When the last state Class B boys basketball rankings of 2018 were released, Skaneateles found itself at the no. 14 spot, best among Section III sides in the wake of its 7-0 start.
Now the Lakers looked to continue that surge while playing in its own holiday tournament, which began last Thursday with Skaneateles taking on the Onondaga Tigers and roaring to a 66-49 victory, its eighth in a row.
They were close until the second quarter, when the Lakers outscored OCS 15-6. And the margin kept growing from there as Jack Canty led the way, pouring in 20 points.
Aside from Canty, the production was spread around well, Jack Whirtley earning 11 points and Tommy Reed getting 10 points. That more than made up for Nate Fouts getting held to eight points as Jack Comer got six points and Andrew Neumann had five points.
A day later, Skaneateles went for nine in a row against Mynderse Academy, from Seneca Falls, who had won its opening-round game 59-48 over Cato-Meridian
And in this instance, it was the Lakers’ defense taking a starring role as it shut down the Blue Devils and prevailed 59-35 after Onondaga handled Cato 60-45 in the consolation game.
Both teams started slowly, but Skaneateles more than made up for it during a decisive second quarter where it held Mynderse to a single free throw while accumulating 22 points of its own to take a 32-8 edge to the break.
Fouts, kept relatively quiet the night before, led the Lakers this time with 16 points, hitting on four 3-pointers. Canty chimed in with 12 points, while Reed earned 11 points and Neumann’s six points came from a pair of 3-pointers.
