An entry into the upper echelon of top contenders was there for the Baldwinsville boys basketball team to seize.
All the Bees needed to do is knock off the last remaining undefeated Section III Class AA side, West Genesee, in a big mid-season showdown last Friday night at the Baker High School Gym. And the effort was full.
No matter how much it did, though, B’ville could not contain the Wildcats’ Malik Zachery, the difference-maker as his career-best performance helped WG subdue the Bees in an 85-70 decision.
B’ville proved its worth throughout the night, leading 19-17 after one period and not getting discouraged when WG held them in check the rest of the half and took a 31-27 lead to the break.
All through the second half, the pattern remained the same. The Bees were productive, but every time it tried to get close, Zachery answered them, either with drives to the basket or with a long string of free throws that stretched out the winning margin.
Between 15 field goals and 14 successful free throws, Zachery’s total amounted to 45 points, a career high. Enough help came from Jack Bova (16 points) and Lucas Sutherland (11 points) as Nate Phillips added eight points.
Casey Pluff, with 22 points, and Gabe Horan, with 17 points, paced the Bees. Pluff hit four 3-pointers and Chris Taylor had three 3-pointers to account for all of his nine points as Jake Marshall matched that total and David Cerqua put up 10 points.
B’ville had set up this opportunity with the hard work done in last Tuesday night’s game at Corcoran, one that wove back and forth before Marshall took charge in the late going and pushed the Bees past the Cougars 62-53.
Pace did not help B’ville during the first half, and the slower tempo favored Corcoran, who inched into a 24-23 before intermission. Then, when things picked up, the Bees got much more comfortable and hit the shots it needed to take a third-quarter lead and gradually pull away late.
Marshall, in particular, wounded the Cougars, hitting on four 3-pointers and finishing with 26 points overall. Corcoran couldn’t key on him because Cerqua hit three 3-pointers on his way to 13 points, while Pluff had nine points and Horan got six points.
Corcoran saw Tyrice Williams produce 17 points, plus five assists. Jahaad Henry had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Vincent Frenza had 11 points and nine rebounds. De’jour Reaves matched Henry’s total of 10 points.
Less than 24 hours after the defeat to West Genesee, B’ville found itself at Rome Free Academy, a team having its own breakthrough season that, earlier in the week, included its first win over Utica Proctor in more than two decades.
Given that these were two teams that wanted to push the pace, it was little surprise that the game featured lots of baskets, but the Black Knights had a few more of them, handing the Bees a 95-88 defeat.
Throughout the first half, neither side could get away, and B’ville rallied to tie it, 40-40, going into the break. Try as it could, though, the Bees could not contain RFA’s stars as Ethan Powell poured in 34 points, with Dante Cummings adding 24 points and Gavin Mosher earning a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Marshall and Pluff both sank five 3-pointers by game’s end as Marshall finished with 28 points and Pluff, with 25 points, wasn’t too far behind. But Cerqua got held to three points, something the Bees couldn’t quite make up despite 11 points from Matt Dickman and eight points apiece from Horan and Taylor.
When B’ville (5-4) visited Nottingham Tuesday night, it would pass the midway point of the regular season, following it up Friday with a trip to Fayetteville-Manlius.
