Entering the last quarter of the regular season, the Cazenovia boys basketball team still had not locked up a spot in the Section III Class b B playoffs, and the pressure to get there was mounting.
In fact, the Lakers were 7-10 heading into last Friday’s game against Jordan-Elbridge, and would rather have that clinching eighth win out of the way before games this week against Hannibal and Altmar-Parish-Williamstown.
And that’s exactly what happened, Cazenovia spreading out its attack while still playing its trademark sound defense in the course of a 59-52 victory over the Eagles.
Though it didn’t any spectacular or sustained run, the Lakers did outscore J-E in each of the first three quarters, steadily accumulating a 49-43 advantage that it sustained in the late going.
Drew Johnson again led the way, earning 20 points, but Ryan Romagnoli was close behind, his 16 points including four 3-pointers as Keegan Bailey contributed 10 points and Kevin Ammann had six points.
On J-E’s side, star guard Jeremiah Sparks did lead all individuals with 27 points, but Cazenovia contained everyone else, only letting one other player, Alex Pond (who had 11 points), get more than two field goals.
Two days before facing J-E, the Lakers hosted Holland Patent and could not lock away that playoff spot, seeing an early advantage disappear in a 51-43 loss to the Golden Knights.
A strong first quarter had Cazenovia up 17-12, but HP pulled even, 27-27, by halftime, and leaned on its defense to take over, especially in the fourth quarter, when it limited the Lakers to six points.
Prior to their late struggles, Romagnoli and Alex Moesch each hit three 3-pointers and got 11 points apiece, with Johnson adding 10 points. Ammann had six points as 11 of the Lakers’ 15 field goals were 3-pointers.
All of the Golden Knights’ production came from four players, but it proved enough. Josh Ernst and Jeff Sobel were particularly strong for HP as Ernst had 20 points and Sobel contributed 15 points.
While it’s proven far more of an up-and-down season than in its back-to-back runs to the sectional Class B finals, Chittenango still found itself inching closer to a post-season berth.
By far, the Bears’ best win of the season came last Monday night, when it ventured north to face 11-4 Mexico and, helped by a fast start and a fine defensive effort, beat the Tigers 53-49.
Led by Noah Schnauffer and Vincente Cameron, Chittenango made everything in the first quarter and grabbed a 22-10 advantage, enough to withstand Mexico’s attempt to rally and its own offensive struggles in the game’s middle stages.
To prevent a comeback, the Bears held the Tigers to seven points in the fourth quarter, mostly containing Will Ruby, whose 22 points paced both sides.
Schnauffer, for his part, got all of his 18 points from six 3-pointers as Cameroon’s 14 points included three 3-pointers. Alex Lum had eight points, with Paul Wood contributing seven points.
Then the weather caused more havoc with the schedule, postponing games at Oneida until Feb. 11 and Institute of Technology Central until this Wednesday, in between a pair of home games where the Bears are set to take on Homer and Phoenix.
