Each of the Liverpool basketball teams picked up CNY Counties League victories over Nottingham two days before Christmas.
In the boys game, the Warriors earned its second consecutive win following an 0-3 start, struggling for a while with the Bulldogs, but finishing big to prevail by a 72-43 margin.
Throughout the first half, Nottingham kept pace, and the Warriors only led by one, 27-26, at halftime. Gradually, Liverpool took over, and was nearly perfect during a 25-2 fourth-quarter finish.
Again, much of it was credited to Charles Pride, who had 27 points, but he got enough support as all 11 Warriors that saw action got on the scoresheet. Jonah Harder, with nine points, led the supporting cast as Devan Mederios got eight points and Charlie Meile earned seven points. Jakair Sanchez led Nottingham with 12 points.
Moving to the girls side, Liverpool went to Nottingham and handled the Bulldogs 63-35, doing most of the damage in a first half where the Warriors roared out to a 34-13 halftime lead.
Again, the duo of Kyra Grimshaw and Jenna Wike led the charge. Grimshaw worked inside and got 22 points, while Wike earned most of her 15 points from four 3-pointers. Help came from Precious Sneed, who had eight points, and Mady Oliveri, who got six points.
Meanwhile, Cicero-North Syracuse saw both of its teams take losses to West Genesee, with the boys Northstars close for a half before things got away in an 82-64 defeat to the undefeated Wildcats.
WG did move to 6-0 on the season, but C-NS didn’t make it too easy, overcoming a fast Wildcats start to move within three, 32-29, by halftime. but the potency of WG’s attack was on full display during a 29-point third quarter that created a double-digit margin.
Jaysaun Gunn paced the Northstars with 14 points, adding four steals. Lucas Merluzzi had 13 points and three rebounds, with Omar Mere adding nine points and four rebounds. Chris Stowell and Kyle Cody had six points apiece as Alexander Gray picked up eight rebounds to go with his five points.
Malik Zachery poured in 25 points, while Jack Bova and Nate Phillips combined to hit seven 3-pointers, Bova finishing with 18 points and Phillips 14 points as Lucas Sutherland contributed 12 points.
The C-NS girls team fell to West Genesee 40-28 in a game that was close and low-scoring in the first half, which favored the Northstars as it led, 14-11, at intermission.
But the Wildcats took the lead in the third quarter, outscoring C-NS 14-5. Jessica Cook, with 15 points, and Mackenzie White, with six points, accounted for most of the Northstars’ offense as WG’s Camryn Chawgo hit four 3-pointers on her way to 16 points and Madison Smith added 11 points.
