On the same Saturday night last February, the seasons for the Skaneateles and Westhill boys basketball teams concluded in painful manners.
The Lakers were unable to make shots down the stretch against General Brown, while the Warriors saw a late fourth-quarter lead vanish against a Lowville side that eventually made it all the way to the state champiojship game.
It just so happened that the 2019-20 season would open with Skaneateles hosting Westhill, and it turned into a tense thriller that the Lakers pulled out 49-48.
Returning junior starter Nate Fouts proved clutch for Skaneateles, his 21 points including 12 successful free throws. Help came from Jack Whirtley, who had 12 points, and Tyler Delfavero, who had eight points.
Already with a big win in the books, the Lakers would venture to Chittenango Thursday night and prevail again, this time making its big move in the second quarter to defeat the Bears 74-62.
Strong at the outset, Chittenango led 16-13 after one period, but for the rest of the half Skaneateles converted at will, going on a 28-10 run to seize control.
For the rest of the game, every Bears run was answered, the Lakers ultimately seeing Fouts pour in 23 points as Nick Wamp and Max Wamp both got 11 points and Whirtley added 10 points. Tyrus Kelly led Chittenango with 15 points.
As for Westhill, it faced Auburn Saturday in the Peppino’s Invitational at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall and could not bounce back, falling 67-55 to the Maroons
A good second quarter erased an early deficit and the Warriors were up 32-30 at the break, but it didn’t last. Auburn doubled Westhill’s output 20-10 in the third quarter and never got caught.
Zach Brown led the Warriors with 19 points, while Elliott Rouse had 14 points. Liam Sanborn got 10 points as, for the Maroons, Shaheed Beal (20 points), Troy Churney (13 points), Jalson Baranick (12 points) and Shareef Edwards (11 points) all hit double figures
Solvay also opened last Tuesday night and, like Westhill, dropped a close, low-scoring decision by a single basket, in this case falling 49-47 to Cazenovia at Buckley Gym.
This was a rematch of sorts since so many of the Bearcats’ players were on the football team that knocked out Cazenovia in October’s opening round of the sectional Class B playoffs.
Here, trailing 36-31 after three quarters, Solvay roared back to take the lead, 47-46, in the closing minute as Brock Bagozzi (13 points), Justin Scott (12 points) and Elijah Wright (10 points) all hit double figures.
Yet Cazenovia pulled it out when Ryan Romagnoli buried a corner 3-pointer with 19 seconds left and the Bearcats could not answer. Prior to that, freshman Alex Moesch had carried the Lakers’ attack, earning most of his 24 points through six 3-pointers.
Eager to bounce back, the Bearcats went to Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Thursday night and did get into the win column with ease, smashing the Rebels 71-38.
