ONONDAGA COUNTY – Right from the time he started piling up baskets as a freshman, Cicero-North Syracuse boys basketball star Andrew Benedict was on a path to some milestones.
One of them was reached Wednesday night at North Syracuse Junior High School when Benedict surpassed 1,000 career points, but did a whole lot more as the state Class AAA no. 16-ranked Northstars bashed Oswego 99-51.
Entering the game, Benedict had 990 points, and wasted little time getting to 997. Then, with a nifty dribble that got a defender out of the way, Benedict, from the left of the circle, drilled a 3-pointer to reach the 1,000 mark.
Though seven previous players in C-NS history had got to 1,000, no one had done so since Justin Kozlowski, who graduated in 2000. Michael Brown holds the school record of 1,926, with Benedict and Brown ahead of John Unger but behind Brown, Len Brutcher, Tim Nash, Bob Rozyczko and Tim Edwards.
After the game was stopped to honor Benedict, the junior went right back to work, helping the Northstars build an 85-34 lead through three quarters and setting a new career mark with 41 points thanks to 18 field goals, five of them 3-pointers.
Nate Francis had 16 points and Michael Sellin got 10 points, with Michael Pfautz (eight points) and Terrance Coppack (seven points) close behind. All told, 10 different players notched at least one field goal.
A far bigger test loomed Friday when state Class AAA no. 15-ranked Niagara Falls paid a visit. And the Northstars managed to beat the Wolverines 60-57 by displaying poise and clutch shooting ability.
Shut out for the game’s first six minutes, Benedict then took off with 15 points the rest of the half, helping C-NS overcome a seven-point deficit early in the second quarter and go in front early in the third.
From there, the game went back and forth the rest of the way, with a handful of lead changes and neither side leading by more than five.
Benedict worked his total to 28 points, hitting on all eight of his free throws, but it was Francis, who had 18 points, delivering three crucial 3-pointers – two of them late in the third quarter, then another with 1:45 left that gave C-NS the lead for good.
Meanwhile, Liverpool, who fell to no. 26 in the state AAA rankings after its overtime defeat to West Genesee on Jan. 5, returned to winning form Wednesday by defeating PSLA-Fowler 57-38.
At least in the early going, the Warriors’ offense showed some life, steadily working its way to a 38-21 advantage that it preserved throughout the second half even as the offense cooled down.
Most of Kaelem Haskins’ team-high 13 points came from three 3-pointers. Alex Trombley had 10 points, with Freddie Fowler adding seven points and Sean Frawley contributing six points.
Now five consecutive road games loomed for Liverpool, beginning Friday at Fayetteville-Manlius, where again the defense was front and center in the Warriors’ 53-39 win over the Hornets.
All that F-M could manage in the second quarter was two points, allowing for a 28-12 halftime margin that held the rest of the way. Trombley, on the other end, earned 18 points, mostly from four 3-pointers, while Fowler finished with 16 points.
Liverpool is heavily favored in games next week at Central Square and Oswego, while C-NS would travel Tuesday to face state Class AA no. 17-ranked Fulton.
