CENTRAL NEW YORK – Each week, and each set of victories, sends the Jamesville-DeWitt boys basketball team further up the state Class A rankings, with the Red Rams up to no. 12 in the latest poll.
And the results remain strong, too, with J-D getting a weekend sweep highlighted by its come-from-behind effort last Friday when it defeated Nottingham 62-54.
Arriving at this game with an 11-5 record, the Bulldogs kept things tight throughout the early stages and, in the third quarter, appeared to get some control when it took a 41-36 advantage.
Just in time, though, the Rams’ shooting touch returned as, throughout the fourth quarter, Trent Hughes led a scoring barrage by earning 11 points, nearly half his team’s total.
All told, Hughes had 23 points, with Alan Zanders getting 15 points and Jackson Saroney contributing 11 points. Denarius McCurdy paced Nottingham with 16 points.
A day later, it was less stressful for J-D beating Whitesboro 65-36, the issue not in doubt as Saroney, with 13 points, led a well-balanced attack. Zanders got 12 points, with Eamon Giblin getting nine points and Hughes earning eight points.
East Syracuse Minoa found itself with a 7-5 record going up against Whitesboro last Monday night and nearly getting knocked off before the Spartans were able to rescue a 53-51 victory.
All game long, the two sides switched the lead, but it was Whitesboro holding a 42-39 edge going to the fourth quarter, where ESM was able to move back in front and then hang on.
Another close game followed, ESM challenging one of the Class AA favorites, Fulton, and nearly pulling off its biggest win so far before falling to the Red Dragons 53-52.
A 28-25 halftime lead got away, Fulton holding the Spartans to eight points in the third quarter and then hanging on despite Anthony Bryant’s 17 points and Tyler Quarry’s 12 points. Gavin Doty carried the Red Dragons’ attack, earning 30 points.
That same Friday night, Fayetteville-Manlius improved to 7-9 on the season, going to Auburn and beating the Maroons 54-43.
The first quarter proved decisive, with the Hornets jumping out 19-7 and then leaning on its defense the rest of the way. Chris Cleary led with 16 points, while Reilly Anderson stepped up with 11 points and James Kuss added 10 points.
Good as these efforts were, it contrasted with Bishop Grimes finding itself taking a 66-54 defeat to Utica Academy of Science last Tuesday night.
At 7-6 going into the game, the Cobras expected to handle 1-11 UAS, but it caught the Atoms at a bad time, just three days removed from a 64-61 loss to Syracuse Academy of Science decided on a full-court heave by Andre Pasha at the buzzer.
Energized and angry, UAS hung close with Grimes throughout the early stages, then overcame the Cobras’ 29-23 halftime lead with a 22-10 third-quarter push, only adding to its lead in the homestretch.
Nate Abernethy led all scorers with 26 points, but other than him, only Frank Sgori, with nine points (all from three 3-pointers), produced on a consistent basis. For UAS, Doneilius King had 20 points, Jazier Brown 19 points and Akol Machteng 14 points.
It didn’t turn around for Grimes on Friday, with Abernethy held to just nine points in a 71-49 defeat to Bishop Ludden, who dominated most of the way led by freshman Liam Sheard’s 28 points and 11 rebounds. Garang Garang, with 21 points, was the only Cobras player in double figures.
As that went on, Christian Brothers Academy took another defeat, falling 50-44 to Syracuse Academy of Science, who erased the Brothers’ 35-33 lead through three quarters with a strong finish.
Ethan Harris still had 14 points, with Jason Brunson earning 11 points and Tavin Penix getting 10 points, but SAS’s Andre Pasha proved impossible to contain in the paint, finishing with 24 points and 17 rebounds.
Manlius Pebble Hill lost 77-39 to state Class D no. 6-ranked Faith Heritage last Monday night, this despite 24 points from Carter Zimmerman. The Saints had four players score in double figures, led by Landon Bregou’s 18 points.
