ONONDAGA COUNTY – While many big games remained, none this season might prove more memorable for the West Genesee boys basketball team than its 73-66 victory over Liverpool on Dec. 16.
There was a good reason why WG students spilled onto the court as the horn sounded to celebrate with the players, for the Wildcats had erased a 15-point second-half deficit and, down the stretch, had put together a stunning 20-2 run.
None of this seemed forecast when Liverpool, with a well-balanced attack and a quick tempo, built a 55-40 lead on the Wildcats by the latter stages of the third quarter. Then Christian Cain took over.
Cain, with a free throw and back-to-back layups, cut the margin to 10 and, just as the buzzer sounded, hit a running 3-pointer that made it 55-48 going to the final period.
Liverpool still led, 60-51, with less than five minutes left when Christian Amica, out of a timeout, drained a 3-pointer, sparking a dominant run through the stretch.
Defensively, WG rattled the Warriors, forcing a stream of turnovers and not allowing a field goal for more than four minutes while, on the other end, it kept finding open looks and converting.
Jordan Cain’s 3-pointer with 2:49 left tied it, 61-61, and seconds later Christian Cain hit the go-ahead basket. Amica made it 65-61 and then James Tully and Gary McLane hit on back-to-back possessions.
By the final seconds, Christian Cain had 27 points, 19 of them in the second half. Amica got 15 points, with McLane adding 11 points. Tully and Jordan Cain gained nine points apiece.
One showdown led to another, the undefeated Wildcats traveling to face undefeated Cicero-North Syracuse Tuesday night and, this time, putting on a fine full-game effort to turn back the Northstars 59-53.
All game long, the tempo was just where WG wanted it – moderate, never lulled into a sprint and able, when it was needed, to make defensive stops.
Hanging close, the Northstars got 16 points apiece from Luke Pargaon and Terrance Coppock as Reece Congel added 10 points. But the Wildcats limited two other stars, Robbie Siechen and Andrew Benedict to a single 3-pointer apiece.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats got a game-high 20 points from Christian Cain and balance elsewhere. McLane had 12 points, with Amica getting nine points as Tully and Jordan Cain each had eight points.
Contrasting all this was what Bishop Ludden felt when it renewed its “Holy War” with Christian Brothers Academy last Saturday in the featured game of the Zebra Classic at Liverpool High School.
Showing everyone how it had won 31 games in a row, the Brothers bashed the Gaelic Knights 75-40 in a game that was actually tied 5-5 in the opening minutes before CBA held Ludden to just two field goals the rest of the first half.
Over and over, Gaelic Knights possessions led to turnovers and easy baskets in the face of the Brothers’ swarming defense, the margin climbing to 41-11 by halftime.
Though it played better after halftime, with Jaiden Holloman getting 13 points and Chad Cook, frustrated to the point of getting a technical foul late in the first quarter, adding 11 points, the Brothers were out of reach, seeing all 12 of its players that saw action get at least one point led by Dan Anderson (15 points) and Amarri Pitts (14 points).
Ludden then dropped its third straight game Monday when it fell to Rome Free Academy 81-77, the difference a second-quarter where the Black Knights outscored the Gaelic Knights 28-13.
Down 46-29 at halftime, Ludden almost caught up as Cook got 28 points and the trio of Holloman, Wol Aman and Tim Dunham each had 14 points. To hang on, RFA needed its own 28-point performance from Kaiden McCaskill and 20 points from teammate Uzziah Grimes.
Facing Class B contender Chittenango Wednesday night, Ludden was run over in a 93-63 loss to the Bears, who was red-hot from the perimeter in the course of building an 81-48 lead through three quarters.
Between them, Tyrus Kelly (25 points), Alex Moesch and Ryan Moesch (22 points each) combined to hit 14 3-pointers, too much to overcome, though Cook did get 19 points and Holloman added 13 points.
