Still sitting at no. 2 in the state Class B rankings, the Westhill boys basketball team got welcome news when Owen Matukas was cleared to return to action after missing a month with an ankle injury.
Without Matukas, the Warriors had battled many different foes to the wire and lost to one of them (Henninger), but with him, Westhill cleared its first hurdle when it went to Homer last Tuesday and claimed a tough 54-44 decision over the Trojans
Homer brought a 6-2 record into the game and gained a 16-11 lead through one period. And the Trojans stayed in front until the third quarter, when the Warriors’ attack finally started to click and it outscored Homer 20-10.
Matukas finished with five points, but contributed on both ends and watched Sean Dadey carry the offense again, finishing with 25 points as Zechariah Brown added 12 points. Homer got 13 points from Bryant Quinlan and 11 points from Tucker O’Donnell.
Bishop Ludden would end this week with a “Holy War” against Christian Brothers Academy in the Pathfinder Bank Classic at Le Moyne College – but it began last Tuesday with a trip to Rochester Aquinas, where the Gaelic Knights beat the Little Irish 71-65.
Trailing 29-28 at halftime, Ludden outscored Aquinas 22-6 in the third quarter, giving it a cushion against a late Irish rally. Jai Smith grabbed 18 rebounds to go with eight points, and Joe Connor put away 24 points as Sh’ikem Lee and Nic Button had 15 points apiece.
Ludden’s game with Bishop Grimes on Friday, like all the others set for that night, got wiped out by the latest winter storm that interrupted schedules for the second consecutive weekend.
West Genesee got a much-needed 71-68 win at Corcoran last Tuesday night, one that was even more urgent after the Wildcats slowly saw a 22-15 first-quarter lead melt away in the game’s middle stages.
Having seen the Cougars tie it, 48-48, WG went back in front in the third quarter and held on tight, seeing Will Amica pour in a career-best 27 points and Lucas Sutherland add 20 points. Kam Jones added seven points and Christian Rossi had six points.
Two nights later, the Wildcats fell back again in a 57-47 loss to Fayetteville-Manlius, the game turning in the third quarter when the Hornets outscored WG 15-6 to go in front for good.
Amica did have 19 points, but Sutherland was held to nine points as Kam Jones got eight points. F-M featured Khai Pugh, who matched Amica’s 19-point output but got help from Brad Procita (12 points) and Tyler Schneider (11 points).
When Solvay made up its snowed-out Jan. 5 game against Cazenovia three nights later, the Bearcats’ offense remained in a chilly pattern and could not break out in a 66-42 defeat to the Lakers.
Once Cazenovia seized a 21-9 lead by the end of the first quarter, the game turned into a chase, and a 22-8 third-quarter run sealed it as Thomas Bragg, with 31 points, and Dan Kent, with 22 points, combined to hit 10 3-pointers between them.
That sort of hot shooting was impossible for the Bearcats to overcome, as only Brock Bagozzi, with 12 points, reached double figures. Elijah Wright had eight points, with Robby Clark adding six points.
Marcellus took a tough 59-57 defeat to Phoenix last Tuesday night, the Mustangs seeing the Firebirds take charge during the third quarter as Jack Allen (18 points) and Kyle Costello (15 points) led the way.
Yet Marcellus nearly made it all the way back, eating away at a 52-40 deficit throughout the fourth quarter before the comeback fell just short. Ben Fedorenko, with 16 points, led that effort, Grayson Hoag and Luke Ingianni each getting 11points and Sam Grattan adding 10 points.
Jordan-Elbridge hosted Hannibal last Tuesday night and prevailed, 56-42, over the Warriors, steadily building its margin over the first three quarters as it went out in front 48-34.
Sparked by a trio of 3-pointers, Jeremiah Sparks gave the Eagles 22 points overall. Dakota Holbrook, with 11 points, and Aidan Carpenter, with 10 points, provided ample support as Brandon Wick added seven points.
