Given all of the drama that surrounded its 2019-20 season – no home games, a string of contests decided on last-second shots or in overtime – the Liverpool boys basketball team almost had to count on the pattern to hold up all the way to a very bitter end.
The Warriors plunged into the Section III Class AA playoffs, holding the no. 9 seed and heading east to face no. 8 seed Utica Proctor in last Friday’s opening round.
With a berth in the quarterfinals against no. 2 seed Corcoran (whom it beat twice this winter) at stake, Liverpool was mere moments from advancing – only to get burned at the end in a 55-53 defeat to the Raiders.
For a long while, it didn’t appear that the Warriors would have to worry about any late stress.
Forcing turnovers and controlling the boards, Liverpool steadily worked its way to a 27-20 lead by halftime. Only the hot shooting of Proctor’s Cam Johnson (13 first-half points, nine of them in the second quarter) kept things close.
So it came down to Liverpool, clinging to a 52-51 lead, needing to make one more stop as the clock wound down. But Johnson worked his way open and, from 3-point land, found the net as time ran out.
Liverpool’s regular season had concluded last Monday with a 66-59 defeat to Nottingham, a result nearly identical to the 69-63 loss it took to the Bulldogs on Jan. 10.
Christian Otis and Aiden Wroblewski each had 10 points, with Jacob Works adding seven points. Nottingham was led by 27 points from Jaden Ezomo and 22 points from Mazi Jackson.
With his last basket, Jackson reached 1,000 career points, just like his mother, Sameerah Aiken, and father, Derek Jackson, did in their high school careers at Corcoran. It’s the only time in Section III history that a mother, father and son has each earned 1,000 points.
That same night, Liverpool’s girls basketball team saw its post-season dreams dashed when it lost 74-67 to Nottingham.
An 18-7 second-quarter surge had erased an early deficit and put the Warriors in front 35-27 at halftime. And it still led until the fourth quarter, when the Bulldogs moved back in front and stayed there.
Naveah Wingate did all she could for Liverpool, amassing 32 points and 16 rebounds, while Karlyssa Shifflett had 17 points and Sarah Miles added 10 points.
Nottingham had four players hit double figures as Amaya Williams led with 24 points, helped by Zyohna Glen (14 points), Nazjae Howard (13 points) and Lauryn Withrow (11 points).
Liverpool was out but Cicero-North Syracuse held down the no. 2 seed, waiting for Tuesday’s quarterfinal with no. 7 seed Auburn, the winner advancing to the semifinal Sunday at SRC Arena against West Genesee or Fayetteville-Manlius.
