It took until mid-January for the Skaneateles boys basketball team to finally hit the halfway point of its 20-game regular-season slate.

All told, due to all the changes that winter weather provoked, the Lakers would have to play 11 times within a 29-day stretch, a lot to ask, especially when a handful of wins were still needed to ensure a post-season berth.

At the outset of this gauntlet was last Wednesday’s game at Syracuse Academy of Science, where the Lakers’ defense was in fine form, but it still lost, 47-43, to the Atoms.

Having not seen game action in more than a week since beating Mexico Jan. 9, Skaneateles was cold throughout the first half, but SAS did not take full advantage, only gaining a 19-13 edge by intermission.

Not until the fourth quarter did the Lakers finally find the range on a consistent basis, as Justin McClanahan hit three 3-pointers and got 15 points overall, helped by Jack Canty (nine points), Jeremy Castle and Kenny Peterson (six points apiece).

SAS had a bit more depth and hung on to win, though, as Zachaeus Smith led the Atoms with 14 points. Zevion Derby had 10 points, while Jessiah Kirkland gained nine points.

Two nights later, Skaneateles renewed its rivalry with Marcellus, a team it handled 58-40 at home on Dec. 15. Now, on the Mustangs’ home court, the Lakers met a far different outcome.

Hot from the start, the Mustangs ripped Skaneateles 76-39,.The first half saw the Mustangs sprinting to a 42-18 advantage. And it kept going from there, never letting the Lakers put together any sort of sustained run.

Only Castle, with 11 points, hit double figures for Skaneateles as Petreson and McClanahan got nine points apiece. For Marcellus,Luke Ingianni getting 14 points as Grayson Hoag had 13 points, with Sam Grattan and Ben Fedorenko earning 11 points apiece.

Three games await the Lakers this week, with back-to-back tests Monday and Tuesday against Jordan-Elbridge and Altmar-Parish-Williamstown before a Friday non-league game at Tully.