Perhaps, with the long cold spell finally breaking late in the week, everyone could resume a normal work load, including the Cazenovia boys basketball team.
For the second time in less than a week, the Lakers’ home game against Phoenix got postponed, something they’ll try to fit in again next Wednesday night.
But things did warm up enough for the Lakers to play a game on Thursday night that was long anticipated, though not for the normal reasons.
The last time Cazenovia had faced Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, on Dec. 17 at Buckley Gym, it was a perfect storm of the Lakers making every conceivable shot (including 12 3-pointers, five of them from Ryman Seeley) and the Rebels not making anything, the end result a 99-17 rout that left both sides stunned.
More than a month later, and now in APW’s gym, the Lakers knew that an 82-point winning margin wouldn’t happen. The once-humiliated Rebels got off to an inspired start and forced the issue on Cazenovia, making it work all the way to prevail by single digits, 61-53.
Just the sight of the blue and gold seem to do something for APW, because it started hot and, by the time the Lakers could regroup at the end of the first quarter, it trailed 19-9. That’s right, the Rebels had more points in eight minutes here than it did in the entire first meeting.
Slowly, Cazenovia worked out of its trouble, closing the gap to just one, 29-28, by halftime, and then taking charge with a 23-10 push through the third quarter. Even then, APW showed plenty of spirit as it made the Lakers work all the way to the wire.
Ross Gerber, with 23 points, led Cazenovia’s comeback. Ryan Henderson finished with 12 points as Keaton Ackermann got into double figures with 11 points. No other Laker had more than one field goal as Sage Bartlett led APW with 22 points.
That win improved Cazenovia’s mark to 12-2, with a big home game looming next Tuesday against 11-win Institute of Technology Central before the twice-delayed Phoenix game on Wednesday and a Friday visit from Jordan-Elbridge.
