Cazenovia and Chittenango would get to play their boys basketball Section III Class B quarterfinals on their home courts Tuesday night, and both would get challenged.
But while the no. 2 seed Bears made it through, defeating no. 10 seed Oneida, the no. 5 seed Lakers did not, stunned at home by no. 13 seed Skaneateles in a 60-45 decision that continued an unlikely post-season run by those other Lakers.
For a large portion of the season, the notion that Skaneateles would get anywhere close to a sectional championship bordered on fantasy. Just getting into the sectional tournament required the 6-12 Lakers to win its last two regular-season games against Phoenix and Hannibal – which it did.
Then it got a 10-day break which, in many cases, can quash any momentum built up before. Instead, saddled with a no. 13 seed, Skaneateles went to no. 4 seed Sherburne-Earlville in its Feb. 17 playoff opener and prevailing 62-47.
And it didn’t stop there, as Cazenovia would find out. Though Skaneateles had lost their lone regular-season meeting at Buckley Gym back on Jan. 13, it took lots of encouragement from the 69-61 decision, mainly the fact that it had scored well against a normally tough Cazenovia defense,
In the playoff rematch, both sides stayed patient through a first half where neither side could gain any decided advantage. Trailing 22-20 at the break, Cazenovia kept up for a while as the pace quickened, but still saw everything fall apart in a fourth quarter where Skaneateles outscored them 17-8 to close it out.
Thomas Bragg, in defeat, had 12 points, with Austin Enders adding 11 points. Matt Regan, with eight points, and Drew Johnson, with seven points, were close behind.
Skaneateles put four players in double figures. Ben Delasin led with 16 points, while Jake Reed got 12 points. Jeremy Castle hit three 3-pointers to account for most of his 11 points, while Justin McClanahan connected twice beyond the arc on his way to 10 points and Matt Neumann added eight points.
As Cazenovia’s campaign abruptly ended with a 14-8 record, Chittenango kept going, deftly turning back a strong challenge from an Oneida side that, while in the Class B ranks, had faced mostly Class AA and A foes in the Tri-Valley League during the winter.
Indeed, the Indians did grab a 12-9 lead by the end of the first quarter, but the Bears fought back as Sam Hill made Oneida pay for the attention given to Zach Falkenburg. Hill poured in 13 points in the first half and his work in the second period helped Chittenango gain a 24-21 edge at the break.
Little would change during the third quarter, with the Indians staying close and yet unable to catch the Bears. Ultimately, Chittenango’s defense never gave Oneida the chance to put together a sustained run and would inch away as time ran low.
Hill finished with 21 points, but also dominated on the boards by piling up 20 rebounds. Falkenburg still managed 15 points and five rebounds as Hunter Hendrix got 11 points and nine rebounds. Dylan Voutsinas added five assists, four rebounds and two blocks as Jeff Coulter led Oneida with 23 points and Alex Vaccaro added 15 points.
In Saturday night’s sectional semifinal at Le Moyne College, Chittenango faces no. 3 seed Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, who edged Marcellus 58-57 in its quarterfinal. It tips off at 7 p.m. following the first semifinal, where Skaneateles try to pull off the biggest shocker of all against top-seeded, state no. 2-ranked Westhill.
