A quartet of area boys basketball teams would climb into the Section III playoff fray during Friday night’s slate of opening-round games – and only one made it out.

Jamesville-DeWitt, gaining the no. 4 seed in Class A, was the only team that didn’t have to travel anywhere, meeting no. 13 seed Homer, a team it beat 80-64 exactly three weeks earlier, on Jan. 30, in a game where Isaiah Williams torched the Trojans for a career-high 29 points.

Here, Williams wasn’t as productive, but it didn’t matter, since the Rams unleashed all kinds of firepower on Homer and won by a more lopsided 77-49 margin.

In a sight familiar to long-time fans, the Rams pushed the tempo and left Homer far behind during a decisive first half. By the time they reached the locker room, J-D had a 40-13 lead, and it could afford to relax in the second half and trade baskets, knowing the Trojans wouldn’t catch them.

Eleven different Rams players had at least one field goal, but none had more than the 12 points put up by Dom DeRegis. Jacob Eich had 10 points and 10 rebounds, with Williams and James Boeheim also reaching that mark. It didn’t stop there, either, as Rahmel Smith had nine points, Brian Cieplicki eight points and Adrian Autry six points.

But while J-D got set for Tuesday’s Class A quarterfinal against no. 5 seed Cortland, East Syracuse Minoa, who had to make a strong push in the latter half of the regular season just to get into the sectional tournament, took its no. 10 seed on the road to face no. 7 seed Oneida, with a berth in the quarterfinals against no. 2 seed Christian Brothers Academy on the line.

Here, the Spartans would start fast, but could not make it stick, watching the Indians slowly make its way back and ultimately knock out ESM in a 59-56 decision.

Fueled by hot outside shooting from Brandon Breen, the Spartans grabbed a 15-7 lead through one quarter, and the margin got as large as 15 during the second period, Jah-Meer McDuffie providing a highlight dunk as part of the run.

What happened before halftime proved crucial, though. Oneida ran off seven straight points, cutting the deficit to 31-22, and while ESM ran the margin back to 13 early in the third period, the Indians were now starting to find its rhythm.

Helped along by an ESM technical fall, Oneida charged late in the period and moved within two, 41-39, as they entered the fourth quarter, which would include five lead changes and two ties.

It was Travis Moyer, scoring 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, that helped the Indians go in front for good. ESM extended the game with fouls, and had two chances to tie with 3-pointers in the final seconds, but made neither of them.

Breen, in defeat, had 20 points, with McDuffie adding 14 points. Eyan Underwood had nine points and Ty Barkins contributed eight points.

Bishop Grimes, with the no. 11 seed in Class B, visited no. 6 seed Institute of Technology Central, a team it beat twice, by margins of 71-65 and 66-47, in games 10 days apart in December.

More than two months later, everything had changed, as the Eagles showed by beating the Cobras 83-56. Mostly, the game was defined by Grimes’ inability to hang on the ball in the fact of ITC’s pressure, turning it over 25 times in 32 minutes of action.

ITC led, 23-10, after one period, setting a tone that would hold the rest of the night. By the fourth quarter, that margin had nearly doubled, to 61-36, as the Eagles saw James Walker get 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Iquail Dancil had 19 points and five rebounds.

Grimes, who finished its season with a 9-11 record, saw A.C. Ater and Johnny Wike each finish with 13 points, while Steve King had 10 points, Shawn Gashi nine points and Gianni Vigliotti six points.

In Class D, Manlius-Pebble Hill, fresh off its own late-season charge, also had the no. 11 seed, heading to a first-round game against no. 6 seed Owen D. Young in Van Hornesville, in Herkimer County, where the Trojans played hard, but lost to the Wildcats in a narrow 58-56 decision.

The Wildcats entered the game with a 13-6 mark, and proved its worth by withstanding a big night from Trojans star Joe Cerio, who piled up 30 points. But no other MPH player had more than Marcus Johnson’s total of six points as ODY’s Ryan Crouse managed a triple-double, earning 16 points, 23 rebounds and 10 blocks, and three others – Matt Crisman (13 points), Dustin Monk (12 points) and Max Crisman (11 points) – also reached double figures.