CICERO – It hasn’t taken long for the Cicero-North Syracuse boys basketball team to establish a formula that could really work against the top-flight Class AA opposition it knows it will need to beat.
Both in its season-opening wins over Ithaca and Elmira, and then in Tuesday night’s 87-49 romp over visiting Rome Free Academy, the Northstars showcased what it could do when at full power.
RFA had pulled out a last-second victory over Corcoran in its Dec. 3 opener at the Peppino’s Invitaional, but the Black Knights found itself unable to handle the barrage C-NS threw at them.
Though it missed on early outside shots, the Northstars took command by hitting five consecutive 3-poitners midway through the first quarter on the way to establishing a 28-15 lead, Andrew Benedict scoring 10 of those points.
Then Reece Congel took over in the second period. Dominating in the paint, Congel scored 10 points, blocked three shots and helped the margin grow to 49-27 by halftime.
Not letting up, Benedict would work his total to 30 points and Congel to 22 points before they exited early in the fourth quarter, the duo outscoring RFA all by themselves.
Michael Gallo chimed in with 12 points, while T.J. Coppack put up nine points. On the Black Knights’ side, only Surafia Norries, with 15 points, reached double figures.
On this night, C-NS promoted mental health awareness, the team donning green ribbons during warm-ups and the student section also dressed in green.
After a 10-day break and plenty of more practice time, C-NS meets Corcoran in its SCAC Metro division opener on Dec. 16, its only action next week.
