What the Cazenovia boys basketball team found out was that having a terrific 2014-15 season was both great and terrible at the same time.

The fun was in building up a 16-5 record and advancing to the Section III Class B semifinals. The misfortune was that it came at the same time that Westhill was making a historic run at back-to-back state and Federation championships.

So it only figured that Westhill would end Cazenovia’s run in Sunday’s sectional semifinal at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall, the state no. 1-ranked Warriors putting away the Lakers 74-38.

It was a score nearly identical to the 70-36 margin Westhill built up when it first met Cazenovia Jan. 23 at Buckley Gym. Less than six weeks later, the Lakers were determined to make it more of a fight, but the Warriors had other plans.

Part of Westhill’s motivation was that it had lost the last time it had visited Allyn Hall, a 59-48 defeat to Henninger on Jan. 31. That did not sit well with the Warriors, as the Lakers quickly found out.

Both teams had a quiet start, but that started to change late in the first quarter as a string of baskets helped Westhill build a 16-7 lead. But the big move came early in the second period, when Ryan Roland’s outside shooting ignited a 14-6 run.

Not content with that, Westhill got points from five different players in a 10-0 spurt late in the half. Only Kevin Ridings’ 3-pointer stopped that string, but Cazenovia still trailed, 40-18, at the break.

All through those pivotal early stages, Westhill’s man-to-man defense honed in on denying the ball to Ryan Henderson, the Lakers’ hottest hand throughout the sectional tournament. Henderson, indeed, would struggle throughout the game.

By far, Cazenovia’s brightest spot on this day was Kevin Ridings. During the third quarter, Ridings got hot from the field, earning 12 of his team-high 17 points.

Despite this, Westhill still stretched out its lead to 60-33. Jordan Roland picked up nine of his 23 points during that period, and when the margin got to 64-33 early in the fourth quarter, all of Westhill’s starters went out of the game, a berth in the sectional final against Syracuse Academy of Science secured.

Finishing at 16-6, Cazenovia will have to replace a large senior class that includes Ridings, Henderson, Evan Cornell and Keaton Ackermann. Jake Shaffner will be the Lakers’ top returning scorer next winter.