CENTRAL NEW YORK – For the second time in 15 days the Westhill and Marcellus boys basketball teams faced off, only now both sides were playing at full strength.
But the second encounter between these long-time rivals mirrored the first, with state Class A no. 6-ranked Westhill frustrating the state Class B no. 5-ranked Mustangs at both ends and pulling away to earn a 60-46 victory and a regular-season sweep.
Impressive as Westhill’s 54-35 win at Marcellus on Jan. 24 was, the Mustangs didn’t have forward Dom Gosh-Sandy in the lineup and the visitors took full advantage.
Gosh-Sandy did record the first basket of the rematch – and then was shut out until the third quarter, symbolizing how Westhill’s defense took away space from the Mustangs and contested close to everything.
On the other end, Jackson Goodness sparked Westhill’s offense, earning 15 points by the early part of the third quarter as his side had a double-digit advantage for a majority of the game, aided greatly by poor free-throw shooting on the Mustangs’ part.
Marcellus had just one sustained run, an 8-0 push in the fourth quarter to pull within seven, only to have Goodness and Trevor Young convert on back-to-back 3-pointers, all but putting the game away.
Goodness, with his 21 points, would equal Eli Prince, both of them ahead of the team-high 15 points from the Mustangs’ Mitch Donegan as Tucker Burnett earned 11 points and Connor Ciota had nine points.
Back on Tuesday night, Marcellus faced Institute of Technology Central, a game which was even most of the way – except for the start, which ultimately proved the difference in a 71-61 Mustangs victory over the Eagles.
ITC was held to four points in the first quarter, allowing Marcellus to establish an early advantage which it maintained the rest of the night answering all of the Eagles’ attempts to catch up.
Burnett earned seven of his 15 points at the free-throw line. Donegan got 13 points, Gosh-Sandy adding 11 points and Ciota nine points as Jacob Meyer and Damyn LeClair had seven points apiece.
Then, on Wednesday night, Westhill faced Skaneateles, its second encounter with the Lakers in as many weeks, and it ended just like the first one, a lopsided win over the Lakers this time by a 76-51 margin.
Red-hot at the outset, Westhill scored 28 first-quarter points, double Skaneteles’ output. And the margin kept growing until the Lakers found itself trailing 61-33 through three periods.
Prince, who had 25 points, got help from several teammates, including Brahim Ahlteblah, whose 10 points matched that of Goodness. Young and Jack Hayes had nine points apiece and Eli Welch added eight points.
Skaneateles got 11 points apiece from Jack Peenstra, Finlay Coyne and Joe Delmonico, Peenstra adding seven rebounds and four steals, while Westhill limited Reid Danforth to a season-low six points.
When it played Friday against ITC Skaneateles lost 80-64, outscored in the last three periods after leading 17-12 through one. Danforth got 22 points and eight rebounds, Peenstra contributing 21 points as Tyquanne Harris led ITC with 28 poins and Nyquan Gilbert added 19 points.
Solvay was overwhelmed last Tuesday in a 65-33 defeat to Cortland where a 20-3 second-quarter push by the Purple Tigers decided matters. Chris Nichols had 13 points and Max Overend nine points for the Bearcats as Caden Albright (14 points), Jaxson Gambitta (12 poins) and Zach Muir (10 points) all hit double figures for Cortland.
Jordan-Elbridge lost that same night to Chittenango 73-46. Nolan Brunelle had a game-high 29 points, but most of it was in the second half after the Eagles fell behind 39-15. Seamus Gardner (21 points), Jacob Cheek (19 points) and Mason Corlis (15 points) all produced well for the Bears.
On Friday J-E again gave up lots of points to Cazenovia in a 90-76 loss where Nolan Brunelle dazzled with 38 points, Chase Brunelle adding 16 points and Lewis Vincent 12 points. The difference was that, for the Lakers, Edmond Richardson (28 poins) and Ben Bianco (25 points) were helped by 15 points from Gavin Wagner and 11 points from Bobby Livingston.
