SYRACUSE — If the Liverpool boys basketball team wants to go from contender to champion, it knows it must shine on both sides of the ball.
So it only figured that the Warriors’ defense played a central role in knocking off defending Section III Class AA champion Henninger 63-55 on Friday night, holding the Black Knights without a field goal for more than five minutes in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
“We needed (this win),” said Liverpool head coach Ryan Blackwell. “We did a great job of communicating and discipline.”
Even though it sported a 14-4 record, the Warriors knew the challenge it faced at Henninger. The Black Knights, also 14-4, had won nine in a row, including a 79-71 victory at Liverpool on Jan. 5 where Destin Blunt had his way with Liverpool’s defense, amassing 31 points and 16 rebounds.
At the very least, the Warriors wanted to do a better job containing Blunt, and did so from the opening tip. All Blunt could manage was six points while working against Liverpool’s forward rotation of Naz Johnson, Cooper Chaffee and Devan Mederios.
Still, fellow forward Nijuwan Smith got 20 points and 16 rebounds, helping the Black Knights stay within range most of the night, despite some well-timed runs on the Warriors’ part.
Will Cutler sparked a 10-2 spurt that bridged the first and second quarters, converting a rare four-point play and netting 12 of his 16 points in the opening half, making Henninger pay for the attention it gave to Tyler Sullivan, who surpassed 1,000 career points against Fayetteville-Manlius earlier int he week.
Trailing by as much as 11, Henninger moved within five, 32-27, at the half. Five different times in the third quarter, the Black Knights got within two, but didn’t pull even, and Johnson had a lot to do with it.
continued — Saddled with two early fouls, Johnson sat for much of the second period. After the break, though, the sophomore forward returned and hit on several key baskets, none bigger than a breakway dunk as the third-quarter clock ran out.
Johnson finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Blackwell had particular praise for him, saying that he “is learning to play the game” and, by doing do, turning into a more dominant force.
That dunk seemed to spark the Warriors on both ends. After Smith’s basket with 5:50 left, Henninger did not get another field goal until the final seconds, by which point the outcome was decided.
Sullivan helped put things away, netting seven of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and adding six assists. Nate Cutler added 10 points.
One thing the Warriors were not going to do was look ahead to Henninger – as it proved last Tuesday night when, against F-M, it took over in the game’s middle stages and saw a bit of history, too, in an 86-53 victory.
Hoping that it would get closer to Liverpool after a 85-62 home defeat on Dec. 22, F-M did keep it within sight during a wild, high-scoring first half, but then the Warriors gradually started to get away, building a 42-31 margin by halftime and then blitzing the visitors 29-8 during a decisive third quarter.
Amid that surge, Sullivan went to the free-throw line. When he converted, it meant that Sullivan had earned his 1,000th career point, and the announcement triggered a standing ovation from the home crowd as Sullivan was congratulated by all of his teammates and given the game ball.
It helped, no doubt, that it came during a game well in hand, and Sullivan went to the bench in the fourth quarter after a 15-point night. Will Cutler also had 15 points, but it was Johnson leading the way as he produced 21 points. Mederios had 10 points and Jordan Caviness finished with nine points.
Liverpool closes out the regular season at home Tuesday night against West Genesee, whom it beat 69-63 in early January. The sectional Class AA pairings come out on Wednesday.
