On Friday night, three local high school basketball teams saw action – and each of them would get beat.
Hamilton, by far, had the most frustration. Still in search of its first win of the season, the Emerald Knights came within a field goal against Rome Catholic – but still fell short in a 58-54 loss to the Red Wings.
Trying to break its five-game skid, Hamilton had another poor start, unable to generate much offense as Rome Catholic raced out to a 28-16 halftime lead.
Attempting to rally, the Emerald Knights made up most of the deficit in the third quarter, but could not quite catch up as Mike Jones and Coley Graham each had 10 points. John Andrzejek had eight points, while Keith Upton go six points.
All game long, the Red Wings’ Zach Rowlands tore up Hamilton’s defense, as he finished with 28 points and eight assists. Josh Blair added 13 points and 20 rebounds.
By stark contrast, Morrisville-Eaton, even with its 3-2 mark, never got close against unbeaten West Canada Valley, who backed up its state Class C no. 9 ranking by whipping the Warriors 92-41.
A 23-8 first quarter set the tone for the rest of the night. M-E had a second-quarter offensive burst, as Ben Thomas finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while Will Thomas got 11 points and Shane Carroll seven points. Still, WCV had far too much, as five players scored in double figures, led by Jared Sudderly’s total of 20 points.
Meanwhile, Canastota met up with Mount Markham, and stayed close for much of the night before falling to the Mustangs 60-47. The Raiders only trailed 30-26 at the break, but got held to seven points in the third quarter as Mount Markham built the margin to double digits.
