Blake Bagozzi may have never experienced anything close to the zone he entered during the Solvay boys basketball team’s game against Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Friday night, and he might never go there again.
But at least it happened once.
Bagozzi’s outrageous shooting night, which included 11 successful 3-point attempts, helped the Bearcats fend off the Rebels 85-66 and overshadowed anything else on the local scene on the last Friday before Christmas, even Jordan-Elbridge’s wild comeback win over Phoenix and Bishop Ludden’s easy victory over Marcellus.
Prior to this game, Bagozzi had rarely topped 20 points. Here, he produced 42 points, all part of a record-setting night where Solvay set a school mark by connecting 17 times beyond the arc.
All of it was necessary, too. APW’s Sage Bartlett was busy torching Solvay’s defense for 36 points, but even he couldn’t match what Bagozzi was doing.
After missing his first four 3-point attempts, Bagozzi would make 11 of the remaining 15, constantly finding space and constantly converting, much to the astonishment of both sides.
Solvay built up most of its lead in the first half, gaining a 47-33 edge by the break, and maintained it thanks to Bagozzi and significant help from three of his teammates. Jon Scutt had 14 points, while Sammy Kippen chipped in 11 points and Mike Yaizzo added 10 points. Jake Dippold had six points.
The fact that Bagozzi went so wild contrasted the lopsided nature of Bishop Ludden’s game at Marcellus, where the Gaelic Knights, tuning up for its own holiday tournament, handled the Mustangs from start to finish in a 67-36 decision.
A week removed from a narrow 63-62 defeat at Jamesville-DeWitt on Dec. 12, Ludden shut down Marcellus during an 18-5 first-quarter spurt. By halftime, it was 38-16, and no matter what the Mustangs tried to get itself going, the Gaelic Knights would quickly stifle it.
Jack Rauch led Ludden with 15 points. Freshman guard Mika Adams-Woods had 12 points, while Will Engelhardt managed 10 points. Zach Walser, Mike Tagliamonte and Matt Hosek had six points apiece. Marcellus, in defeat, only saw Mike Melnyczuk (10 points) reach double figures as Mike Dillon added eight points and Gavin Hoey six points.
Jordan-Elbridge went to overtime against visiting Phoenix and knocked off the Firebirds, 58-54, completing an amazing comeback.
Over the course of the first three periods, Phoenix had steadily built a 38-25 lead. All of it vanished, though, as J-E pressure led to turnovers and plenty of baskets during a stunning 18-5 finish to regulation.
And that carried over into the four-minute overtime period, where J-E outscored the Firebirds 15-11 to pull it out, the rally led by Zach Wagner, who finished with 20 points. Ryan Cooper, with 12 points, and Kyle Humberstone, with nine points, also made big baskets down the stretch.
Westhill, the state’s top-ranked Class B team, hammered Hannibal 70-13 on its way to Binghamton for the Stop DWI Classic.
The one-sided game included a third-quarter shutout as Steven Bailey, seeing extended minutes, set a career mark with 22 points, nine more than the entire Hannibal roster, while Dan O’Connell had 12 points and Tyler Reynolds added 10 points. Jordan Roland, Ryan Roland and Brian Daily had six points apiece.
Solvay didn’t have a letdown after Bagozzi’s barrage against APW, going to Chittenango’s holiday tournament Monday night and using another prolonged outburst to put away the host Bears 61-43
This time, it came in the second quarter, and was far more collective as the Bearcats, up 10-9, went on a 30-8 rampage for the rest of the half that saw a wide variety of contributors help the cause.
Bagozzi, in fact, had just nine points, with John Dippold producing a team-beat 11 points. Scutt and Matt Yaizzo joined Bagozzi with that nine-point total as Jake Dippold contributed eight points. Chittenango, in defeat, got a game-high 21 points from Matt Milliman.
Solvay could not carry that momentum over into Tuesday night’s final against Bishop Grimes, falling to the Cobras 53-43. A low-scoring first half saw the Bearcats inch out in front, 19-18, by the break, but Grimes reclaimed the lead in the third quarter and kept it.
Scutt remained in good form, producing 19 points, while Bagozzi’s 13 points included a trio of 3-pointers. Luciano Vigliotti led the Cobras with 13 points, with A.C. Ater and Austin DiRienzo adding 11 points apiece.
