CENTRAL NEW YORK – The crowded final full week of the regular season for area high school boys basketball featured plenty of local rivalries and teams rounding into the form it wanted for the Section III Class B playoffs ahead.
Westhill would finish before anyone else did, and secured a 16-4 mark, along with a bit of payback, when it faced Skaneateles last Tuesday and rolled past the Lakers 66-49.
When they met Jan. 18, Skaneateles had won 81-67 led by Colin Gaglione’s 33 points, and in the rematch Gaglione again was quite productive, earning 27 points.
However, no other Lakers player had more than six points, and it spent the entire game chasing a Warriors side who bolted to a quick 17-4 edge and then outscored Skaneateles 18-8 in the third quarter to pull further away.
Shawn Mayes, hitting five 3-pointers, led with 25 points, but had more help than Gaglione. Luke Gilmartin had 13 points, Kam Langdon got 11 points and Omar Robinson added nine points.
Two days earlier, Westhill faced Solvay and prevailed 66-43 over the Bearcats, leaning on its defense to build a 29-15 edge by halftime.
Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by Langdon, who had 16 points. Robinson earned 14 points, with Mayes adding 13 points and Gilmartin 10 points.
Solvay’s Jeff Sharpe led all scorers with 20 points, but of his teammates, only Nick Commisso, with 11 points (nine of them free throws), got close to his production.
Skaneateles had lost to Solvay on Feb. 9, and took out its frustration on Jordan-Elbridge five days later, handling the Eagles 72-44 in large part because it dominated on both ends throughout the first half.
Gaglione, with 13 points, and Jude Pas’cal, with 11 points, led a well-balanced Lakers attack. Colin Sweet and James Musso had eight points apiece as Marcus McClanahan and Ethan Hunt each got seven points. J-E’s Nolan Brunelle led all individuals with 20 points, but no other Eagles player hit double figures.
After the loss to Westhill, Skaneateles handled Homer 61-49 last Friday, a game the Lakers led 36-15 at halftime as Gaglione finished with 14 points, Ethan Hunt had 13 points and five others finished with six points apiece.
Marcellus took a second shot at state no. 11-ranked Chittenango last Monday and could not overcome the Bears’ trademark opening flurry in a 78-60 defeat.
Unlike their first encounter in January, the Bears were torrid from the field early and built a 27-8 edge during the course of the first quarter.
The Mustangs did cut the deficit to 36-26 by halftime, but were prevented from getting closer despite 17 points apiece from Will Burnett and Pat Lour, with Will Kershaw adding 12 points and Austin Voss getting 10 points.
A day later, Marcellus fought past Institute of Technology Central 41-36, starting 16-5 in the first quarter and hanging on from there as Burnett had nine points, with Voss and Adam Sullivan getting seven points.
Then the Mustangs won again on Thursday, topping Solvay 54-43 in a game that was close most of the way except for a second quarter where the Bearcats got just two points and Marcellus had 16.
Marcus Darminio gave the Mustangs 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Sullivan and Voss had 10 points apiece as Bean (17 points) and Tom Venturini (11 points) led Solvay’s efforts.
In a non-league game on Saturday, Marcellus routed Holland Patent 69-36 as 12 different players had at least one field goal, but none had more than Louer’s total of 14 points.
J-E had its own game with Chittenango last Tuesday and was overwhelmed 89-46, though Caleb Rouse did have a great night, earning 24 points as Brunelle added 12 points.
Then the Eagles lost 59-55 to Cato-Meridian on Thursday, unable to hold a 43-35 fourth-quarter lead despite 20 points from Brunelle and 13 points from Rouse, but J-E did beat Canastota 59-34 on Saturday with Brunelle red-hot from the outside, his eight 3-pointers leading to a career-best 28 points.
Solvay took a 61-54 loss to Cazenovia last Tuesday despite 20 points from Bean as a closing 22-8 charge could not make up for getting shut out in the third quarter.
