ONONDAGA COUNTY – Parked on opposite ends of the Section III Class B playoff bracket, the Marcellus and Skaneateles boys basketball teams still keep watch of each other the way rivals always do.
As the top seed, defending champions and no. 1-ranked team in New York State, the Mustangs expect to win it all again, while the no. 3 seed Lakers found its main quest to prove it had the best squad with that particular nickname.
It was Skaneateles against Cazenovia Wednesday night in the sectional Class B quarterfinals, and it was all in favor of the hosts who combined a potent attack with tremendous defense to win this Lakers duel by a 70-40 margin.
These teams had met nearly three months earlier, a 63-49 decision where Skaneateles overcame an early deficit with a 25-12 second-quarter surge and never got caught with Reid Danforth getting 19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Nothing like that was needed in the playoff rematch, though again Skaneateles trailed in the first quarter and again adjusted well with a 23-point second period to establish a 31-24 advantage the break.
Instead it was in the third quarter where it got away, a 23-5 surge led in large part by Joe Delmonico, who had a rare 20-20 performance thanks to his 20 rebounds to go with a team-high 21 points.
Jack Peenstra notched his own double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, Finlay Coyne adding 12 points as Brody Loi dished out 11 assists. Danforth only had eight points, but got 10 rebounds and five assists.
Defensively, Skaneateles effectively targeted Cazenovia standout Ben Bianco and held him to five points after he netted 27 in the previous round against Jordan-Elbridge, the first time all season Bianco did not hit double figures.
Marcellus got to avoid all this but, because of the 17-team bracket, had to wait until the previous weekend to discover its first assignment.
When no. 16 seed Sherbure-Earlville got past no. 17 seed Canastota 49-41, it was the Timberwolves who would oppose the Mustangs – and it didn’t prove close.
Prevailing 72-42, Marcellus sprinted out to a 20-5 advantage through one period and then, after a bit of a defensive lull, resumed its containment in an 18-5 push through the third quarter.
Mitch Donegan, with 15 points, and Dom Gosh-Sandy, with 14 points, paced the attack. Jacob Meyer stepped up with eight points, Connor Ciota and Tucker Burnett getting six points apiece.
Much the same was expected in Friday night’s quarterfinal against no. 8 seed Little Falls, but the Mounties made things far more difficult than S-E did before Marcellus was able to prevail 53-36.
All through the first half Little Falls’ defense was consistent while it controlled the game’s tempo, rarely able to score but staying within sight.
Only up 20-13 at the break, the Mustangs more than doubled that margin in the third quarter outscoring Little Falls 18-10 to make the rest of the game much more comfortable.
Gosh-Sandy stepped up and led his side with 16 points. Burnett tacked on 11 points, with Finn Criss hitting on a trio of 3-pointers to account for all of his nine points and Ciota getting seven points.
This leads to Tuesday night’s semifinals at East Syracuse Minoa where Marcellus faces no. 5 seed Holland Patent followed by Skaneateles challenging no. 2 seed Phoenix, with whom it split two regular-season meetings. The winners go to SRC Arena for the title game next Saturday at 11 a.m.
