The gathering of top area high school boys basketball teams at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall for last weekend’s Peppino’s Invitational revealed plenty about what was in place, and what still needed work.
Jamesville-DeWitt seemed to face the biggest challenge, trying to get close to last year’s state Class A final four run without Buddy Boeheim, who left for a year of prep school before entering Syracuse University.
Yet the Red Rams showed, in last Friday’s 74-68 victory over Auburn, that it could put together a winning formula without Boeheim, and it largely depended on having a variety of players contribute, especially on the perimeter.
Neither team sparked until the second quarter, when J-D hit on six 3-pointers to surge to a 32-21 lead at the break. Four more 3-pointers fell in the third quarter and the margin grew to 58-39 early in the final period.
Despite all that, Auburn fought its way back, pulling within five twice in the final minute, which required sophomore Payton Shumpert to hit a pair of key free throws with 22.9 seconds left to stem the Maroons’ rally.
Takuya LeClair also hit key baskets throughout the second half and led J-D with 21 points. Shumpert had 18 points as reserve Max Schulman earned nine of his 14 points from a trio of 3-pointers. Majesty Wilder led Auburn with 24 points before fouling out.
J-D then played Newark (Section V) on Saturday and won that non-league game 60-40, overcoming a 25-21 halftime deficit by outscoring Newark 24-6 in a hot-shooting third quarter.
Shumpert had 20 points, including three 3-pointers. LaClair added 10 points, with Teleak Robinson chiming in with nine points and Matt Cieplicki gaining seven points.
Bishop Grimes saw boys basketball head coach Bob McKenney get inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame in October, the hall honoring his long tenure that, of course, included five state titles won at J-D.
Then it was time to get back on the court, and for the Cobras, the opening week concluded with a tough assignment against defending sectional Class AA champion Liverpool at OCC.
The Warriors proved too much, prevailing 79-47 as it held Grimes without a field goal in the first seven-plus minutes, building an 18-1 margin, and when Grimes threatened to make it interesting, Liverpool closed the first half on an 11-0 run.
All told, the Warriors sank 11 3-pointers, the most spectacular a full-court shot thrown in by Charles Pride at the third-quarter horn, yet no one scored more than Pride’s total of 12 points. For Grimes, only David Mo, with 12 points, scored in double figures.
Earlier in the week, Grimes had opened against Institute of Technology Central, with the Cobras defeating the Eagles 70-56 after trailing by one, 29-28, at halftime.
T.J. Bradford led Grimes’ second-half surge, piling up 27 points and adding 10 rebounds. Mo got eight of his 17 points at the free-throw line and tacking on 13 rebounds as Jack Gutchess also got 10 rebounds, joining Tong Mading as they had eight points apiece.
