Having risen to no. 5 in the state Class D rankings, the Christian Brothers Academy boys lacrosse team made another loud statement about its championship ambitions last Tuesday when it went to Cazenovia and pounded the Lakers 16-2.

Heavy graduation losses had handicapped a Cazenovia side whose dominance of local small-school lacrosse had earned a pair of state titles in 2011 and 2013, plus three other trips to at least the state semifinals.

CBA had taken plenty of abuse at the hands and sticks of Cazenovia in those years, and got some payback this time around, leading 6-1 after one quarter and also outscoring the Lakers 6-1 in the third quarter to get away.

Ben McCreary gained six goals and one assist, while Alex Calkins amassed four goals and four assists. Augie Bonacci had two goals and two assists as Mike Matheson and Mike Adornato also got two goals. Patrick O’Brien nabbed a goal and two assists.

Against Cazenovia’s Madison County neighbors from Chittenango on Thursday, the Brothers handled the Bears 18-7, steadily producing goals throughout the night with Calkins at the forefront as he scored five times and added three assists.

McCreary, with three goals and one assist, was not left behind as Ryan McKenzie got two goals. Adornato, Zach Eber, Dan Polhemus and Preston Taylor each got one goal and one assist as O’Brien, Mike Matheson and Joey Matheson also earned goals.

All of this made the end of CBA’s win streak a bit easier to take as it fell 12-8 to West Genesee on Saturday at Mike Messere Field, unable to recover from a second quarter where the Wildcats outscored them 7-2 to break open a close contest.

Fighting back late, the Brothers saw McCreary get two goals and three assists as Mike Mathison added two goals and two assists. But McCreary was held to a single goal, the same as O’Brien, Bonacci and Lynch Raby, and WG’s Jay Considine carried his team’s attack, notching seven goals and one assist.