Twenty-four games, and now there’s 24 wins in the books for the Liverpool boys basketball team, who with two more can secure the first state championship in program history.
Buoyed by yet another big third-quarter surge and led by 25 points from senior Charles Pride, the Warriors defeated Shenendehowa 69-59 in Saturday night’s Class AA regional final at Troy’s Hudson Valley Community College.
That makes it back-to-back regional titles for Liverpool, as well as a second consecutive trip to the state final four, where it lost to Fairport in the semifinals one year ago.
Getting there required the Warriors to conquer a Shenendehowa side that was a surprising Section II champion, not quite as strong as the side that won a state title in 2015, but still capable of an upset.
It went back and forth throughout the early stages. The Warriors spent most of the first quarter chasing Shen as the Plainsmen used 3-pointers by Abbas Merchant and Greg Monroe to grab the lead.
Pride provided the answer, as he’s done so many times before in big situations. A 3-pointer tied it, 12-12, and after a Shen basket in the waning seconds Pride, from more than 50 feet out, found the net at the horn, helping Liverpool inch in front 15-14.
Given a major jolt of momentum, the Warriors promptly forced Shen into a time-out after a pair of baskets early in the second period. But the Plainsmen regrouped and went back in front 27-24.
That didn’t last long, either, as Liverpool’s 8-0 run, sparked by Pride and Nas Johnson, created a 32-27 lead, but once more Shen came back, netting the last seven points of the half. Chris Hulbert’s 3-pointer sent the Plainsmen to the break with a 34-32 edge.
Hard-fought sectional wins over Bishop Ludden (in the semifinals) and Nottingham (in the finals) had ably prepared the Warriors for this latest stress test, as had the fact that, in other close games this season, Liverpool had tended to break things open in the third quarter.
And it happened again here, with the Warriors dominating most of the third quarter. During an 18-3 spurt, Liverpool’s defense stifled Shen on most of its possessions while the offensive production spread out.
True, Pride added to his total, but now he had more help. It came from Alan Willmes Jr., who poured in 15 points, and Johnson, who finished with 10 points as Noah Issakainen earned nine points.
Taking a 50-39 lead to the final period, Liverpool needed that cushion, with Shen cutting the margin in half before Pride delivered four consecutive points to restore a double-digit margin.
The Plainsmen still battled to the end, whittling the margin to six in the final minute, but the comeback fell short, despite 17 points from Hulbert and 15 points from Merchant.
Next Saturday at 2:30 at Binghamton’s Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena, Liverpool meets defending champion Mount Vernon (Section I) in the state semifinals.
Mount Vernon has won 11 state titles overall, and all of that big-game experience big-game experience will be tough for the Warriors to overcome. The winner will play Rochester McQuaid (Section V) or Half Hollow Hills East (Section XI) in the state final Sunday at 2 p.m.
