CICERO – Here, perhaps, was the last real obstacle for the Liverpool boys basketball between itself and a possible top seed for the Section III Class AA playoffs – but it proved quite formidable.
In a loud atmosphere Tuesday night, the Warriors visited Cicero-North Syracuse, eager to repeat the victory from early January where it pulled away in the fourth quarter.
What it got, instead, was a Northstars defense that played at a high level from start to finish, and despite a late comeback attempt, C-NS held on, 59-53, and put a halt to Liverpool’s 12-game win streak.
Perhaps it helped the Northstars that Liverpool had Liverpool had played the night before, against Corcoran, prevailing 70-45, but expounding close to a full game’s worth of energy as C-NS rested.
That, plus the noise and energy from a home crowd, fueled C-NS to a superb first-half performance on both ends.
Controlling the game’s tempo, the Northstars never let Liverpool speed things up, and made several key stops while moving out in front and eventually building a double-digit advantage, 34-23, by halftime.
And it didn’t stop there, the margin growing 49-34 by the end of the third period, more than enough cushion to withstand a furious fourth-quarter surge from the Warriors.
Freshman Andrew Benedict led both sides with 22 points. Both Benedict and Robbie Siechen hit three 3-pointers as Siechen got 12 points, with Luke Paragon and Jerrod Hills adding eight points apiece.
Andreo Ash paced Liverpool with 21 points, but Jacob Works, who had 32 points in his first encounter with C-NS, only got 10 points here as Jah’Deuir Reese had 11 points and Bruce Wingate had seven points.
All this followed the game at Corcoran, which was close until a dominant second half where the Warriors outscored the Cougars 39-18.
Ash and Works did most of the damage, Ash pouring in 24 points and Works contributing 19 points. Wingate had nine points as Reese and Shontez Anderson each got seven points.
Before the boys game happened, the C-NS girls took on Liverpool, and it proved similar to their Jan. 4 encounter, close and hard-fought, with the Northstars doing just enough to top the Warriors 64-59.
If C-NS, clinging to first place in the SCAC Metro division standings, wasn’t focused enough on this game, what had taken place Jan. 29 at Elmira only made it more so.
Leading going into the final minute against the Express, the Northstars were unable to hang on as Elmira rallied to win, 66-63, overcoming 26 points from Alexa Kulakowski and 14 points from Sydney Nesci as Kathleen Taru got 11 points.
Alita Carey-Santangelo was held to two points that night, but it would prove quite different against Liverpool, where every bit of her production was needed.
Red-hot at the outset, the Warriors jumped out to a 19-10 lead by the end of the first quarter, only to have C-NS battle back and edge in front, 28-27, by halftime.
From there, it proved close and tense the rest of the way. Defensively, the Northstars honed in on Naveah Wingate and held the Liverpool star to just six points, her lowest total of the season.
But Wingate’s teammates nearly made up for it, especially Gianna Washington, who hit five 3-pointers to account for most of her career-best 23 points. Julia Wike had 10 points, with Graceanne Sleeth adding nine points. Janea Hamilton-Brown matched Wingate’s total of six points.
To fend off the Warriors, Carey-Santangelo reclaimed her central role in the C-NS attack, pouring in 24 points as Kulakowski remained sharp, getting 19 points, and Taru again had 11 points.
