On a cold Friday evening, the rivalry between Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool warmed up again on the basketball court, and the Northstars got the best of both sides.
The girls Northstars went on the road and used a big third quarter to complete a regular-season sweep and prevail 65-48, while back home the C-NS boys avenged an earlier defeat to the Warriors by a score of 72-60.
Though it was favored in the girls game, C-NS fully expected a tougher time with Liverpool, who had improved plenty since a 60-35 defeat to the Northstars on Dec. 18, and the first half bore that out.
Even though it led by as much as six on three different occasions in the opening two periods, C-NS saw Liverpool battle back and, with three consecutive baskets from Amanda Barnell, forged a 23-23 tie going into the break.
But whatever was said in the locker room translated into a C-NS surge once the second half got underway.
Six points in less than a minute, four of them by Jessica Cook, gave the Northstars the lead for good, and by the time the Warriors could settle down, C-NS had put together a 22-5 run.
Cook had eight points in that pivotal third quarter and 15 overall in the second half, giving her 23 for the night, but her teammates contributed plenty, too.
Julia Rowe finished with 10 points, while Morgan Siechen gained nine points, Mackenzie White and Alexandra Miller earned eight points apiece as Barnell gained 13 points to pace the Warriors, Lexi Emmi adding eight points.
As this was going on, the C-NS boys were attempting to get even for the 72-55 defeat it took at Liverpool back in December, which was the Warriors’ first win of the season following an 0-5 start.
Liverpool was seeking a playoff-clinching eighth win, but ran into the Northstars’ formidable trio of Justin DelVecchio, Nick DeMonte and Anthony Tricarico, who hit all but three of the team’s field goals.
A fast-paced first quarter saw C-NS go in front, and though both teams cooled off the rest of the half, the Northstars maintained a 27-23 edge going into intermission.
Just as in the girls game, the third quarter proved important. C-NS (9-6) outscored Liverpool 20-13 in that frame, and remained productive down the stretch even as the Warriors tried to rally.
DelVecchio led with 24 points and Tricarico added 18 points, but they did their most damage at the free-throw line, combining to hit 18 free throws. DeMonte worked inside and earned 21 points.
No one on Liverpool’s roster could match that production. Kyle Caves led the Warriors with 13 points, while Kyle Butler and Ryan Valentine had 11 points apiece. Alex Ruston added eight points.
Before all this, the Liverpool girls first took on Rome Free Academy last Tuesday night, and it wasn’t that easy of a game, but solid work in the middle stages allowed the Warriors to defeat the Black Knights 61-50.
During the course of the second and third quarters, Liverpool outscored RFA 33-23, and spread things around, too, even though Amanda Barnell again led the way thanks to her 20 points.
Karlyssa Shifflett finished with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Victoria Morgan and Michelle Lonczak also connected twice beyond the arc as Morgan got seven points and Lonczak joined Neveah Wingate, each earning six points.
And after its loss to C-NS, the Liverpool boys hosted Edison Tech (Section V) on Saturday and, by earning a 63-46 victory, assured itself a sectional Class AA tournament berth.
Edison was up, 25-22, before Liverpool outscored them 28-8 in the third quarter. Lateef Edwards stepped up with a career-best 17 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Jacob Works gained 15 points and Ruston gained 14 points.
