Big changes for each of West Genesee’s basketball programs have not changed what each of them want to accomplish. They’ll just make the attempt with some different people on the court for the boys side and on the bench for the girls side.

When it comes to boys basketball, the Wildcats have knocked on the door of major Class AA title contention plenty of times in recent years, but never broken through. In 2015-16, though, WG and head coach Fred Kent just might change that pattern.

Already with a strong returning class that featured senior Troy Temara (who is headed to George Mason University), the Wildcats got stronger when Malik Zachery, a star at Nottingham a season ago, moved into the district after leaving St. Benedict’s Prep in the summer.

In an ironic twist, the Wildcats’ season opener was at Nottingham, but Zachery did not play, still healing a broken wrist suffered two months ago. That didn’t bother WG too much, though, as a ferocious defensive effort keyed an impressive 51-27 victory over the Bulldogs.

Neither side was hot at the start, but WG broke out of it in the second quarter, also managing to hold Nottingham to a scant two points as it built up a 24-10 lead. Try as it could, the Bulldogs could not get any kind of rhythm going in the face of the Wildcats’ intense defense.

Thus, WG didn’t need to have big production from anyone, though Temara still finished with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Chris LaValle, with 13 points, was close behind, while Tyler Shoults had 10 points and Jack Bova added eight points.

The Wildcats, still without Zachery, went to the road again Friday to face Baldwinsville, who had dropped its opener to Liverpool. This game proved far tougher, WG not getting the same kind of defensive shutdown it had at Nottingham, but doing enough to fight past the Bees 53-50.

A poor start left the Wildcats trailing, 13-8, but it doubled its production in the second period and pulled even, 24-24. Now WG’s defense took hold, limiting B’ville to eight points in the third quarter and getting to a lead it would maintain through a tense homestretch.

Foul shots mattered, as Temara earned eight of his 14 points at the free-throw line, freeing things up for LaValle, who had a team-high 16 points. Bova, with six points, and Lucas Sutherland, with seven points, helped out, overcoming a Bees attack where Ryan Gell led with 12 points and Adam Seguin got 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Stafford Spreter is the new girls head coach at West Genesee, having taken over for Dan Hallinan. Spreter inherited a Wildcats squad that twice reached sectional finals in Hallinan’s tenure, but fell 62-56 to Rome Free Academy in last winter’s Class AA quarterfinals.

In the opening week of the season, the Wildcats would get a tough assignment, hosting 3-0 Baldwinsville on Thursday night. But at least it went there with some confidence after prevailing, 50-39, over Nottingham in Spreter’s coaching debut.

The start to each half proved important, WG racing out to a 17-8 edge on the Bulldogs in the first quarter. Still in front, 26-18 by halftime, the Wildcats then held Nottingham to five points in the third quarter, from which the visitors could not recover.

Eight different WG players earned at least one field goal, led by Haley Collins, who had 14 points. Sierra Smith finished with 10 points, while Camryn Chawgo picked up nine points. Nottingham’s Chyna Butler led both sides with 19 points.

This led to hosting B’ville, and it could not have started worse – yet the Wildcats nearly made it all the way back in a 49-42 defeat to the Bees.

Under intense pressure from the outset, WG had just two points in the first quarter, and though it warmed up a bit, it still trailed, 26-10, at halftime. Gradually, though, the Wildcats ate away at that deficit, especially in the fourth quarter, to make it nervous for the visitors.

Mackenzie Smith, with 10 points, led a well-balanced attack where Chawgo and Collins had eight points apiece and Sierra Smith and Elle Lazore, with six points apiece, were close behind. B’ville forward Riley Carlucci dominated in the paint with 16 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks, while Emily Pascale added 16 points and nine rebounds.

WG’s girls are on the road this week, going to Corcoran Tuesday and Norwich on Friday night. The boys Wildcats would meet Corcoran in its home opener on Tuesday and visit Cicero-North Syracuse on Friday.