ONONDAGA COUNTY – With their two regular-season showdowns split, the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse boys basketball teams now settled into late-season routines where both were aiming to take as much confidence as possible into the Section III Class AA playoffs.
For the Warriors, last Tuesday’s 85-65 win over Corcoran carried a bit of extra meaning as senior forward Jacob Works reached 1,000 career points.
It didn’t start well, with the Cougars grabbing a 17-10 edge by the end of the first quarter. Jolted into action, Liverpool played strong the rest of the half and led 33-29 at the break.
As the getaway began in the third quarter, Works continued to add to his total. And early in the fourth quarter, a short jumper put Works at the 1,000-point mark, leading to a standing ovation from the home crowd and congratulations from all of his Liverpool teammates.
For the night, Works had 17 points, with Andreo Ash getting 16 points. Jaiden Reynolds had 12 points, helped by Jacob Trombley (nine points, all from three 3-pointers) and Jah’Deuir Reese (seven points) as the Warriors overcame 30 points by Corcoran’s Amir Reaves.
C-NS, meanwhile, played Nottingham last Tuesday and topped the Bulldogs 67-49, the game close until the Northstars went on a 23-10 second-quarter run to move in front for good.
Regaining his hot early-season form, Luke Paragon led with 20 points, with Andrew Benedict earning 15 points. Michael Gallo had seven points and Jason Haas contributed six points.
A night later, C-NS was facing Baldwinsville, who had knocked off Henninger the night before, but had no real answer on either end for the Northstars, who prevailed 70-41 to make it five wins in a row.
All game long, C-NS’s defense was difficult to solve, B’ville only seeing Jason Bifulco (13 points) reach double figures and no one else get more than Greg Marinelli’s six points.
Meanwhile, the Northstars were steady, building most of its margin in the first three quarters as it went up 55-28. Again Paragon led the way, with 20 points, Congel adding 13 points and Gallo getting 10 points as Benedict finished with nine points.
When Liverpool had its own turn against B’ville on Friday night, it was more lopsided, the Warriors showing some of its best balance of the season while bashing the Bees 85-54.
Ash had 14 points and Works got 13 points. Shontez Anderson and Bruce Wingate had 10 points apiece, while Reynolds had nine points. Reese and Trombley both finished with eight points.
Also on Friday, C-NS jumped out 26-8 on Corcoran in the first quarter and cruised from there to beat the Cougars 67-51 for its sixth straight win.
Paragon earned 26 points, including three 3-pointers, helped by Benedict (13 points) and Terrance Coppack, who stepped up for 10 points as Congel had eight points and Robbie Siechen six points.
Only on Saturday did Liverpool cool down, against Albany’s Green Tech, who rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Warriors 82-75.
This came despite an amazing performance from Reynolds, who hit 12 shots, five of them 3-pointers, plus eight free throws on his way to 37 points, the most by any single Liverpool player this season. Works chimed in with 20 points and Ash added 12 points, yet the Warriors suffered its third defeat of the season.
