Manlius — At least in theory, the Christian Brothers Academy boys basketball team’s path through the state Class A playoffs appears easier than 2015, since there wasn’t a defending (and eventual) state champion like Scotia-Glenville standing in the way.
Theory and reality collided, though, and the Brothers knew that, in order to make a return to Glens Falls Civic Center for the state final four for the first time in seven years, it would need its best game, regardless of who was on the other side.
The regional round commenced Wednesday night, at Fayetteville-Manlius, where CBA expected to dominate Section X representative Massena, but instead had to battle through all four quarters and count on its size advantage to turn back the Red Raiders 53-42.
Armed with a 16-6 record and modest expectations, Massena didn’t blink in the face of an early 10-3 deficit, instead notching six straight points to move within one, 10-9, and set the uneasy tone for the rest of CBA’s evening.
Poor outside shooting, was harming the Brothers, particularly Mark Lutz, who managed just a single field goal for the game, and it allowed the Red Raiders to keep pace, even having it tied 24-24 late in the second period and again at 27-27 early in the third quarter in between Matt Purcell’s 3-pointer that gave CBA a three-point edge at halftime.
Frustrated by Massena’s game plan to slow down the tempo, the Brothers made up for it by following up its misses with plenty of offensive rebounds. Eventually, that took a toll, with CBA edging into a 43-35 lead by the fourth quarter and then getting further away in the waning minutes.
Charles Pride was quite effective, pouring in 23 points, while Dan Damico thrived on offensive rebounds to account for most of his 12 points. Purcell added seven points and Nick Aversa got five points. Dante Viskovich led Massena with 12 points.
Despite this win, CBA knows it has to play better when it goes to Hudson Valley Community College to face Section II champion Troy in Saturday’s regional final. Since HVCC is in Troy, the Flying Horses have a significant home-court advantage it hopes to exploit.