Anyone, outside the inner circle of players and coaches, that expected the West Genesee boys basketball team to beat Liverpool last Tuesday night had to be crazy.
After all, the Wildcats were 2-8, spinning toward the cellar of the CNY Counties League, while the Warriors were 7-3, breezing toward another post-season appearance behind high-scoring senior forward Jesse Gates.
For one game, though, the crazy turned into downright normal.
WG played its best defense of the entire season in the first half, built a big early lead, then held on quite easily to put together a 66-55 win in front of a stunned — but elated — home crowd in Camillus.
Everything that had gone wrong for 10 games turned around in the first half against Liverpool. A balanced, well-coordinated WG attack produced baskets on a regular basis — but more importantly, the defense proved suffocating, holding Liverpool to a handful of field goals.
All told, it meant a 35-18 halftime lead, and though Gates had 21 points and would lead a strong second-half effort, the Wildcats stayed calm and in control, using solid offensive work to complete the task.
In contrast to Gates, WG had four players score in double figures. Nick Wood had 14 points, while Eric Spencer gained 13 points. Colin Monroe chipped in with 11 points as Tyler Carr got 10 points. Not far behind them, Brian Burns earned seven points and Greg Wadach contributed six points.
Now the trick was to see if the Wildcats could do it again in Friday’s home game against red-hot Henninger.
But WG could not pull it off again, losing to the Black Knights 57-45. Hanging close, the Wildcats, down 27-21 at halftime, pulled within 38-35 before the fourth quarter started, but strong free-throw shooting allowed Henninger to get clear.
Spencer still finished with 18 points to lead both sides, but no one else hit double figures as Monroe had nine points and Burns got six points.
On the Black Knights’ side, Kadeem Johnson led with 13 points, with Tevin Chisholm hitting all six of his free throws in the fourth quarter on his way to nine points. All told, seven different Henninger players had six or more points.
WG’s girls team lost last Tuesday at Liverpool, 49-42, as an early 12-8 lead dissipated in the second quarter. The Warriors outscored the Wildcats 26-16 in the middle two periods, which proved to be the difference.
Carly DiCocco led WG with 12 points, while Kailey Ritch, Deanna Apps and Nicole Belko earned six points apiece. Liverpool saw Lyteshia Price and Ally Zywicki each score 17 points.
But the Wildcats would bounce back at Henninger Friday night, topping the Black Knights 57-55 in a game not decided until the final seconds.
They went back and forth in the first half, WG falling behind 14-7 before a strong surge produced a 23-20 halftime lead. Eventually, the Wildcats’ margin grew to 43-34, but it had to hold on down the stretch as Henninger nearly caught up.
Belko hit on three 3-pointers and, with 15 points, led a well-balanced Wildcat offense. Katie Kolinski had 14 points, while DiCocco got 12 points and Apps picked up 11 points. For Henninger, Laquiesha Jenkins (17 points), Shalisia Jackson (15 points) and Jonitta Wallace (14 points) all had strong showings.
With an overall record of 6-7, WG’s girls team will take on Cicero-North Syracuse and Oswego this week, with the boys Wildcats also meeting the Northstars and Buccaneers.
