MADISON COUNTY – Two meetings between the Chittenango boys basketball team and Christian Brothers Academy featured as much excitement and emotion as an entire season’s worth of games.
Both would go back and forth, come down to the final seconds, feature endings that would not easily be forgotten – and end up as a split.
Having prevailed Dec. 2 at CBA in the Peppino’s Invitational, the Bears found itself on the wrong end of a 55-53 decision Tuesday night that featured another late-game comeback – and an unlikely answer.
Playing superb defense all night, CBA found itself leading 53-48 going into the closing seconds, only to see the Bears move within two and then, down 53-51, get the ball back.
With 1.7 seconds left, the Brothers fouled Alex Moesch. After Moesch made his first foul shot, he lined up the second – and as it swished to tie the game, Boule quickly made his way to the other end of the court.
Burns quickly took the ball underneath his own basket. Without any hesitation, he sent a full-court pass over the hands of multiple Chittenango players.
Boule, in one motion, caught it, turned, drove and hit a lay-up just as the clock hit zero, mobbed within moments by his CBA teammates for one of the most exciting wins in the program’s long and storied history.
For the most part, the Bears depended on its high-scoring trio. Ryan Moesch led all scorers with 20 points, Alex Moesch adding 16 points and Ty Kelly 14 points.
That game-winning pass more than made up for Burns only having seven points on the night. Boule had 12 points as Steve DeRegis led with 17 points, most of it from five 3-pointers.
To say this entire week was emotional for Chittenango understated things.
Two nights after the battle with CBA, the Bears found itself at Buckley Gym facing Cazenovia, bringing Alex and Ryan Moesch back to the school they once attended before transferring.
In a charged-up atmosphere, the Lakers kept up for a while, tied 16-16 through one period before Chitteango took charge late in the half and gradually pulled away to prevail 70-52.
Playing in black and red instead of blue and gold, Ryan Moesch got 26 points and Alex Moesch 17 points, Kelly adding 19 points as Ben Bianco led the Lakers with 28 points and Tanner Lawson added 10 points.
Before all this, Cazenovia got a key victory on Jan. 7 when, hosting South Jefferson, it got away late to defeat the Spartans 66-56.
Little separated the teams in the first three quarters, South Jefferson led by Curtis Staie (19 points) and Nolan Widrick (18 points) as it kept pace with the Lakers.
However, in the fourth quarter Cazenovia outscored the Spartans 20-12, led by Bianco, who poured in 25 points, and inside by Lawson, who amassed 15 rebounds to go with 16 points, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Izaak Gilbert helped out, earning 11 points, three assists and three steals, while all of Bobby Livingston’s nine points came from a trio of 3-pointers.
