Back in December, the Chittenango boys basketball team protected its home court and got an immensely satisfying 60-49 win over Cazenovia.
Now the two sides gathered again, at the start of February, in the more intimate setting of Buckley Gym, but the result was almost identical, even if both sides added a point or two.
The Bears won, 61-51, over the Lakers Wednesday night, improving its mark to 15-2 by answering just about every challenge Cazenovia threw at them, which included a modest halftime deficit.
Shots fell throughout the first quarter, and the Lakers moved out in front, maintaining that margin as the second period was played on even terms. Going to the break, Cazenovia clung to a 30-29 lead.
Little changed in the third quarter except for the fact that, just as the Lakers began to tail off, Chittenango picked up its energy. The result was the Bears leading 47-42 going to the final period, where it used clutch baskets and free throws to double its margin.
Again, the Lakers had no answer for Chittenango star Zach Falkenburg, who poured in 27 points, hitting on a trio of 3-pointers plus six free throws and otherwise gathering up six rebounds, four steals and two assists.
To support Falkenburg, Sam Hill earned 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Hunter Hendrix also had 10 rebounds to go with seven points and four assists. Dylan Voutsinas finished with eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
Unable to match that type of production, Cazenovia still had a 20-point night from Dan Kent that mostly was based on hitting five 3-pointers. Thomas Bragg connected three times beyond the arc on his way to 12 points as Austin Enders had seven points and Nate Romig got six points.
Before all this, Chittenango hosted Institute of Technology Central Monday night and succeeded again, establishing an early margin and then clinging to it throughout the second half to beat the Eagles 69-61.
A well-balanced Bears attack gained a 34-25 halftime lead. As the pace quickened, ITC settled down, yet every time the Eagles tried to close in, Chittenango provided an answer and didn’t let things get too stressful in the waning minutes.
As usual, Falkenburg drew lots of attention. Of his 22 points, six of them came at the free-throw line, but he also threw in eight assists and six rebounds, anchoring a strong four-man effort from the Bears’ core of stars.
Hill managed a double-double of his own, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds and nearly matching that effort at Cazenovia two nights later. Matt Lamphear had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Hendrix got nine points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals as Voutsinas has six points, four rebounds and four assists. ITC got 17 points from Iquail Dancil, 16 points from Tr’Von Balaam and 15 points from Amir Holmes.
After the loss to Chittenango, Cazenovia would host rebound Marcellus Friday night and quickly return to the win column, leaning on its defense for large portions of a 50-37 victory over the Mustangs.
The Lakers already owned a win at Marcellus on Dec. 13, a 69-63 decision, but here neither side got close to those numbers. In fact, Cazenovia didn’t let the Mustangs score double digits in any of the first three periods, building a 38-26 lead.
Aside from the series of stops it was making, Cazenovia did produce enough on the other end of the court, even if it was held to just two 3-pointers all night. Bragg led with 13 points, with Kevin Stalder gaining 12 points. Kent and Enders earned seven points apiece.
Once the 12-7 Lakers face Phoenix on Tuesday night, its regular season is over, with more than a week to prepare for the ensuing Section III Class B playoffs.