On the brink of its biggest victory of the season, the West Genesee boys basketball team saw the prize slip away – and then saw that hurt linger through the weekend.
At one point in the third quarter of last Thursday night’s game against visiting Liverpool, the Wildcats led by 13 points, but it could not hold on, watching the Warriors make a stunning late comeback to pull it out by a 69-63 margin.
All the signs pointed in WG’s favor. Not only was it well-rested following a nine-day break, it was dealing with a Liverpool side that, after its own 8-1 start under first-year coach (and former Syracuse University basketball great) Ryan Blackwell, had lost back-to-back games to Rochester Aquinas and Henninger.
It was a special occasion on all fronts, with WG saluting military members by welcoming returning veterans at halftime and even having head coach Fred Kent and his staff wear blue-and-gold camouflage shirts instead of the usual suit and tie.
And it could not have started better. WG’s senior guard, Jack Bova, tore up Liverpool’s defense for a string of first-quarter baskets, scoring 14 points, most of it from four 3-pointers, including one right before the horn that created a 24-11 Wildcats margin.
Fortunately for the Warriors, Bova cooled off – and by halftime, Liverpool’s deficit was just seven, 41-34, but then WG ran its lead back to double digits and had a 51-38 edge midway through the third period,
And then it all fell apart.
Liverpool’s rally started not with offense, but with reserve guard Jordan Caviness taking his turn defending Malik Zachery, and holding him in check after he earned most of his 22 points in the first two periods.
Not only did Zachery struggle to score again, he couldn’t go after Liverpool’s leading scorer, Tyler Sullivan. Consequently, Sullivan started hitting shots while, at the same time, the Warriors made it miserable for the Wildcats, who managed just one field goal in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter.
Liverpool tied it, 54-54, and then Sullivan, who scored 10 of his 22 points in the final period, fed Devin Mederios for the go-ahead basket with 3:50 left. The defense continued to shine, forcing WG to foul and see Nate Cutler hit six late free throws to seal the win.
Nate Cutler had 15 points and Will Cutler 13 points as Naj Johnson finished with 11 points. WG had to rely on its guards because its star forward, Troy Temara, managed just four points, though Zachery, Bova and Chris LaValle (who each finished with 17 points) nearly made up for it.
All of this left WG burning with anger as it went to Utica Proctor on Saturday afternoon, a rematch of their epic Dec. 29 overtime battle at SRC Arena where the Wildcats needed Zachery’s 36 points and Temara’s 31 points to prevail, 84-81, and overcome the Raiders’ Jalen Hawkins netting 42 points.
Now they met again, but this one did not go to overtime, nor did it have gaudy individual numbers. Instead, the improved Raiders got even by defeating WG 69-57, mostly on the strength of a second half where it outscored the Wildcats 41-30.
What’s more, Hawkins, with 24 points, got some help from his teammates, including Ramel Poole, who had 15 points, and Landon Johnson, who had 12 points. On WG’s side, only Zachery, with 18 points, broke into double figures, with LaValle getting nine points. Temara and Bova had eight points apiece.
In between these games, West Genesee’s girls basketball team earned its most impressive road win of the season, venturing to Liverpool Friday night and playing a solid all-around game to defeat the Warriors 48-41.
The first quarter proved decisive, with the fresher Wildcats jumping all over Liverpool and grabbing an 18-5 lead. The Warriors chipped away, pulling within five, 35-30, by the start of the final period, but WG did enough to hang on.
Elle Lazore hit on four 3-pointers, accounting for most of her 15 points. Madison Smith gained 12 points, while Sierra Smith earned nine of her 12 points at the free-throw line. Liverpool got 12 points from Drew Dufrane and 11 points from Jenna Wike.
With that win, WG improved to 6-6 and inched closer to a post-season berth. A busy week awaits both sets of Wildcats as they take on Nottingham, Baldwinsville and Corcoran, the girls needing to win two of those games to lock up a sectional playoff berth.
