confident that it could at least stay close after losing 53-44 to the Wildcats in the Feb. 12 season opener.

Instead, WG flourished again, prevailing 72-59 aided by a pair of surges, one from senior Adam Dudzinski, the other from his teammates.

Nine of Dudzinski’s 21 points came in the first quarter, when an 11-3 run put the Wildcats ahead for good. And in a run that began with a basket just before halftime, WG put up 18 unanswered points and overall, outscored the Northstars 21-2 to put the game out of reach.

Paragon finished with 17 points and Wieczorek had 15 points as Reece Congel got 11 points. Helping Dudzinski, Christian Amica, James Tully (13 points each) and Max Dennington (11 points) also hit double figures for WG.

As that went on, Liverpool returned sAsh to the lineup yet was stunned by Nottingham 55-51.

The Bulldogs were 0-8 coming into the game, but kept the Warriors quiet throughout the early stages, outscoring them 18-8 in the second quarter to lead 27-17 at the break.

With Ash getting 10 points and Works earning 16 points, Liverpool tried to rally, but Nottingham held on behind Deandre McGrew, who had 17 points, and Malachi McCurty, who finished with 14 points.

Another close call came on Thursday, against Jamesville-DeWitt, but the Warriors edged the Red Rams 69–67.

J-D, who had only played three times this winter due to various delays and postponements and gone 1-2, saw John Withers hit seven 3-pointers on his way to 32 points overall as Preston Shumpert contributed 17 points.

To win, Liverpool needed scoring balance and got it,Reynolds stepping up for a team-high 16 points that included four 3-pointers as Works and Ash got 15 points apiece and Nick Toscano, helped by three pointers, had 11 points.

C-NS stumbled again Thursday in a 62-61 loss to Fayetteville-Manlius, a team it beat 65-47 in February.

They went back and forth all night, F-M leading early and C-NS fighting back before the Hornets inched back in front, 42-39, by the end of the third quarter.

Ultimately, the trio of Luke Davidson, Trevor Roe and Josh Michel pulled the Hornets through, each of them netting six points in the fourth quarter to fend off C-NS.

For the night, Davidson led F-M with 22 points, just ahead of Paragon, who paced C-NS with 18 points. Bonin finished with 16 points and Noah Wieczorek got 13 points. Felasco gained nine points.

And proving this wasn’t a fluke, F-M then stunned West Genesee 60-59 in Saturday’s season finale on a last-second basket by Roe, denying the Wildcats a perfect 11-0 campaign.