What both of Jamesville-DeWItt’s basketball teams relished the most about this week’s activity was that they each won by big margins and didn’t have to stress at all.
Already with a 2-0 mark following opening-week wins over Fulton and Nottingham, the boys Red Rams went to Chittenango last Tuesday night and wasted little time jumping all over the Bears on the way to an easy 76-37 victory.
With both speed and pressure, J-D forced Chittenango (who was playing its season opener) into all sorts of first-game mistakes. By the time the Bears could settle down, the Rams enjoyed a 20-4 lead.
For a while, that margin didn’t move much, but in the third quarter J-D took off again, outscoring the Bears 20-7, which allowed the bench to see extended late action.
Jafar Kinsey still managed 23 points, while Dom DeRegis finished with 15 points. They were the only Rams in double figures, but all 12 J-D players that saw action got at least one point. Brian Cieplicki managed nine points as David Antosh (eight points) and Darius Cage (six points) were close behind.
In girls action, J-D started its week by hosting Chittenango, and the Red Rams’ defense proved stifling during a 63-20 romp over the Bears.
Chittenango’s best point total in any quarter was six, done in the opening period. Unimpressed by this, the Rams proceeded to take charge with a 19-5 second-quarter blitz, and kept pulling further away in the second half.
Eleven of the 12 J-D players that saw action recorded at least one field goal, a strong display of depth. Maddy Frank led with 14 points, while Angela Bussone managed 13 points. Meg Hair contributed seven points.
Both of J-D’s teams saw their Friday games with Mexico postponed due to winter snows. They each play just once next week, against Cortland on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Fayetteville-Manlius also had a game snowed out Friday, at Central Square – but it would play Saturday against Bishop Kearney (Section V) and prevail 61-55 to move to 2-1 on the season.
After taking a 15-10 first-quarter lead, the Hornets struggled in the game’s middle stages on the defensive side, allowing Kearney to catch up, and then inch out in front 44-43 with one period left.
But F-M retook the lead in the fourth quarter and made key free throws down the stretch to pull it out. Madison Beck led with 21 points, while Lauren Getman had 15 points and Erika Stube contributed 11 points. D’Jhai Patterson-Ricks managed eight points and Erica Assimon contributed six points.
The Hornets are home Friday to take on Corcoran before playing in a tournament Dec. 27-28 at Bishop Grimes.
