As if the anticipation of the Baldwinsville boys basketball team’s home opener against reigning state Class AA champion Liverpool on Tuesday night is not big enough, the Bees’ performance on the court only adds to the hype.
Already with a big Nov. 30 win over Bishop Grimes in the Peppino’s Invitational on the ledger, the Bees made another trip to Auburn last Thursday night and, led by Nick Marshall, roared past the Maroons 81-63.
Pushing the tempo, B’ville took control in the second quarter, when it outscored Auburn 23-13 and saw Marshall tear up the Maroons’ defenses, which he continued to do the rest of the night.
All told, Marshall had 35 points, a new career mark, from 12 field goals, three of them 3-pointers, plus eight free throws.
Auburn couldn’t concentrate on Marshall, either, since J.J. Starling was driving and drawing contact. Of his 18 points, nine were free throws as Cam Weatherly contributed 13 points and Nate Ray had seven points.
The fact that Marshall did get help from Starling and Weatherly was important, since Auburn’s Kaleb Cook had a big night of his own, earning 31 points. But only one other Maroons player, Shaheeed Beal (15 points), got to double figures.
Two nights later, B’ville was at Rome Free Academy, a tough assignment against a Black Knights side that had knocked off Cicero-North Syracuse earlier in the week.
And the Black Knights would hand the Bees its first defeat of the season in a 69-67 thriller, the game played at a quiet tempo until the third quarter, when RFA outscored B’ville 25-10 to take charge.
Trailing 51-35, the Bees made a furious fourth-quarter charge, paced by Starling, whose 22 points included four 3-pointers. Marshall had cooled down, but still had 12 points as Sunday Joshua got 10 points, Weatherly nine points and Max Dec six points.
RFA held on as four players scored in double figures, led by Damien Call, who had 21 points ahead of Cam Williams (14 points), Andrew Recco (12 points) and Jeremiah Bartholomew (11 points).
Then Liverpool, who has struggled to an 0-3 start, visits, which the Bees will follow by playing Friday night at Henninger.
