A season-defining rout of previously unbeaten West Genesee, a nine-game win streak, the top spot in the CNY Counties League, a rise to no. 13 in the state Class AA rankings – everything was going right for the Liverpool boys basketball team.
Maybe that was the problem.
Up against a Henninger side it had pummeled earlier in the month, the Warriors were shut down and stunned at home by those same Black Knights 55-47 Tuesday night, and that, combined with West Genesee’s come-from-behind 75-72 win over Nottingham, tied the league race again.
While Liverpool fully expected to handle Henninger again, these were not the same Black Knights the Warriors had trashed 65-38 on Jan. 3. Henninger entered the rematch sporting a four-game win streak of its own and demonstrated just how much it had grown in the span of less than a month.
Henninger dictated the game’s tempo, staying patient and drawing out possessions instead of hurrying the way Liverpool wanted. That translated into an early lead, and the Warriors still found itself down, 22-19, at halftime.
Instead of a comeback, though, Liverpool saw the Black Knights stretch out its lead, to 39-30, and during an active fourth quarter Henninger coolly turned back all of the Warriors’ attempts to salvage the game.
On the offensive side, only Alan Willmes, with 15 points, scored in double figures for the Warriors. Jonah Harder had nine points, while Charles Pride and Charlie Meile had eight points apiece. Requan Porch paced Henninger with a game-high 22 points.
While all that was going on, Cicero-North Syracuse needed a win at Fayetteville-Manlius in its quest to get a sectional playoff berth – and got it, handling the Hornets 67-59 after it had beaten F-M 70-51 earlier this month.
Amid an active first half, C-NS moved out in front, taking a 35-29 lead to intermission. Throughout the second half, the Hornets, led by Tim Zapisek (21 points) and Jawaan Crouch (19 points), attempted to rally, only to have those attempts swatted away.
C-NS held on because it had more depth as 10 different players got on the scoresheet. Alex Gray, with 15 points, five rebounds and three steals, led the way, while Lukas Merluzzi had 14 points and three rebounds. Jaysaun Gunn had 10 points as Eric Bowen got eight points. Omar Mere had six points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists.
