The challenges continued for Cazenovia’s boys basketball team, who found itself needing to win each of its last three games just to reach the Section III Class B playoffs.

This scenario presented itself after the Lakers had to visit Syracuse’s Institute of Technology Central last Tuesday night and could not keep up with the Eagles, taking a 77-57 defeat.

A usually stingy Lakers defense found itself run over during the first two periods. ITC built most of its winning margin there, getting a 44-28 lead by intermission, and much of the damage was done by the duo of James Walker and Iquail Dancil, who each had 21 points and nine rebounds by game’s end.

By contrast, on the Lakers’ side only Tom Bragg reached double figures, his 15 points including three 3-pointers. Jake Shaffner, a day before he signed his football letter of intent for Colgate University, had eight points, while Hunter Kowaleski earned seven points. Dan Kent and Chris Becker had six points apiece.

At Marcellus on Friday night, the Lakers were in must-win mode. Putting up a tremendous effort, Cazenovia nearly saw it go to waste, but it held on to beat the Mustangs 38-35 and keep its post-season hopes alive.

Neither side dazzled in the first half, with Cazenovia gaining a 19-15 lead, and then appeared to get clear when it made its lone run of the night in the third quarter, outscoring Marcellus 15-4, led by Bragg, whose 17 points included four 3-pointers.

But then Bragg, and everyone else on the Lakers, went silent in the fourth quarter, allowing Marcellus to use its own 16-4 surge to nearly catch up. Cazenovia held on, though, because, other than Mike Melnyczuk’s 12 points, no other Mustangs player had more than five points, while Kent and Kowaleski got six points apiece.

When the Lakers went on to beat Altmar-Parish-Williamstown on Saturday afternoon, it gave itself one more chance to reach the sectional tournament. It would all hinge on Tuesday’s home game against Sherburne-Earlville.