If the East Syracuse Minoa boys basketball team could concoct a fictional scenario in which it earned a trip back into the Section III playoffs, it’s doubtful that it could surpass what really happened.
Mired in a three-game skid, against a long-time neighbor it never could beat before, the Spartans somehow put it all together last Tuesday night and shocked Jamesville-DeWitt 71-66 and clinched a long-awaited berth in the sectional Class A tournament.
This was the first of two meetings between ESM and J-D this week, and from the outset the Spartans had the lead, starting 8-2 and then not getting rattled when the Red Rams made numerous comeback attempts.
Instead, ESM expanded upon its 17-16 first-quarter lead, ultimately stretching the margin to 48-37 heading into the fourth quarter, where J-D’s furious comeback fell just short.
Kevin Richardson picked quite a night to have a career-best 27 points. Colton Cwikla and Dennis Benjack had 13 points apiece, with Devin Muscato-Buffaloe adding seven points and running the offense well from the point guard spot.
On J-D’s side, Payton Shumpert gained 22 points, with Preston Shumpert Jr. earning 12 points. Takuya LaClair had 11 points as Marcus Johnson contributed nine points.
In Saturday’s rematch, it was quite a different outcome as a J-D side bent on payback got it in a 69-38 romp, the game close until a third quarter where the Rams went on a 23-7 run. Eventually, J-D outscored ESM 45-19 in the second half as LaClair, with 15 points, led a well-balanced attack.
Matt Cieplicki stepped up with 14 points (including three 3-pointers), with Teleak Robinson getting 11 points and Luke Smith adding 10 points., Johnson again had nine points as Benjack (11 points) and Muscato-Buffaloe (nine points) were ESM’s top scorers.
The night before the first meeting, J-D and ESM both played on the road, with the Red Rams handling Fulton 76-56 and the Spartans taking a 63-46 defeat to Indian River.
Coming off its narrow win over Christian Brothers Academy on Jan. 27, J-D found it easier at Fulton, sprinting out to a 64-40 lead through three quarters.
Payton Shumpert led the Rams with 20 points, with Preston Shumpert Jr. adding 18 points as they both hit on four 3-pointers. Robinson got 11 points as LaClair added eight points.
Meanwhile, the long trip to Indian River led to early struggles for ESM as the Warriors built a 37-18 halftime lead, led by Sammy Angelo, who got all of his 21 points from hitting seven 3-pointers.
Only Dennis Benjack, with 13 points, would reach double figures as Dan Garris and Ermin Alemic had six points apiece. Angelo was helped by Tray Bell, who finished with 20 points.
J-D preceded the return engagement with ESM by defeating Cortland 62-36 on Friday night, outscoring the Purple Tigers 37-8 over the course of the second and third quarters. Payton Shumpert finished with 19 points, while Johnson had 10 points. Schulman added nine points.
As that was going on, ESM was having trouble against Auburn, falling 82-56 to the Maroons, who put things away with a 26-10 blitz through the third period as Scott Minnoe hit seven 3-pointers on his way to 35 points and Kaleb Cook had 23 points.
For the Spartans, Dan Garris still had 12 points, with Muscato-Buffaloe adding 11 points and Benjack getting 10 points ahead of Richardson (seven points) and Jack Shields (eight points).
