CENTRAL NEW YORK – A lot of meaningful high school boys basketball is ahead for area teams, three of whom are top seeds and defending champions in their respective Section III playoff brackets.
West Genesee is again the Class AA top seed, riding an eight-game win streak as the Wildcats take on no. 8 seed Watertown in the quarterfinal round next Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
Then there’s Class B, where Marcellus is not just the top seed but also the no. 1-ranked team in the state. The Mustangs are home Tuesday night to face no. 16 seed Sherburne-Earlville in its playoff opener with tip-off at 7 p.m.
Finally there’s Westhill in Class A, seeking to defend its sectional title and already off to a dominant start based on Saturday’s opening-round game where it put away no. 16 seed Oneida 91-53.
Wasting little time, Westhill produced 29 first-quarter points and had a 51-22 edge by halftime. For most of the second half the hosts maintained that 100-point pace even when the starters rested late.
Eli Prince hit four 3-pointers on his way to 31 points overall as Jackson Goodness converted five times beyond the arc for most of his 19 points. Eli Welch contributed nine points, with Colin Shiel getting eight points and Jack Hayes six points.
Of the four local teams who had playoff games last weekend, only Westhill and Skaneateles prevailed with the Lakers, holding the no. 3 seed in Class B, staging its own romp last Friday when it beat no. 13 seed Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 88-39.
A 23-6 opening period set the tone, but Skaneateles didn’t stop there, ably spreading around its production as Finlay Coyne, with 22 points, set a new season mark.
Christian Cirincione stepped up, too, his 10 points and eight rebounds nearly equaling Reid Danforth’s 10 points and nine rebounds. Jack Peenstra got 12 points, with Nolan Bradley adding nine points, Aiden Beaudet eight points and Shea Musso seven points.
Skaneateles now gets ready for a sectional quarterfinal against no. 6 seed Cazenovia, who ousted no. 11 seed Jordan-Elbridge 61-40 in Saturday’s round-of-16 game at Buckley Gym.
Much of the game was close, the Eagles only trailing 24-23 at halftime before Cazenovia started to get away in the third quarter and closed on a 21-7 spurt led by Ben Bianco’s 27 points. J-E closed its season with a 9-12 record.
Solvay also lost in this round, the no. 12 seed Bearcats ousted by no. 5 seed 56-41 as its season concluded at 5-16.
Up in Class AAA Bishop Ludden holds the no. 3 seed, set to host no. 6 seed Fayetteville-Manlius Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals with the winner to face Cicero-North Syracuse or Baldwinsville in the semifinals.
