Due to its strong record in the SCAC Metro division, the Liverpool boys basketball team was assured a Section III Class AA playoff berth regardless of how the rest of the regular season went.
Still, the Warriors, having endured both sides of intensely dramatic games throughout the winter, wanted some post-season momentum and had three chances on the road to get it.
At Henninger last Tuesday, Liverpool suffered through a brutal start and, though it nearly caught up late, it still lost a 72-69 decision to the Black Knights.
Having lost 59-52 to Henninger in January, the Warriors found itself down 22-7 after one period and saw that deficit grow even further the rest of the half.
Only when it was down 42-21 at halftime did things start to turn around, Liverpool chipping away at that deficit the rest of the night led by Romeo Clarke, who had 23 points, and Jacob Works, who had 22 points.
Even with that, plus 14 points from Kyle Caves, Henninger held on, led by Zakair Williams’ 20 points as Tong Mading (17 points), Ty’slim Griswold (12 points) and Rasheed Bailey (10 points) also hit double figures.
Then, in a non-league game Friday night, Liverpool visited Class A contender East Syracuse Minoa, and it proved an exciting contest, the Warriors needing to go to overtime to get past the Spartans 68-65.
Works had 10 points in the first quarter, and Liverpool led 29-24 at halftime, only to have ESM roar back and, with Devin Mascato-Buffaloe’s 3-pointer, inch in front 42-41 just before the third quarter ended.
They went back and forth the rest of regulation. Even with Clarke and Caves both hitting clutch baskets in the last minute, ESM, down 58-56, tied it again with a basket in the waning seconds.
Keeping its poise, the Warriors outscored the Spartans 10-7 in the four-minute OT. Free throws by Clarke, who finished with 22 points, and Works, who had 20 points, helped seal it, Jacob Young adding 10 points.
As for Cicero-North Syracuse, its rough season would conclude last week, including a game last Monday against Corcoran where the Cougars got to the century mark defeating the Northstars 103-89.
The pace was torrid from the outset, and C-NS only trailed by three, 26-23, before Corcoran proceeded to outscore them 56-28 over the course of the second and third periods.
Somehow, the Northstars lost despite having seven players score in double figures, led by Luke Paragon, who had 16 points as Kevin Felasco had 14 points.
Brayden McLean and Joe Penizotto each got 13 points, followed by 12 points from Grant Sennett, 11 points from Tavores Flournory and 10 points from Brian Bonin.
Corcoran topped that by having De’Jour Reaves more than double any C-NS player by pouring in 38 points, while D.J. Haynes dazzled, too, getting 28 points.
Just 24 hours later, C-NS attemped to end West Genesee’s 10-game win streak, and had reason to think it could happen, given that it only lost to the Wildcats 64-61 in January.
But the rematch was all in WG’s favor, an 87-53 decision where all 13 Wildcats players that saw action got on the scoreboard, led by Adam Dudzinski, who had 18 points.
Paragon had 14 points and five rebounds, while Felasco earned 12 points. Bonin had nine points and six rebounds, followed closely by Flournory, who had seven points.
