CENTRAL NEW YORK – About the only missing when the Chittenango boys basketball team broke it 45-year championship drought in 2022 was a Section III playoff win over Westhill, who had caused so much post-season heartache in the past.
The 2023 sectional Class B tournament would offer an opportunity at just that kind of moment as, on Sunday afternoon, the Bears and Warriors did get together at SRC Arena in the sectional semifinals.
Yet here, like so many times before, a Chittenango title dream was dashed by the Warriors, who took what it learned from previous encounters with the Bears and used it well to record a 61-55 victory.
Chittenango had plenty of confdience going into this game, having won both of its January meetings with the Warriors by scores of 68-54 on the road and 71-55.
From those games, Westhill learned that the best way to contain Chittenango’s potent attack was focus on senior Alex Moesch, who had 53 total points in those two previous games but would meet with all kinds of double teams on this day and never find a level of comfort.
Moesch had just nine points, something the Bears made up for early when Brendon Barnard hit six 3-pointers in the first half to help Chittenango take a 37-34 lead to the break.
But Westhill controlled the third quarter, holding the Bears without a 3-pointer and seeing Shawn Mayes earn a good chunk of his 17 points. Eventually, the Warriors built a 52-45 lead early in the final period.
Then it was Chittenango’s defense cracking down, shutting out Westhill for more than five minutes and tying it, 52-52, even as it was missing crucial free throws all through the second half.
Charlie Demore’s basket broke the drought with 1:30 left. Then, with the score 54-53, Kam Langdon hit a corner 3-pointer that spread the margin to four, and Chittenango never recovered.
Ryan Moesch did put up 16 points, but had to work hard for them, while Ty Kelly was held to two points as Jack Lamphere got eight points.
Langdon, who had keyed Westhill’s attack in the early going, finished with a team-high 20 points as Omar Robinson had 15 points, including the clinching free throws.
Chittenango got to this point by handling Camden 71-47 in last Wednesday’s sectional quarterfinal, an instance where the Bears’ defense was able to earn some of the attention.
All through the game, Chittenango made consistent stops, which, combined with hot early shooting, produced a 42-21 edge by halftime.
Ryan Moesch hit the 30-point mark for the second straight post-season game, adding four steals, three rebounds and three assists.
Alex Moesch got 18 points, eight reobunds and seven assists, withBarnard matching Kelly’s total of nine points and the pair combining for 11 rebounds.
