One of the symbolic moments of the Baldwinsville boys lacrosse team’s run to last spring’s Section III Class A final was that it finally got the best of West Genesee, the championship program by which all others in Central New York are measured.
Thus, it only figured that, if the Bees wanted to take it further and end that maddening 23-year title drought, it would have to top the Wildcats again – but it could not do so last Tuesday night at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, taking a 14-10 loss.
They headed into this game going in different directions. B’ville had lost two of three (to Fayetteville-Manlius and Webster Thomas), while WG had won six in a row and were again sitting atop the CNY Counties League rankings.
For a brief while, the Bees had some control of this latest encounter with the Wildcats, taking a 3-2 lead by the end of the first quarter. But WG turned it around for good by outscoring B’ville 6-2 the rest of the half.
And it turned the rest of the game into a futile chase on the Bees’ part. Every time it scored, the Wildcats had an answer, especially Jack Howes, who set a career mark by pouring in six goals as Ryan Smith (two goals, two assists), Jay Considine (one goal, three assists), Max Rosa and Kevin Sheehan (two goals each) helped out.
The problem for B’ville was that no one got close to what Howes accomplished. Ryan Gebhardt, Cole Peters and Austin Bolton had two goals apiece, with Matt Dickman getting one goal and one assist. Brandon Mimas and Spencer Wirtheim scored, too, but Pete Fiorini was held to a single assist, the same as Mike Tangredi. Frank Delia made nine saves.
Now the Bees, with three defeats in its last four games, needed a win – and got it last Thursday by putting together a big second-quarter spurt to beat Cicero-North Syracuse 15-8.
They were tied, 4-4, at the end of an active first quarter, but while B’ville’s defense settled down, its attack kept pouring through the Northstars’ defenses, eventually going on a 6-1 run for the rest of the half.
The attack was spread around, too, as Gebhardt, Peters and Wirtheim each notched three-goal hat tricks and got assists, too. Gebhardt managed two assists as Fiorini roared back to form with four assists. Bolton scored twice, while, Tangredi, Dickman and Brendan Wilcox also got goals. Delia and Justin Johnson combined for 14 saves.
B’ville won again on Saturday, fighting past Auburn 11-6. Though the Maroons kept things at a slower pace during the first half, the Bees still inched into a 4-3 lead and then made its big move in the third quarter, outscoring Auburn 4-1 to get the cushion it needed.
Gebhardt and Dickman each put together three-goal hat tricks, though it was Fiorini leading in points thanks to two goals and two assists. Mimas added a goal and assist as Peters got two assists. Delia, aside from his eight saves, got credit for an assist, as did Tangredi.
With an 8-3 overall record, B’ville would face Liverpool Tuesday before a big Thursday rematch with F-M, its last home game of the regular season.
