Faced with its first true crisis of the season following back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Utica Proctor, the West Genesee boys basketball team would offer a measured response that at calmed immediate concerns – but didn’t make them go away, either.

Hosting Nottingham last Monday night, the Wildcats, two days removed from the Proctor loss, found itself again in some stress going to the fourth quarter, but performed well down the stretch to beat the Bulldogs 57-45.

This game had a whole lot more meaning for WG guard Malik Zachery, who attended Nottingham last year, and then went to a prep school in New Jersey before returning to Central New York and, ultimately, joining the Wildcats.

An injury had kept Zachery out o f the first WG-Nottingham game on Dec. 1, where the Wildcats rolled to a 51-27. But he started the rematch and would only manage five points, which required his teammates to do more.

Strong defense helped WG limit Nottingham to six points in the first quarter. Yet that didn’t keep the Bulldogs from hanging close through the game’s middle stages and move within one, 35-34, heading to the final period.

Finally able to get away late, the Wildcats saw Jack Bova take over, as he produced 22 points, most of it from five 3-pointers. Troy Temara added 11 points, while Chris LaValle got seven points. Jevon Jones (19 points) and Cheiron Thomas (13 points) accounted for most of Nottingham’s offense.

Scheduled to host Baldwinsville on Wednesday night, WG saw that game snowed out, to be made up on Feb. 4, but it would play a tough game Friday night at Corcoran, a team that it barely beat, 72-68, at home back on Dec. 8.

Now, though, Corcoran would prevail, 75-70, earning its fifth straight win by steadily building a 36-29 halftime lead and then stretching that margin to double digits, 57-46, before the Wildcats made a belated charge.

Temara found top form again, earning 24 points, while Zachery earned 21 points. Bova added eight points and Nate Phillips seven points, but Corcoran saw its 1,000-point scorer, Marquis Gilbert, flourish again at WG’s expense, earning 29 points and getting big support from Jahaad Henry, who poured in 24 points.

Meanwhile, West Genesee’s girls basketball team was appearing to gel in the wake of a big Jan. 8 road win at Liverpool, only to step back in last Monday’s visit to Nottingham where it took a 58-50 defeat to the Bulldogs.

During a tightly played first half, the Wildcats saw a 17-13 lead vanish, the game tied, 28-28, at the break. During the third quarter, Nottingham moved out in front, and its defense kept WG from a comeback, holding the visitors to nine points during the final period.

Haley Collins paced the Wildcats with 12 points. Madison Smith had 11 points, while Mackenzie Smith earned eight points. But Elle Lazore, WG’s top scorer most of the season, got held to five points as Chyna Butler led Nottingham with 23 points, with help from Kamille Davis (15 points) and Jaleya Bryant (11 points).

The game against Baldwinsville was postponed on Wednesday, but made up a night later, and WG, getting a breakout performance from guard Camryn Chawgo, avenged an earlier defeat to the Bees and got its second quality road win in as many weeks, prevailing by a 61-54 margin.

Remembering how close it came to upending B’ville in a 47-42 defeat on Dec. 3, WG upped the tempo in the rematch and, outscoring the Bees 16-10 in the second quarter, took a 28-24 lead to halftime.

From there, every time B’ville made a run, the Wildcats answered it, especially Chawgo, who kept getting open outside – and kept converting, to the tune of five 3-pointers that led to a career-best total of 21 points.

And the Bees couldn’t concentrate on Chawgo, either, since Lazore had 12 points and Collins added 11 points. B’ville was led by Emily Pascale, who had 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds, and Riley Carlucci, who earned 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Just 24 hours later, WG hosted Corcoran and beat the Cougars 62-49 to lock up a Section III Class AA playoff berth, but it wasn’t that easy. In fact, Corcoran led, 15-7, through one quarter before the Wildcats turned it around and, over the course of the next two periods, outscored the Cougars 40-13 to grab control.

WG’s girls (8-7) faced an enormous challenge Tuesday when it met powerful Cicero-North Syracuse before a key home game Friday against Fayetteville-Manlius. The boys Wildcats, now at 9-4, also have to face the Northstars and Hornets.