ONONDAGA COUNTY – One consequence of moving into a new, smaller group in the post-season for each of the Baldwinsville basketball teams is the sheer familiarity and repetition that might occur.
This is certainly the case in the inaugural edition of the sectional Class AAA playoffs that get underway late next week.
The girls Bees, after a 15-5 regular season, drew the no. 4 seed. That means it will host no. 5 seed Rome Free Academy in Thursday’s opening round at 5:30, with the winner to meet top seed Liverpool in the Feb. 28 semifinal at Central Square.
As for the boys Bees, it went 11-9 in the regular season and would land on the no. 6 seed – which means its own sectional quarterfinal against RFA, only here the game will be in Rome Friday night at 6 p.m. since the Black Knights are the no. 3 seed.
B’ville enters this game off a strong, tough effort in last Thursday night’s regular-season finale at West Genesee, where it tried to break up the state Class AA no. 7-ranked Wildcats’ 14-game win streak, but could not do, falling by a score of 66-57.
It proved close most of the way, B’ville able to keep pace with WG and only trail 49-45 going into the fourth quarter before the Wildcats were able to stretch it out.
M.J. Young led the Bees with 22 points, four steals and two rebounds. Tyler Nilsen had 18 points and eight rebounds, with Nick Hollingshead adding 10 points.
Jordan Cain paced WG, pouring in a game-high 27 points to go with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks, helped by 14 points from Gary McLane and 13 points from Sincere Smith on what was Senior Night for all three players.
If the Bees can pull an upset at RFA, it will face Cicero-North Syracuse or Christian Brothers Academy in the Feb. 28 semifinal at Fayetteville-Manlius. Both sectional finals are March 2 at Onondaga Community College, with the girls game at 1 p.m. at Allyn Hall and the boys game at 4 p.m. at adjacent SRC Arena.
