Fresh off topping neighbor Morrisville-Eaton, the Hamilton boys basketball team sought payback Friday when it visited defending Class C champion West Canada Valley, a team it lost to at home back on Dec. 15. But it would not happen, as a slow start ultimately proved to be Hamilton’s undoing in a 56-52 defeat to the Warriors. Paced by junior forward Jared Sudderly (who didn’t play in the first meeting due to injury), WCV jumped all over the Emerald Knights in the first half, not letting up until it had raced to a 36-16 edge. Down by 20, Hamilton, to its credit, nearly made it all up, especially in a fourth-quarter surge. Derrick Cenicola, despite constant defensive attention, still had 23 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Matt Broedel earned 11 points and Keith Upton got eight points. The Emerald Knights take a 9-4 record into tough road games at DeRuyter and Sherburne-Earlville this week.