As they got set to face each other Thursday night, the Marcellus and Jordan-Elbridge boys basketball teams found themselves in similar positions.

The Mustangs were 11-5 and the Eagles were 11-6, so whoever emerged from this game with a victory would find itself in a better position for eventual Section III Class B playoff seeding.

So it only figured that the game turned into a tough, grinding affair, but ultimately that favored Marcellus as its defense was the main factor in topping J-E 47-42.

Neither side could put together a sustained run in the first half. Clinging to a 22-20 edge at the break, the Mustangs made its decisive push by limiting the Eagles to seven points in the third quarter.

That helped extend the lead to 36-27, and Marcellus did enough at the end to hang on, Luke Ingianni finishing with 15 points as Matt Kershaw got 11 points. Jared Sammon and Cory Cangemi had eight points apiece.

Three players accounted for most of J-E’s production. Dakota Holbrook had 16 points, six of them free throws, with Myles Town getting 11 points and Jeremy Meili earning 10 points.

J-E set up this encounter with a spirited fourth-quarter comeback in Tuesday’s game against visiting Cazenovia, doing just enough late to edge the Lakers 52-50.

Cazenovia had led most of the way, not by a big margin, but enough to showcase an effective defense that was primarily responsible for a 37-31 lead through three quarters.

But the Eagles turned it all around, though, zooming in front late thanks to an attack led by Holbrook, who put in 15 points, and Alex Pond, who got 14 points as Meili got 10 points and Owen Barrigar six points.

This negated the efforts of Ty Freyer, who set a new career mark with 22 points, most of its from six 3-pointers, and Alex Moesch, who added 14 points as Keegan Bailey got 12 points, but the rest of the squad was held to just two points.

Marcellus, meanwhile, had a far easier assignment against Altmar-Parish-Williamstown and prevailed 65-48 over the Rebels, even though it took a 15-7 third-quarter push to gain control.

Sammon led the Mustangs with 20 points, Ingianni and Kershaw getting 11 points apiece as Cangemi and Tristan Jarvi each had nine points.

Skaneateles has its own big game against Marcellus next Wednesday to close the regular season, but first would handle Hannibal 63-38 last Tuesday on the night where the Skaneateles boys soccer team had its 2019 state Class B championship banner unveiled.

A tight first half was followed by a second half where the Lakers outscored Hannibal 37-13. Nate Fouts had 17 points, with Tyler DelFavero getting 14 points and Jack Whirtley adding 11 points as Max Wamp (nine points) and Andrew Neumann (seven points) also contributed.

Westhill, who would face Marcellus early this week, followed its tough overtime defeat to Solvay by taking another setback Thursday in a 69-68 loss to Institute of Technology Central.

Down 40-31 at halftime, the Warriors roared into the lead in the third quarter, and then fought back and forth with ITC down the stretch as Zach Brown piled up 37 points and James Kelley added 13 points.

Yet ITC got ahead in the waning seconds and held on with its own superlative effort from Edwin Seton, whose 38 points included four 3-pointers and was augmented by nine rebounds and five assists.

Rebounding on Saturday, Westhill handled reigning state Class C champion Cooperstown 75-40, the Warriors bolting out to a 45-17 halftime lead to decide matters early. Kelley and Brown had 18 points apiece, while Rouse had 14 points.

Skaneateles played that same day against Weedsport, and trailing 47-39 after three quarters, it stormed back to tie it, 64-64, and force overtime, only to have the Warriors regain control in the extra period.

During that 80-73 defeat, Fouts and Neumann both produced 22 points, DelFavero adding 14 points and Max Wamp getting 10 points.

Marcellus won on Saturday over Holland Patent 72-45, its defense stifling the Golden Knights and limiting them to just 10 points in the first half before a 28-11 tear through the third quarter sealed it, the Mustangs improving to 13-5 overall.