Again, the Skaneateles boys basketball team is finding out just how difficult it is to compete within the Onondaga High School League Liberty division, but at least it holds bragging rights over Marcellus in a manner rarely seen in a regular season.
When the Lakers faced the Mustangs last Thursday night, it marked the third time this season they had squared off – and also marked the third time Skaneateles won as it overcame a rough start and steadily worked its way past Marcellus 64-58.
Twice in the opening month of the season, they had met, first at Skaneateles on Dec. 8, where the host Lakers prevailed 66-55 and then again on Dec. 28 at SRC Arena, where it ended 67-52 and, once more, Marcellus was on the wrong end of it.
Tired of this, and glad at a third opportunity against Skaneateles, the Mustangs played a terrific first quarter and grabbed a 15-8 lead. Yet most of that lead was gone by halftime, the Lakers steadily gaining ground and only trailing by a single point, 28-27, at intermission.
Once it went in front in the third quarter, Skaneateles made sure Marcellus didn’t stage its own comeback, turning again to Pete Knupp, who drew defensive attention all night, getting eight of his 21 points at the free-throw line.
Jake Reed hit four 3-pointers and had 17 points overall, while Marc Pietropaoli had 10 points. Zach Blair added nine points and Ben Delasin six points as, for Marcellus, Mike Melnyczuk produced 17 points and Tom Fiacchi added 12 points.
In its first game of 2016, the Lakers hosted Syracuse’s Institute of Technology Central last Tuesday night, and Knupp put up plenty of points – but the Lakers also surrendered baskets, too, enough of them to absorb a 70-67 defeat to the Eagles.
Sporting a 5-3 record going into the game, ITC established a quick pace that, for the most part, Skaneateles kept up with, only trailing 20-16 through one period. It mostly stayed that way until the third quarter, when more point production helped the Eagles’ margin grow to 53-45.
Down the stretch, the Lakers pushed back and Knupp continued to tear up ITC’s defense, not stopping until he had set a career mark with 44 points. Yet the Eagles didn’t mind all of those baskets from Knupp because, other than Knupp and Reed (who had 13 points), Skaneateles had just four field goals, two each by Pietropaoli and Blair.
Between them, ITC teammates James Walker (24 points) and Iquail Dancil (22 points) just topped Knupp’s big total, but the extra help from Tr’Von Balaam, who finished with 15 points, helped push the Eagles to victory.
The third win over Marcellus pushed the Lakers’ record to 7-4, but it still needs to beat Solvay next Wednesday to lock up a Section III Class B playoff berth as a brutal weekend of games loomed against Bishop Grimes Friday and then, on Saturday, against Westhill in the Zebra Classic at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall.
