No matter the circumstances, the Chittenango boys basketball team has found a habit for winning big games at Le Moyne College.
On the same court where it beat Vernon-Verona-Sherrill last February in the Section III Class B semifinals, the Bears conquered reigning state champion Westhill 61-45 Sunday in the Pathfinder Bank Zebra Classic.
Clearly, Chittenango had taken some encouragement from the narrow last-second defeat it took at Westhill on Dec. 19, and even recent losses to Whitesboro and Bishop Grimes hadn’t dented the Bears’ confidence.
What transpired in the opening minutes of the rematch with the Warriors only made things better. Westhill’s leading scorer, Sean Dadey, left the game with a shoulder injury, not to return.
Without Dadey, the Warriors wilted in the face of Chittenango’s defensive pressure, only scoring three points in the first quarter. And even when Westhill tried to get going, the Bears had an answer, building a 32-18 lead by halftime.
During the third quarter, Westhill focused in on Chittenango star Zach Falkenburg, limiting his touches, but paid for it when Dylan Voutsinas notched 11 of his 18 points, and the Bears maintained a double-digit edge.
Not once in the final period did the Warriors pull within single digits. Falkenburg, steady throughout the game, worked his total to 24 points as both he and Voutsinas outpaced Westhill’s top threats, Zechariah Brown and Holden Carroll, who had 12 points apiece.
Before this, Chittenango had taken on Bishop Grimes last Tuesday and lost, 68-56, to the Cobras.
When the Bears surged in the second quarter and took a 35-27 lead to halftime, Grimes appeared to be in trouble. But that was before a third period where the Cobras pressured on defense, scored on the other end and used a 25-10 push to go in front for good.
Falkenburg still had 16 points to lead Chittenango as Sam Hill got 14 points and Matt Lanphear added 10 points. For Grimes, David Mo hit for 22 points, including five 3-pointers. T.J. Bradford got 13 points, with Nick Davis adding 12 points.
Before going to Le Moyne, the Bears had its game with Mexico on Friday night snowed out.
