No doubt buoyed by the overtime scare it gave to two-time defending Class B champion Hannibal on Dec. 23, the Skaneateles boys basketball team stayed in good form by winning its own annual holiday tournament.
The Lakers proved quite impressive in both games, starting in last Monday night’s opening round against Onondaga, where it was in control all the way through a 65-42 victory over the Tigers.
OCS, normally a contender in the Class C ranks, immediately found itself in trouble when Skaneateles bolted out to a 16-8 first-quarter lead.
The Tigers hung around for a while, but as the second half wore on, Skaneateles got clear, closing the game on a 19-6 run to make the result more emphatic.
Kevin Rice hit on a trio of 3-pointers to finish with 16 points, with Nick Pesarchick working inside to match Rice with 16 points of his own. Will Polacheck had 10 points, while Jon Chapman and Paul O’Donnell earned seven points apiece.
Earlier that night, Moravia (Section IV) had come from behind to beat Solvay 59-55, meaning that the Lakers would face Moravia in Tuesday night’s championship game.
This one had a slightly different start — but the same satisfying result for hometown Laker fans as Skaneateles won by a 68-47 margin.
Moravia had a strong first quarter, inching ahead 18-15. All that seemed to do, though, was make the Lakers angry, as evidenced by Skaneateles closing the half on a 22-8 run to seize the lead for good.
Just to be sure, the Lakers closed the game by outscoring Moravia 17-7. Chapman stepped up to lead the hosts with 18 points, as Rice earned 16 points for the second night in a row and Brandon Barron also took on a larger role, with 14 points. Pesarchick had eight points and Polacheck added seven points.
Onondaga would finish in third place in the tournament, getting five players to score in double figures to beat Solvay 81-73, overshadowing Andrew Lucio’s 30-point effort for the Bearcats.
