Perhaps the East Syracuse-Minoa boys basketball team is turning a corner toward serious contention in the OHSL Freedom division and Section III Class A ranks.
Already 2-0, the Spartans earned its biggest win in years when it came from behind last Tuesday night against Christian Brothers Academy and knocked off the Brothers 57-47.
No doubt, it helped that ESM had not played since a Dec. 9 rout of Marcellus and, in the meantime, CBA had opened with two difficult games (a loss to Henninger and a win over Bishop Ludden) and were playing for the third time in four days.
Still, led by senior guard Aaron Morgan’s hot early shooting, the Brothers bolted to a 6-0 lead, keeping ESM off the board for more than four minutes, and stretched the margin to 18-8 early in the second quarter.
Once it settled down, though, the Spartans got back in the game with a 7-0 run. And it turned the game in its favor in the closing minutes of the half with a 9-2 spurt, capped by baskets from Dan MacDougall and Connor Haynes that pushed ESM in front 24-22 going to the break.
Fueled by that finish, the Spartans dominated the Brothers on both ends in the third quarter, outscoring them 17-7. And in the homestretch, any time CBA threatened, ESM had an answer to stay comfortably out in front.
Bench production was a big factor, as reserves Jeff McDuffie, with 15 points, and Tyler Johnson, with 10 points, both had big nights. Keith Caiello added 12 points, while Bobby Campese produced eight points.
On CBA’s side, Morgan had a career-best 21 points, while Jack Pfohl earned six of his 10 points at the free-throw line.
But Charlie Russo, so pivotal in the win over Ludden, managed just a single field goal as ESM’s defense did a strong job containing him, while center Dylan Haines (seven points) also struggled after injuring his shooting hand in the early going.
