CENTRAL NEW YORK – What an 8-2 record had taught the Fayetteville-Manlius boys basketball team was that, if it could play a special brand of defense each night, it had a chance to beat anyone, regardless of record.
And when that defensive standard slipped, as it did in last Tuesday night’s game against reigning Section III Class AAA champion Liverpool, things could get rought, as it did with the Hornets taking a 66-40 defeat.
True, F-M may have caught Liverpool at the wrong time off rare back-to-back defeats including one to Binghamton the day before, but it still was a chance to measure itself against a top contender.
Up 18-9 after one quarter, Liverpool kept adding to it led by Freddy Fowler’s 17 points and Sean Frawley’s 13 points. Charlie Schroeder, with 10 points, was the only Hornets player in double figures as Reilly Anderson and Brandon Blitz each got eight points.
C-NS was next on Thursday night and F-M hoped for a better showing – but instead found itself in catch-up mode again in the midst of a 66-48 defeat to the Northstars.
F-M got off to a 4-0 start in the opening minute but after a quick time-out C-NS regrouped and outscored the Hornets 20-8 the rest of the period, maintaining that edge the rest of the half.
Any hope of an F-M rally got dashed when Anderson left with an injury in the third quarter, during which the Northstars outscored them 19-9.
Nate Conley did finish with 13 points, with Blitz earning 11 points and Gavin Knuth adding 10 points. Miy’jon McDowell, with 20 points, led a C-NS attack where Andrew Benedict had 19 points, Sam Werts 14 points and Nate Francis 13 points.
At least F-M was able to finish the week with a victory, but even this required a late-game comeback and overtime as the Hornets edged Watertown 49-47 on Saturday afternoon.
A low-scoring battle saw F-M trail the Cyclones 34-28 going to the fourth quarter but then get its offense going, tie it 44-44 and then, in the four-minute OT period, hold Watertown to three points and produce enough to win.
For the second time this winter Jamesville-DeWitt lost a game that went to double overtime, this time with the Red Rams falling to Nottingham 62-56.
Dominating the first half, the Red Rams led 29-15 at the break and still had a comfortable 43-33 lead going to the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs roared back, outscoring J-D 17-7 in the final period.
Pushed into OT, the Rams held Nottingham to two points in the first four-minute extra period only to get just two points itself. That led to a second OT where, as was the case against Fulton in December, J-D was bested.
Nottingham outscored the Rams 10-4 in those last four minutes led by Adam Smith, who finished with 26 points. Alan Zanders, with 16 points, was J-D’s top scorer, Jackson Saroney getting 12 points and Steve Bazile 10 points as Terrell Willis and Eamon Giblin got eight points apiece.
East Syracuse Minoa took its 6-5 record outside of league competition last Tuesday night and found plenty of success against Camden, breezing past the Blue Devils 76-63.
Consistent all night, the Spartans’ offense never scored less than 17 points in any single quarter, saving its best work for the third quarter when, with a 20-11 push, it broke open a game it only led 35-32 at the break.
Anthony Bryant and Tyler Quarry each finished with 20 points, Bryant getting most of his production from the field as Quarry was successful on eight free throws. Tommy Clonan was right behind, his five 3-pointers leading to 18 points overall as Ezra Wilson-Hefti (11 points) also reached double figures.
J-D and ESM would both win on Friday night – the Red Rams handling Central Square 78-52 and the Spartans getting past PSLA Fowler 80-64.
The Rams’ 25-8 second-quarter surge put the Redhawks away as five players scored in double figures. Nate Johnson amassed 13 rebounds to go with his 10 points for a double-double. Zanders and Saroney each got 14 points and five assists, Zanders adding seven rebounds and Saroney five rebounds. Braeden Baker managed 11 points and Bazile had 10 points.
ESM, meanwhile, steadily built a 39-30 advantage on Fowler by halftime and then used a 30-point third-quarter blitz to put the Falcons away.
Bryant shattered his previous career mark pouring in 36 points, but he didn’t work alone. Wilson-Hefti managed 14 points, with Robbie Clifford getting 13 points and Quarry managing 10 points.