ONONDAGA COUNTY – A season ago, the boys basketball seasons for Fayetteville-Manlius and Christian Brothers Academy ended in similar, painful manners.
Both reached the Section III Class AA semifinals. Both were on the brink of wins – and didn’t get them, the Hornets in the last seconds to West Genesee, the Brothers in a triple-overtime epic to Liverpool.
Now they returned to the post-season, again in opposite ends of the AA bracket, both of them trying to get through close opening-round games last weekend – and only one did so.
In F-M’s case, it faced no. 10 seed Baldwinsville on Saturday afternoon and led most of the way until a furious comeback – and another last-second shot – ended the Hornets’ season in a 58-55 defeat.
Four quarters of tense action between two league rivals who had also played close splitting a pair of regular-season meetings left the Hornets and Bees at 55-55 with 6.7 seconds left.
Inbounding the ball under his own basket, Greg Marinelli passed it to Eli Taft, who dribbled down the left side past a defender. From more than 20 feet out near the left corner, Taft took his shot – and swished it.
Little that happened in the first half suggested this outcome. F-M got the tempo it wanted and leaned heavily on its star senior, Trevor Roe, to steadily establish a lead that grew to double digits.
Ahead 37-26 at the break, F-M watched as B’ville adjusted its defense to something more resembling the tight unit that gave so many others trouble throughout the season and, by the fourth quarter, only trailed 48-44.
It took more great B’ville defense down the stretch as Roe, despite amassing 31 points, could not get the baskets he needed to keep his team in front, allowing the Bees to get even – and for Taft to win it.
Other than Roe, only Daniel Stark (11 points) hit double figures for F-M. For the day, Taft had 11 points as Jason Bifulco led the Bees with 18 points. Matt Young and Ethan Hilliar joined in with nine points apiec.
A night earlier, CBA took its no. 4 seed into yet another iteration of the “Holy War” with no. 13 seed Bishop Ludden, whom it beat twice this season, including one just a week before their playoff encounter.
Accustomed to recent romps over the Gaelic Knights, CBA fans worried for a long time abut where this game was going, but led by Braeden Bruns and Will Harrigan the Brothers rallied to win 51-47 and earn a quarterfinal date with no. 5 seed Cicero-North Syracuse.
When the Gaelic Knights grabbed a 25-22 advantage by halftime, all was in good order, but even as it continued to resist well, Ludden got held to six points in the third period.
Burns led all scorers with 20 points, while Harrigan finished with 13 points. Luike Boule had nine points as CBA would host Cicero-North Syracuse in Tuesday’s sectional quarterfinal.
Battling to the end, the Gaelic Knighis got 11 points from Jahzair Greene and 10 points apiece from Joe Dunahm and Aiden Mahar and seven points apiece from Tim Dunham and Mike Masterpole.
Down in Class D, Manlius Pebble Hill entered the sectional tournament at 5-14 after a 63-30 defeat to Tully and an 82-35 loss to state no. 9-ranked Hamilton, who had seen long-time (and former F-M) coach Tom Blackford surpass 600 career wins a couple of weeks earlier.
As the no. 17 seed in the sectional bracket, MPH battled New York Mills for a spot in the second round against top seed Sackets Harbor, and the Trojans lost 56-43 to a Marauders side that used a 21-9 second-quarter push to go out in front.
Qon Ewing gained 20 points, with James Wildhack adding nine points and Kevin Frastastitnav getting eight points, but Mills’ Jaydon Deitz (16 points) and Antonio Diorio (15 points, 11 rebounds) put an end to MPH’s season.
