In racing out to a 3-0 start and winning its division at the Cataract Classic in Niagara Falls, the Liverpool boys basketball team had established that it had a dependable star in junior Tyler Sullivan and the kind of depth that most opponents could envy. When the Warriors get in a tough spot, though, it can’t entirely lean on Sullivan. And that’s what made Thursday night’s 61-54 victory over Central Square in Thursday night’s home opener so encouraging, because the pivotal late-game run depended on other players, such as Nate Cutler and Naz Johnson. The visiting Red Hawks entered the night at 1-1, having split opening-week games against East Syracuse-Minoa (a 44-38 loss) and Fowler (a 51-36 win), but it got thrown out of rhythm by missing two days of practice due to the midweek winter storm. Thus, when Central Square faced the intense heat of Liverpool’s man-to-man pressure defense, it had all kinds of early difficulty, managing just two field goals in the first quarter. Liverpool wasn’t much better, though, unable to hit on all kinds of open shots and committing plenty of turnovers, even as it led 11-5 at the end of the first quarter. Sullivan sensed these struggles and netted 10 of his 26 points in the second period, capped by a three-point play that extended the Warriors’ lead to 26-13. But the Red Hawks closed the half on a 7-0 run as Ethan Williams’ banked-in 3-point shot made it 26-20 at the break. Central Square’s momentum carried over into the second half, as it eventually put together a 16-4 run that cut the Warriors’ margin to one, 30-29. Though Liverpool stretched the margin back out to seven late in the third quarter, the Red Hawks closed back within two, 40-38, early in the final period. Try as it could, though, Central Square never pulled back even, despite a handful of chances to do so. Instead, two Liverpool reserves, Cutler (a junior) and Johnson (a freshman), helped the hosts regain control for good. Of Cutler’s nine points, seven of them came in the fourth quarter as part of the decisive 16-5 run. Johnson, too, took on a larger role, notching five of his 12 points during that last period, which allowed Sullivan to focus on applying the defensive pressure that helped seal a fourth consecutive victory. Liverpool has one more game before the holiday break, playing next Friday at Nottingham before heading to Bishop Ludden’s Rosemary Corcoran Holiday Classic on Dec. 26-27, where it will face Utica-Notre Dame in the opening round.