All that the Skaneateles boys basketball team had built up through a 7-2 start would get put to the ultimate test when it visited the reigning state and Federation Class B champions from Westhill on Friday night.
And the Lakers had some genuinely strong stretches of play, but not enough of them to keep up with the Warriors, who, led by the senior tandem of Jordan Roland and Tyler Reynolds, overwhelmed Skaneateles in an 84-51 decision.
For much of the first quarter, it was tight, but a Warriors surge at the end of the period produced a 22-13 Lakers deficit that carried over into the second quarter, where Westhill outscored Skaneateles 22-7 and extended its lead to 44-20.
To prevent a comeback, the Warriors’ defense honed in on Pete Knupp, never letting him get outside shots as he managed just four points, and regardless of what Knupp’s teammates did, they could not fully make up for his struggles.
Jake Reed led the Lakers with 16 points, most of it from four 3-pointers. Jake Peterson, Colin Foehl and Marc Pietropaoli put up nine points apiece.
Meanwhile, Roland, the reigning state Class B player of the year who will attend George Washington University this fall, was accumulating a season-high 31 points, tacking on seven rebounds and three assists. Reynolds contributed 17 points, while Jeff Lobello dished out 10 assists and added six rebounds.
Before that, the Lakers tuned up at Jordan-Elbridge last Tuesday, starting quickly and, after a mid-game slump, pulling away late for a 62-46 victory over the Eagles.
An 18-7 first-quarter outburst proved valuable for Skaneateles after J-E closed the gap to 24-18 by halftime. Then the Lakers picked up the tempo again, nearly doubling its output during the third period and building a 47-33 margin that the Eagles could not overcome.
Peterson and Knupp continued to provide inside-outside balance, with Peterson recording 18 points and Knupp adding 16 points, most of it from three 3-pointers.
Pietropaoli stepped up, too, finishing with 13 points to give Skaneateles a third option as Reed added nine points and Foehl got six points. On J-E’s side, Zach Wagner (14 points) and Ryan Cooper (11 points) hit double figures.
In a Laker duel next Tuesday, Skaneateles looks for a regular-season sweep of Cazenovia on its home court before venturing to Hannibal two nights later.
