All those great feelings the Oneida boys basketball team picked up from knocking off archrival Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in the Red Devils’ own “Pit” on Dec. 20 lingered for a while.
In fact, they lasted long enough for the Indians to go to Holland Patent last Tuesday night and maintain its momentum, beating the Golden Knights 76-63 to improve to 5-2 on the season.
Any fear of a possible letdown after VVS disappeared quickly, as Oneida took control early and kept it throughout the first half, expanding its lead to 39-21 by the time the two teams went to the break.
Maybe it was too good a half — for as Oneida relaxed in the third quarter, HP roared back into the game, outscoring the Indians 23-9 in that frame to make it 48-45.
Sensing that it was in trouble, Oneida again turned to its pair of stars, Ryan Kramer and Justin Didio, who accounted for much of the offense down the stretch as the Indians pulled clear.
Kramer finished with 24 points, this time working inside for his 12 field goals and not relying on 3-pointers or free throws. Didio, with 19 points, allowed Kramer to roam inside, as Nick Dreimiller and Joe McCormick each had eight points. David Cieri added seven points. Alex Smith led the Golden Knights with 22 points.
Oneida returns home Saturday for a non-league test against Fowler, a fellow Class A school from the OHSL Freedom division.
