The good fortune that the Liverpool boys basketball team may have felt after its rousing comeback and double-overtime win over Cicero-North Syracuse on Tuesday night did not carry over into further action.
When the Warriors went to Central Square Thursday night, a late slump led to a 59-50 loss to the Red Hawks.
Just like with CNS, the Warriors fell behind early, though in a more conventional manner. Central Square, fired up on its Senior Night, led by as much as 14 in the second quarter (33-19) and still had a 33-24 lead going to halftime.
Liverpool this time made up the entire deficit in the third quarter, part of a 24-7 run that pushed the Warriors into a 43-40 lead in the last minute of that period.
However, in a span of 45 seconds, the Red Hawks turned it all around, with Kyle Miller’s pair of 3-pointers part of an 8-0 outburst before the third-quarter buzzer sounded.
All told, Central Square had 13 unanswered points and blanked the Warrior for more than five minutes, moving ahead for good. Somehow, Liverpool stayed close, but Miller’s 3-pointer with 30 seconds left made it 57-50 and sealed the verdict.
Jesse Gates had a solid showing, with 16 points, with Anthony Salomone adding 12 points. Cam Jones overcame early foul trouble to get nine points as Jeff Chase added eight points. Miller led both sides with 20 points, with Tom Murphy adding 13 points.
Liverpool’s record fell to 12-6, with games against Oswego and Corcoran remaining before the Feb. 15 announcement of the Section III Class AA playoff brackets.