CENTRAL NEW YORK – A lot of area high school boys basketball games were pushed back last week by the constant winter snows – but when they did play, it proved consequential.
Skaneateles made it three wins in a row last Wednesday night by taking apart Solvay in a 75-41 romp, ending the Bearcats’ own two-game win streak.
How each half started proved the difference. Hot early shooting gave the Lakers a 22-8 edge through one period, and though Solvay calmed down for a while Skaneateles put the game away almost equaling its earlier outburst with a 22-8 third-quarter blitz.
Shea Musso led the Lakers with 21 points, adding four steals. Jack Peenstra had 13 points and five rebounds, Christian Cirincione adding nine points as Reid Danforth and Joe Delmonico had eight points apiece. Danforth added seven assists, Delmonico eight rebounds and Aiden Baudet seven rebounds.
Solvay began 2025 with a 1-5 record but put together a serious flourish as it rolled past two straight opponents beginning Jan. 3 with an 84-58 victory over Fabius-Pompey.
A 25-point first quarter set the tone and the Bearcats kept pulling further away led by Chris Nichols, who earned 26 points and added four assists.
Aaron Trendell nearly had a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Sam Sardo got 11 points. Cameron Cappetta got seven points and Jeremiah Benjamin earned seven rebounds.
Three days later Solvay bashed Hannibal 67-39, starting the game with a 19-7 push and using a 21-11 sprint through the third quarter to put the game away.
Trendell, earning 14 points, was part of a well-balanced attack. Nichols’ 11 points included a trio of 3-pointers as Sardo and Cappetta had nine points apiece and Deon Thomas contributed seven points.
Then Skaneateles met Solvay and beat the Bearcats – but could not follow it up with a victory on Friday night as it fell to Phoenix in a 54-52 game decided in the final seconds.
Clinging to a 52-51 lead, the Lakers saw the Firebirds work it around until Eli Bailer was fouled with three seconds to play. Bailer made the first free throw to tie it and missed the second, but the rebound was grabbed by Edward Kelly who, just before time ran out, sank the game-winning basket.
It was tight from start to finish with Skaneateles unable to put together a sustained scoring burst. Still, Peenstra had 21 points and seven rebounds, Danforth adding 15 points and 14 rebounds but the rest of the Lakers held to just six total field goals. Kelly had 14 poi nts as Tallen Prior paced Phoenix with 19 points.
Jordan-Elbridge took on its neighbors from Port Byron last Monday night and easily put away the Panthers 82-53 to improve to 5-3 on the season, hot shooting the key as the Eagles were up 48-26 by halftime.
Nolan Brunelle caught fire again, as seven of his 14 field goals were 3-pointers which led to 36 points overall. Westin Werth got all of his 12 points from four 3-pointers as Lewis Vincent got 10 points. Jayden Castaldo and John Travernia each had seven points.
J-E made it back-to-back wins two nights later getting past Onondaga 49-41, a game where it jumped out 16-4 on the Tigers in the first quarter and spent the rest of the game leaning on its defense to preserve the lead.
Brunelle got 19 points and Murray had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Vincent added eight rebounds and Kauchaun Gorman contributed six rebounds.
But J-E’s win streak was halted Friday in a 63-41 defeat to Institute of Technology Central. Brunelle had 19 points and Vincent 11 points, but ITC led most of the way led by 20 points from Nyquan Gilbert.
