Before their scheduled collision on Saturday night, both the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill and Oneida boys basketball teams had a fair share of battles to wage in the Tri-Valley League.
VVS went to New Hartford last Tuesday night and did a scary job of defense on the Spartans, earning a 55-26 victory.
Meanwhile, Oneida engaged in an exciting battle with Utica-Notre Dame, leading for most of the night before a fierce late rally pushed the Jugglers past the Indians 79-75.
They played on even terms in the first half, leaving Oneida in front 29-28. With Ryan Kramer and Justin Didio starting to get hot, the Indians built its margin through an active third quarter, eventually taking a 54-48 margin to the final frame.
Then Pat Moore took over. Proving to be unstoppable, the UND junior spearheaded a comeback where the Jugglers outscored the Indians 30-19 in those last eight minutes.
This wasted a fabulous effort by Kramer, who poured in 28 points, most of it from five 3-pointers. Didio worked inside for 18 points, while David Cieri earned 11 points. Brandon Miles and Nick Dreimiller each had six points.
For the night, Moore had 30 points, continuing his run as Section III’s leading scorer, and he got a bit more help than Kramer did as Mike Hill (18 points), Jerrell Hunter (12 points) and Matt Petrone (10 points) all reached double figures.
