EAST SYRACUSE – What is guaranteed about Saturday’s boys basketball Section III Class B championship game is that immense satisfaction beyond claiming a banner will go to whoever finishes on top.
Either top seed, defending champion and state no. 1-ranked Marcellus repeats as champions or Skaneateles dethrones them. No matter the result, a great rivalry gets another intense and important chapter.
They earned this showdown through winning Tuesday night’s semifinals at East Syracuse Minoa, the Mustangs jumping all over Holland Patent and cruising to a 65-51 victory while the no. 3 seed Lakers took charge down the stretch to get past no. 2 seed Phoenix 74-66.
Neither score really reflected how the games went, though. Marcellus was way out in front most of the way against the Golden Knights while Skaneateles found itself trailing the Firebirds midway through the fourth quarter of a tense, back-and-forth contest.
What helped the Lakers close strong was clutch shooting from beyond the 3-point line and also at the free-throw line.
It as Joe Delmonico’s 3-pointer with 3:50 to play which gave Skaneateles the lead for good at 59-57. Then, with the margin at one, 63-62, Jack Peenstra hit a big 3-pointer of his own with 2:10 left, extending the margin to four, and Phoenix never got closer than three points again.
Along with a series of key defensive stops, the Lakers put it away thanks to clutch foul shooting from Delmonico and Reid Danforth, who all game long had caused trouble for Phoenix, especially in a first half where he netted 19 points, most of them helping Skaneateles build a 36-23 advantage midway through the second quarter.
Phoenix battled back and caught up by the third period led by Tallen Prior, who hit on six 3-pointers overall and finished with a game-high 31 points before fouling out in the final seconds as teammate Nate Fortman was productive, too, finishing with 19 points.
The Firebirds concentrated its defense on Danforth in the second half and it worked in a way as he was held without a field goal, but would make eight of nine free throws on his way to a season-high 27 points to go with 10 rebounds and three steals.
Delmonico more than picked up Danforth’s scoring slack netting 15 of his 17 points in the last two periods while adding 11 rebounds. Peenstra overcame foul trouble to produce 11 points, six rebounds and six assists, while point guard Brody Loi had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
And now all Skaneateles needs to do is try and avenge two late-season 17-point defeats (67-50 and 75-58) to Marcellus, who didn’t have any stress against the no. 4 seeds from Holland Patent.
All the Golden Knights could manage was a single field goal in the first quarter and it was held without a point for nearly five minutes. Meanwhile, the Mustangs were unselfish with the ball on the way to establishing a 37-16 margin late in the second period.
By halftime, the Mustangs had 11 assists on baskets as Connor Ciota and Tucker Burnett both had nine points, with Dom Gosh-Sandy and Mitch Donegan had eight points apiece and Gosh-Sandy had put down a pair of dunks.
a five-plus minute scoring drought by HP to open the second half further sealed the outcome. Burnett worked his total to 16 points and Gosh-Sandy to 12 points, but the entire starting five sat the fourth quarter and watched the reserves hold up well including Finn Criss, who struck for eight points.
