Both in good and bad ways, the Liverpool boys basketball team’s season has proven packed with high drama, with game after game decided in the last seconds or beyond.
The Warriors’ greatest frustration has come against Baldwinsville, where back on Jan. 4 at Onondaga Community College Allyn Hall it took a 50-49 defeat when J.J. Starling converted a driving lay-up in the final second.
What happened in Tuesday’s rematch at Baker High School was even crueler as Liverpool thought it had broken up B’ville’s final play and would win – but Starling stole it from them and the Bees prevailed 58-57.
From a defensive standpoint, Liverpool had once again done what it wanted, relatively containing the Bees and forcing it to rely even more on Starling than it wished.
And even after Starling’s big early production helped B’ville lead 33-29 at halftime, the Warriors turned it around, moving in front, 45-42, by the time the third period ended.
Now it would go back and forth through the homestretch, Liverpool leading most of the way, but unable to put things away as, clinging to a 57-56 edge, it would have to defend one more time in the final seconds.
Knowing that the Warriors would blanket Starling, the Bees inbounded from under its own basket to Bo Nicholson, who as he drove to the basket was stripped.
Amid a scramble, B’ville’s Chase Trombley got it and passed to Starling situated next to the basket who, just a split-second before the buzzer, put it through the basket, giving him 31 points for the night and another dramatic B’ville win.
It was Romeo Clarke and Jacob Works leading the Warriors most of the way, Clarke getting 18 points and Works 15 points as Jack Pento added eight points.
Meanwhile, Cicero-North Syracuse, who entered the week 2-15 after a Jan. 31 defeat to Liverpool, could not turn it around at Fayetteville-Manlius, falling 69-47 to the Hornets.
Having given up a last-minute lead to F-M in a 56-53 loss on Jan. 7, the Northstars this time could not overcome a rough first half, F-M controlling matters on both ends of the floor while building a 40-16 advantage.
Brian Bonin led C-NS with 12 points, with Kevin Felasco and Brayden McLean each getting seven points as Felasco added eight rebounds.
Luke Paragon and Joe Penizotto had six points apiece and Jerrod Hills had eight rebounds. To lead F-M, James Madill had 17 points, most of it from five 3-pointers as Ethan Page (13 points) and Luke Davidson (10 points) also hit double figures.
Heavy snows postponed two games on Friday as C-NS was supposed to face Corcoran and Liverpool was set to take on Nottingham.
The Warriors must make up its game with the Bulldogs along with trips next week to Henninger and East Syracuse Minoa as the Northstars rescheduled the Corcoran game for Monday right before taking on West Genesee a night later.
