As if having a state ranking and a 14-3 record wasn’t enough, the Solvay boys basketball team thought it would have the opportunity to ruin the perfect season of Weedsport on the first day of February.
Before this could happen, though, Weedsport got upended last Wednesday, the Warriors’14-game win streak stopped by Cayuga County rival Cato-Meridian in a 62-55 decision defined by the 32 points scored by the Blue Devils’ Marcus Ramicus.
Still, Weedsport was 14-1, so Solvay knew this was a big test. And it played with the respect and urgency needed for such a game, handling the Warriors by a score of 77-60.
Pushing the pace from the outset, the Bearcats also played solid defense, holding Weedsport to nine points in the first quarter and steadily working its way to a 38-28 halftime advantage.
That margin kept growing in the second half, and Elijah Wright set a new career mark along the way, pouring in 28 points from 11 field goals and six successful free throws.
Jaimen Bliss also stood out, earning 18 points, while Brock Bagozzi and Antonio Gonzalez had 11 points apiece. Josh O’Connor (16 points), Jake Brown (12 points) and Aidan Mabbett (11 points) led Weedsport.
Before all this, Solvay battled Homer last Monday night, and it was stressful for a while after the Trojans pared downt the Bearcats’ 34-22 halftime lead by outscoring them 20-12 in the third quarter.
But Solvay regained control late and won 60-47, getting strong defense along with 19 points from Brock Bagozzi as Elijah Wright contributed 13 points. Jaimen Bliss had nine points and Antonio Gonzalez contributed eight points.
And on Friday night, it was the Bearcats against Phoenix, with the defense in a particularly strong place as it shut down the Firebirds for long stretches on the way to a 55-29 victory.
Phoenix never managed more than eight points in any single quarter, so Solvay’s own production could stay modest and it was Gonzalez leading the way, earning 12 points.
Wright finished with 11 points, with Bliss again earning nine points. Brendan Carolina produced seven points and Bagozzi had six points.
Just two games remain in the regular season for the state Class B no. 19-ranked Bearcats (15-3) and one of them is Monday night’s visit from Westhill, who has won seven of eight since falling to Solvay on Jan. 2.