What the Skaneateles boys basketball team hoped for from its appearance in the Chittenango Holiday Tournament was some kind of success to build some momentum for 2018.
But the Lakers were humbled in the Dec. 27 opening-round game against Whitesboro, seeing things get away from them in the second half of a 63-45 loss to the Warriors.
All through the first half, Skaneateles kept it relatively close, but still fell behind 24-20. Then, in the third quarter, Whitesboro took over as Tommy Morreale got 19 points and Cameron Hunter hit four 3-pointers on his way to 17 points overall.
Jeremy Castle hit five 3-pointers for the Lakers, accounting for most of his team-high 18 points. Jack Canty had 11 points and Tommy Reed added eight points, but Skaneateles got just three field goals from the rest of its roster.
The consolation bracket final on Dec. 28 pitted Skaneateles against Solvay, who had lost to host Chittenango. But the Bearcats would rebound from that effort to knock off the Lakers 70-64.
Poor defense in the early stages cost Skaneateles, who fell behind 24-15 by the end of the first quarter. All through the rest of the game, the Lakers had plenty of scoring runs, only to have Solvay answer all of them.
Castle still had 22 points, with Canty’s three 3-pointers leading to 17 points as Justin McClanahan got 10 points and Tommy Reed had eight points.
Meanwhile, Solvay put four players in double figures. Jaimen Bliss, with 18 points, led the Bearcats as Robby Clark and Justin Scott had 12 points apiece and McKyle Sands got 10 points. Solvay converted on 10 3-point shots.
Having fallen to 3-4 overall, the Lakers began its 2018 slate with a rematch against Solvay last Tuesday night, and Skaneateles would get even as scoring depth keyed a 66-60 victory over the Lakers.
Neither side had any sort of sustained run until the third quarter, when Skaneateles got hot and outscored Solvay 21-14, and proceeded to withstand all of the Bearcats’ late attempts to catch up.
Castle led with 17 points, while Jack Whirtley provided a new spark, earning 12 points. Three others – Canty, Reed and McClanahan – finished with 11 points apiece. For Solvay, Clark (12 points) and Brock Bagozzi (13 points) each connected on four 3-pointers.
A chance for back-to-back wins disappeared when the Lakers’ Thursday trip to Jordan-Elbridge was snowed out. Skaneateles will face reigning state Class B champion Westhill Friday night after going to Mexico on Tuesday.
