ONONDAGA COUNTY – A sense of making history drives the Fayetteville-Manlius and Christian Brothers Academy boys basketball teams in their respective pursuits of the Section III Class AA championship.
F-M simply wants to end a title drought that dates back to 1955. CBA has the opposite goal, seeking to add the AA title after claiming the Class A sectional crown the last time it was held in 2020.
These dreams both are on the line in this Saturday’s sectional semifinals at SRC Arena, F-M challenging top seed West Genesee and CBA going after no. 2 seed Liverpool.
Just to get here required winning quarterfinal games on Tuesday night, and F-M had the tougher assignment, traveling to no. 4 seed Cicero-North Syracuse but able to knock off the Northstars 60-51.
These teams had split their two regular-season meetings, but C-NS was without one of its leading scorers, forward Reece Congel, and the Hornets would ultimately take full advantage.
F-M scored the game’s first seven points, which the Northstars answered. After that, the game was tense and close all the way into the fourth quarter, neither side able to establish any kind of lead.
Not until Chris Hoalcraft’s basket with 5:11 left did the Hornets go in front for good. And with C-NS still close at hand, Trevor Roe and Luke Davidson both converted on drives to the basket – Roe from the baseline, Davidson up the middle.
Strong defense helped seal the win as Max Danaher led F-M’s offense in the second half, netting 13 of his 17 points after intermission to equal Roe as Davidson and Chris Cleary had eight points apiece.
CBA, meanwhile, was at home, facing a no. 11 seed in Baldwinsville that had knocked off no. 6 seed Rome Free Academy in overtime in the opening round.
The Brothers jumped all over the Bees, leading 25-10 after one quarter, and maintained that comfortable margin the rest of the way as it prevailed 70-51.
Braeden Burns continued his big late-season surge, earning 23 points. Joe Nicholson had 11 points, with Steve DeRegis getting 10 points off the bench as Dan Anderson had nine points.
