About the only thing more satisfying for the Skaneateles boys basketball team than one victory over Marcellus is getting two of them in the same season.
Having already conquered the Mustangs once this winter, the Lakers did so again last Friday night, rallying late in each half to erase deficits and, aided by hot outside shooting at key moments, emerging victorious by a 68-63 margin.
This game bore little resemblance to their Dec. 29 meeting at SRC Arena, where Skaneateles parlayed a 38-16 first-half blitz into a comfortable 67-48 win.
Here, Marcellus kept pace in the opening period and even took a 16-13 before it looked like the Lakers would roll again, zooming in front 30-26 before they reached halftime.
Unfazed by this, Marcellus turned to guard Mike Melnyczuk, who earned many of his 29 points in the third quarter to help the Mustangs grab a 49-45 lead. Again, though, the Lakers absorbed this and hit back, using a barrage of outside shots to go back in front to stay during the final minutes.
Far more than Marcellus, Skaneateles spread its production around. Melnyczuk was the lone Mustang to score in double figures, but for the Lakers, Pete Knupp earned 17 points, mostly from four 3-poitners, while Jake Reed managed 15 points, Marc Pietropaoli got 14 points and Colin Foehl added 12 points. Jake Peterson chimed in, too, earning eight points.
Earlier in the week, Skaneateles faced Homer, and if ever a final score masked what really happened, it did here.
The Lakers beat the Trojans 63-54, which suggested that it was, at least for some portion of the game, a close contest that may have turned a bit more lopsided through late free-throw shooting.
But that didn’t happen here. Skaneateles flattened Homer from the opening tip, playing tight defense as it grabbed a 14-6 first-quarter edge and then outscored the Trojans 23-10 the rest of the half.
This momentum carried over into the third quarter, too, and by the time the shell-shocked Trojans could regroup, Skaneateles had a 56-27 lead. The only reason it got so close was that the Lakers pulled its starters, and Homer closed the game 27-7 to erase some of the earlier troubles.
Pete Knupp’s 21 points included four 3-pointers, while Jake Peterson put together a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds, plus four blocks. Jake Reed, with 12 points, and Marc Pietropaoli, with 10 points, also got to double figures.
That gave Skaneateles 10 victories and clinched a winning mark, but it was far from done, as it would show against Marcellus. The 11-5 Lakers had Monday night’s game at Altmar-Parish-Williamstown snowed out.