Every home opener carries with it a lot of anticipation — but in the case of the West Genesee boys basketball, it was a classic case of delayed gratification, followed by a strong dose of disappointment.
Nearly two months after it began practice, the Wildcats finally got to play in front of the home fans in Camillus, only to see that affair spoiled as Liverpool showed up Tuesday night and prevailed by a score of 50-39.
In the time before it got to be home, WG had played seven times on the road, with both high moments (an upset of CBA on Dec. 29) and low ones. The lone scheduled home date, on Dec. 19 against Oswego, got wiped away by a winter snowstorm.
All told, the Wildcats have just six home games the entire season, so it wanted to take advantage of those chances. And that meant beating Liverpool, a 6-3 squad coached by WG’s one-time leader, Jerry Wilcox.
Perhaps showing some home nerves, WG fell behind, 14-8, in the first quarter, and though it kept the Warriors in sight during the second period, it still went to halftime with a 23-18 deficit.
The real damage came after the break, as Liverpool outscored WG 20-11. A big factor here was the fact that the Warriors, after seeing the Wildcats get 12 3-pointers in a Jan. 3 loss to Central Square, made sure that didn’t happen again.
WG made just two shots beyond the arc all night, a number Liverpool’s Anthony Salomone topped by himself (three) on his way to a game-high 18 points. Jesse Gates, despite a lot of defensive attention, had 14 points, with Cam Jones adding 12 points.
Colin Monroe, with 17 points, was the only Wildcat player to score in double figures, while Jack Conboy and Joe Fazio each had eight points.
After that brief stay at home, WG travels again, this time to Rome Free Academy Friday night.
