West Genesee’s boys basketball team did not lock up a playoff berth until last Tuesday’s game at Baldwinsville, where the Bees, desperate to keep its own post-season hopes alive, dragged it into overtime before the Wildcats took over in that extra period and won 64-55.
It was close from start to finish in regulation. B’ville led, 12-10, after one period, only to have WG move out in front and stay there through the game’s middle stages, the Bees leaning on its defense to not let the Wildcats get away.
During a tense fourth quarter, B’ville, trailing 38-36, did enough to get back even, and both teams missed chances to win it, sending it to overtime 54-54.
Yet all the Bees could manage in that four-minute extra period was a single free throw. WG would do much more, and get away as Nick Cunningham finished with 23 points, Troy Temara added 15 points and Derek Jones added 11 points.
For the Bees, only Tim Marshall, with 17 points, reached double figures. Ben DiOrio dished out 13 assists and grabbed five rebounds to go with nine points as Devyn McLeod added seven points and seven rebounds. John Brecht also got seven points.
This led to Thursday night’s game against Nottingham, yet another chance for WG to knock off a prime Class AA title contender that led to yet another close, hard-fought defeat, the Bulldogs prevailing by a 55-53 margin.
From the outset, the Wildcats dictated the tempo, and Nottingham had a difficult time adjusting to it, especially when it scored just six points in the second quarter, allowing WG to grab a 22-18 halftime lead.
But led by guard Malik Zachery, who finished with 24 points, the Bulldogs outscored the Wildcats 17-9 in the third period to go back in front, proceeding to hang on amid a flurry of baskets from Cunningham, who had 29 points, including five 3-pointers. Temara finished with 11 points.
Marcellus, who was seeing its post-season hopes slip away, lost last Tuesday to Oswego, 60-56, a game made more painful by the fact that the Mustangs, down 21-14, had rallied and taken a 44-38 lead to the final period.
But then the Buccaneers, still trying to get into the sectional tournament, outscored Marcellus 22-12 in the final period, negating another big night from Mike Melnyczuk, whose 28 points included five 3-pointers. Mike Dillon added 14 points and Kyle Gangemi eight points as Zach Gillard (19 points) and Josh Lazzaro (14 points) led Oswego’s comeback.
On Friday night, Marcellus did prevail, 60-52, over Chittenango, largely because Melnyczuk got some help on the offensive end and the defense held the Bears to four points in the first quarter, the margin eventually growing to 47-31 by the end of the third period.
Melnyczuk still led with 18 points, most of it from four 3-pointers, but Gavin Hoey chimed in with 15 points and Dillon got 12 points. Charlie Rogalia had eight rebounds to go with his seven points as Matt Milliman paced Chittenango with 16 points.
