True, the big challenges still lie ahead for the West Genesee boys basketball team. But it is already getting close to matching last season’s modest five-win total.
The Wildcats are 3-0 under first-year head coach Fred Kent, having dominated Blessed Virgin Mary in last Thursday’s home opener in a 90-30 decision.
Fresh off its season-opening tournament victory in the Scranton (Pa.) area on Dec. 10 and 11, WG did not suffer too much for losing two practices last week to the winter snows.
Against an overmatched Blessed Virgin Mary squad, the Wildcats steadily built a 46-22 halftime lead, then held the visitors to a cant eight points in the second half.
Eric Spencer nearly matched BVM by himself, finishing with 25 points, mostly off 12 successful field goals. Mike LaValle hit five 3-pointers to account for most of his 17 points. Corey Herrington finished with 11 points as Adam Wierbinski (eight points), Sean Howard (seven points) and Scott Sidnam (six points) made solid contributions.
By stark contrast, West Genesee’s girls basketball team had a real struggle on that same night, going to Utica Proctor and losing to the Raiders 69-23 to fall to 1-2 on the season.
The game got away in the second quarter. WG, down 16-9, could only watch as Proctor outscored them 22-3 the rest of the half.
No single player got more than the five points put up by Marie Temara, Marissa Hudgins and Vicki Graveline. Meanwhile, Proctor senior Brianna Kiesel, her school’s all-time leading scorer (she’s going to Pittsburgh next year), had 17 points as teammate Barrie Brooks added 18 points.
As WG’s girls rest until the Dec. 28-29 Marcellus Tournament, the boys Wildcats went for four in a row Tuesday, at Watertown, before getting ready for Bishop Ludden’s Rosemary Corcoran Holiday Classic on Dec. 27 and 28.
