When last week got underway, the Liverpool boys basketball team was in solid form, while Cicero-North Syracuse owned a six-game win streak in anticipation of big back-to-back home games.
Their common thread was that both the Northstars and Warriors would host Class AA contender West Genesee, attempting to avenge early-season defeats to the Wildcats.
C-NS went first, and saw that win streak halted in the most emphatic way possible as West Genesee beat them 87-45, a far cry from the narrow 50-49 defeat the Northstars took in Camillus back in December.
WG was red-hot from the outset, leading 24-8 through one quarter and 43-17 by halftime, and it didn’t let up, eventually building a 62-23 lead before resting the starters in the fourth quarter.
By game’s end, all 12 Wildcats that saw action earned at least one field goal. Jack McLane led with 18 points, with Lucas Sutherland adding 11 points.
Nick DeMonte did give C-NS 17 points and four rebounds, with Noah Wieczorek adding nine points as Justin DelVecchio pulled down 14 rebounds.
But it was a sobering experience, especially with undefeated, state Class AA no. 13-ranked Corcoran arriving on Friday in the wake of its own near-upset at the hands of last-place Fayetteville-Manlius earlier in the week.
Here, C-NS nearly upended the Cougars, but its valiant effort fell short in a 64-58 defeat.
What made this game so unusual was that, despite its closeness, the Northstars did not lead once. Chasing Corcoran all night, C-NS tied them once, 12-12, late in the first quarter, but then saw the Cougars go back in front.
All through the third period, C-NS had numerous opportunities to take the lead, either with possessions or free throws, but could not seize them, though it gained momentum when DeMonte’s 3-pointer tied it again, 39-39, at the end of the quarter.
But Corcoran went on a 16-8 run to start the final period, moving ahead for good even when its leading scorer, De’Jour Reaves, had to go to the bench with a fourth foul after scoring 18 points.
Helped by Daimarr Miller (17 points) and Branden Denham (16 points), Corcoran survived one more C-NS charge late. DeMonte had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists, with DelVecchio adding nine points and six rebounds. Anthony Tricarico and Cameron Houser each got eight points and Brayden McLean added six points.
Before it played West Genesee, Liverpool first got even for a Dec. 11 defeat at Baldwinsville, claiming the rematch with the Bees last Tuesday by a score of 73-55.
In that first meeting, the Warriors had a big fourth-quarter lead before B’ville rallied to win, part of the 0-5 start that Liverpool had erased with its work in the month that followed.
Now, the Warriors again moved in front of B’ville, a gradual effort that produced a 31-23 halftime lead. Again, the Bees attempted to rally, moving within five, 43-38, with one quarter left.
But remembering what happened the first time, Liverpool dominated the fourth quarter, sparked by Kyle Butler, who poured in a season-best 25 points as Alex Ruston added 15 points.
Jacob Works got 10 points as Matt Senecal had eight points and Romeo Clarke got seven points. For B’ville, J.J. Starling had 15 points and Jake Marshall contributed 11 points.
Then West Genesee arrived, and with a chance to pick up its most important victory of the season, the Warriors instead got overwhelmed by the same force that stilled C-NS as it lost to the Wildcats 80-58.
Things were proceeding on even terms until late in the first quarter, when WG erupted. It put together a 20-1 run that stretched into the second period, but required less than four minutes of game time.
Eventually, Liverpool’s defense settled down after the Wildcats’ lead grew to 44-22. With an 11-2 push of its own late in the half, it made things more competitive, but the Warriors never were able to trim the margin to single digits.
WG then got away again, Sutherland piling up 31 points and Will Amica adding 23 points. On the Warriors’ side, only Nick Klein, with 12 points from four 3-pointers, hit double figures as Senecal had eight points, Ruston seven points, and Butler and Jake Piseno six points apiece.
