Now the Cicero-North Syracuse boys basketball team might wish that Utica-Notre Dame had stayed in the Class A ranks after it won the Section III Class A championship a year ago.
That promotion did happen, though, and Tuesday night the Jugglers put an end to the Northstars’ dreams of a first sectional title since 2010, prevailing 60-46 in the sectional Class AA quarterfinals.
UND held the no. 4 seed, having gone 13-6 against a tough Tri-Valley League slate that included the likes of Rome Free Academy and Whitesboro.
Thus, while C-NS had done plenty of good to finish the regulars season and gained a no. 5 seed, it still faced that road test, and the amount of time the Northstars took to find its rhythm would prove costly.
All through the first half, the Jugglers’ defense contained C-NS, limiting it to a handful of baskets. On the other end, the Northstars were not as stingy as, with a steady effort, UND earned a 31-18 advantage going to intermission.
The second half amounted to C-NS getting on track, with Nick DeMonte working his way to 16 points as Anthony Tricarico had 15 points and Kyle Haas added 10 points, with Justin DelVecchio shut out, but still getting nine rebounds.
Every time the Northstars threatened, though, the Jugglers had an answer, easily preserving its lead and advancing to a sectional semifinal against top seed Corcoran.
UND’s Derek Lindsay led all individuals with 23 points, with Treijen Garrett adding 13 points. John Quinn had eight points as Kelvin Ofari and Jaylen Warmach had seven points apiece.
So C-NS finished with a 12-8 record, and will see a strong group of seniors, including DeMonte, Tricarico, DelVecchio, Haas, Conner Hayes and Cam Houser graduate.
