Tournament week was a busy one as boys basketball teams from Fayetteville-Manlius, Bishop Grimes and Manlius-Pebble Hill had varying results in wildly varying venues.
F-M’s path took it to the Hilton Invitational, west of Rochester, where in Monday’s opening round against Greece Arcadia the short-handed Hornets pulled away late to beat the Titans 64-57.
Working without senior forward David Stegemann in the lineup, F-M steadily built a 37-29 halftime lead. Arcadia closed within two, 52-50, entering the fourth quarter, but the Hornets’ defense limited the Titans to just seven points in those final eight minutes.
Nick Quilty-Koval hit four 3-pointers, finished with 20 points and added six rebounds. Jake Wittig put up nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals to go with his 14 points as Cormac Bettinger (11 points, eight rebounds) and Jimmy Barnes (eight points) each did strong work inside to compensate for Stegemann’s absence.
In Tuesday night’s final, F-M met the hosts from Hilton, and contributions from likely (Wittig and Bettinger) and unlikely (Fernando Johnson) sources helped the Hornets hang on to beat the Cadets 48-43.
A quick start had F-M in front, 18-7, through one period. Though Hilton closed the gap to five, 20-15, during the second quarter, the Hornets restored that margin, and then some, threatening to get away as it gained a 40-24 lead by the third period.
All of a sudden, F-M went cold, and the Cadets charged down the stretch, not letting up until it had pulled within two, 45-43, with less than a minute to play.
Now needing a basket, the Hornets, with Wittig smothered, found Johnson – and with 33 seconds left, the junior reserve hit a clutch 3-pointer, ultimately clinching F-M’s tournament title.
Wittig garnered MVP honors after a night where he poured in 17 points, adding eight assists and four steals. Bettinger had 11 points and six rebounds, with Quilty-Koval making up for cold shooting with nine rebounds and three assists.
Much closer to home, Bishop Grimes would try to win Pool F of the “More Than A Game” Holiday Classic at SRC Arena when it met Skaneateles in last Tuesday night’s championship game, a tough battle that ended in a 63-58 defeat to the Lakers.
This game went back and forth most of the way. Skaneateles twice had a double-digit first-half lead, only to see Grimes erase that deficit and briefly go in front in the last minute of the second quarter the Lakers tied it, 31-31, going into the break.
The third quarter repeated that pattern, Skaneateles going in front 43-35, the Cobras countering with a 10-0 run to close the period and move in front, 45-43, with one period left.
Not until Knupp’s pair of free throws with 5:43 left did the Lakers take the lead for good. It was all part of an 11-0 spurt that gave the Lakers a 56-47, but it still wasn’t over as the Cobras pulled back within three, 56-53, with less than two minutes left.
What cost Grimes, ultimately, was poor free-throw shooting. Twice down the stretch, Skaneateles committed fouls on 3-point attempts, but each time the Cobras only made one of the three attempts, allowing the Lakers to stay in front.
Fittingly, it was Pete Knupp’s rebound basket with 1:08 left, plus two more free throws, that sealed the victory. Named tournament MVP, Knupp poured in 34 points, including four 3-pointers and 14 successful free throws,.
Johnny Wike, with 11 points, and Austin DeRienzo, with 10 points, led a more balanced Cobras attack, while Luciano Vigliotti and Mark Shattuck each had seven points, but A.C. Ater had just five points before fouling out. Grimes will meet the Lakers again on Jan. 22.
To get there, the Cobras first had to get past Solvay, 50-44, in a tough opening-round game, rising above the .500 mark (5-4) for the first time this winter, though it wouldn’t last long.
Before all that, MPH finished third in the Steve Camelbeek Holiday Tournament in DeRuyter on Dec. 26-27 – though, to be fair, the Trojans didn’t have the easiest opening-round assignment.
All MPH had to do was try and topple unbeaten, state Class D no. 1-ranked New York Mills, who is also the defending state champions. And while the Trojans were quite game, it could not quite pull off the task, falling to the Marauders 54-39.
A stifling Mills defense kept MPH uncomfortable all game long, and most of the margin was established in the first half, where the Marauders grabbed a 33-19 edge.
Trying to rally, the Trojans got 12 points from Bryce Church, eight points from Jon Cerio and six points from Josh Annan, but it was far from enough. Luke Sunderlin led Mills with 15 points, while teammate Griffin Baur added 11 points.
At least MPH recovered a day later to beat host DeRuyter 49-35 in the consolation game, overcoming an early 13-9 deficit with a 21-9 spurt to close the first half and then outscoring the Rockets 13-3 in the third period to put things away.
Gerrit Church managed 15 points, with brother Bryce Church adding 11 points. Cerio (nine points) and Annan (eight points) weren’t far behind as Josh Phelps led DeRuyter with 11 points, the only one on his side to score in double figures.
