ONONDAGA COUNTY – Perhaps not in recent memory has the quality of area high school boys basketball proven so good across the board.
In the Class B ranks alone, Marcellus, Westhill and Skaneateles all have put together fast starts, with the Lakers rising up to win its own holiday tournament.
The opening round Wednesday pitted Skaneateles against Cato-Meridian, a solid Class C side sporting a 4-3 record – but the Blue Devils got run over by the Lakers in a 71-35 romp.
Setting a torrid pace right from the outset, Skaneateles settled matters by halftime, establishing a 42-14 lead and, most impressively, doing so without a single player needing to stand out.
Jude Pascal, with 15 points, led the way, hitting three 3-pointers as Colin Gaglione got 13 points. Tyson DiRubbo and Colin Sweet each had eight points and Nate Shattuck had six points as Nico Decker, Patrick Herr and Marcus McClanahan had five points apiece.
Now the Lakers faced Seneca Falls’ Mynderse Academy in Thursday’s final, and while it was a bit more competitive, Skaneateles still had little trouble claiming a 69-48 victory over the Blue Devils.
Strong on defense in the first half, the Lakers built a 33-14 edge, and capably matched Mynderse when its offense roared to life in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 24-20 to stay in control.
Each of the 12 Skaneateles players that saw action got on the scoreboard by game’s end. Pascal, with 18 points, again led the way as Gaglione got 12 points. Cader Bradley stepped up with nine points.
Solvay earned its third win in a row Dec. 23 by putting away Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 57-44, a game which was close and competitive until the Bearcats outscored the Rebels 21-9 in the fourth quarter.
More than half of Gerold Bean’s 16 points came from three 3-pointers as Tom Venturini got 13 points. Nick Commisso had nine points, with Jordan Dippold (seven points) and Jeff Sharpe (six points) close behind.
Then it was time for the Bearcats to test itself in the Black Knights Classic at Tully, which opened Wednesday with Solvay facing Groton (Section IV) and again earning a lopsided victory.
The 58-35 decision involved Solvay outscoring Groton 48-26 over the course of the last three quarters as the Bearcats climbed above the .500 mark (4-3) for the first time this winter.
Of course, the challenge grew for Thursday’s final as Solvay met host Tully, who at 8-1 sat at no. 4 in the latest state Class C rankings and had routed Canastota 81-53 in the other half of the opening round.
Solvay started quite well, leading 17-8 after one quarter, but from there the Bearcats’ offense went quiet, especially in a third quarter where the Black Knights outscored them 18-2.
Taking a 54-36 loss, Solvay got 11 points from Venturini and eight points from Dippold, but no one could contain Tully star Lane Edinger, who amassed 25 points and 10 rebounds.
