CENTRAL NEW YORK – A major local match-up in boys basketball between Marcellus and West Genesee would highlight a week of holiday tournaments, with the Wildcats, benefiting from a blistering performance by Jordan Cain, handing the state Class B no. 1-ranked Mustangs its first defeat of the season.
WG’s 68-56 victory in Saturday night’s championship game of Christian Brothers Academy’s Manny Leone Holiday Classic turned against Marcellus in a wild third quarter.
It appeared that the Mustangs had already weathered a strong Wildcats start, rallying from an early 19-11 deficit with a 22-6 push through the rest of the first half, but all that did was inspire WG to a higher level once the second half got underway.
Gary McLane got it going with consecutive baskets, and Sincere Smith converted plenty, too, but then Cain took over. In a stretch of less than five minutes, Cain rang up 18 points, including three of his seven 3-pointers.
By the time he was done, Cain, the tournament MVP, had put up 35 points, with McLane (16 points) and Smith (14 points) offering ample support. Mitch Donegan paced Marcellus with 21 points as Dom Gosh-Sandy, starting in place of Kershaw, added 14 points.
Back in the opening round, Marcellus fought past host CBA 50-47, carried mostly by Will Burnett’s 18 points and Tucker Burnett’s 13 points as it withstood every late comeback attempt by the Brothers.
WG defeated Troy LaSalle 79-45, building a 42-14 lead by halftime and cruising from there as Cain got 20 points and McLane 17 points, with Smith adding 10 points.
Before all this, Marcellus defeated General Brown 61-41, a game that was close early, but taken over by a Mustangs defense that limited the Lions to just 14 points in the second and third quarters.
Will Burnett, with a double-double off 11 points and 11 rebounds, led an attack where Donegan also had 11 points. Tucker Burnett had a team-best 15 points as Gosh-Sandy had nine points and seven rebounds.
Bishop Ludden began its annual Rosemary Corcoran Holiday Classic on Dec. 27 with a match-up against Corcoran that proved an impressive win for the Gaelic Knights, who topped the Cougars 66-46.
Ludden outscored Corcoran in every single quarter, ultimately getting four players to score in double figures as Jahzar Greene, who had 17 points, added eight assists and four rebounds.
Joe Dunham’s 17 points were a season best, mostly based on hitting five 3-pointers. Tim Dunham had 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks, with fellow forward Liam Sheard getting 11 points, four rebounds and four blocks.
Moving on to the championship game on Dec. 28, Ludden met Section IV’s Owego and beat them 65-51 for the title, jumping out 20-9 in the first quarter and, after the visitors closed the gap, outscoring them 20-11 in the final period to get clear.
With his 20 points, three blocks and 16 rebounds, Shear dominated in the glass. Greene gained 17 points, adding seven rebounds, five assists and four steals, while Joe Dunham hit five more 3-pointers on his way to 15 points.
Jordan-Elbridge entered the Mexico Tournament with a 3-2 record, but was upended in the opening round on Dec. 27, the Eagles falling to Phoenix 59-47.
Steadily, the Firebirds built a 49-31 advantage through three quarters, too much for J-E to overcome despite Nolan Brunelle’s 18 points that included four 3-pointers and Preston Murray adding 16 points. Lincoln Kersey led Phoenix with 21 points.
In a consolation game against Hannibal 24 hours later, the Eagles rolled to an 85-54 victory, settling matters early with a 26-7 first-quarter blitz.
Nolan Brunelle hit five 3-pointers on his way to 27 points overall, with Murray getting 12 points and Chase Brunelle 11 points. Lewis Vincent added nine points as J-E hit on 13 3-pointers by game’s end.
Solvay played in the Onondaga Tournament, taking a 56-53 defeat to McGraw in the opening round. Chris Nichols led all scorers with 17 points, followed closely by Jairo DeJesus earning 14 points as Luis Mojica had nine points.
The Bearcats were able to beat DeRuyter 59-45 in the consolation game for just its second win of the season. A.J. Trendell, with 17 points, led an attack where DeJesus (13 points), Mojica (12 points) and Landon Raymond (10 points) also hit double figures.
Westhill did not appear in a holiday tournament, but in a non-league game Saturday against 6-2 Baldwinsville proved quite impressive in defeating the Bees 69-46.
The Warriors built a 54-26 lead through three quarters with a three-pronged attack led by Eli Prince, who had 17 points. Close behind him, Kam Langdon produced 16 points and Charlie DeMore added 13 points. Jackson Goodness added eight points.
