The Weedsport boys didn’t let their deficit against Solvay fool them in their last game before the holidays.
For the Wolverines, with what head coach Jon Sgarlata considered “a unique opportunity to play so close to Christmas,” they turned a double-digit deficit into a celebratory triumph with a 64-53 victory.
“The kids are already on recess, so it was kind of out of the routine — they didn’t have a regular school day,” Sgarlata said. “It was a good opponent. Solvay is a really well-coached team. It was nice to win before Christmas.”
At first it looked like Weedsport was bound to suffer a disappointment this Christmas. The Bearcats doubled up the Wolverines in the first quarter and only increased their lead in the second.
Solvay’s early advantage was the result of impressive scoring from the guards Ryan DiTucci and Vinny Sinko. The duo drove to the hoop early and often combined for 19 points in the first half. However, Weedsport made some key defensive adjustments in the second half that got the Wolverines back into the contest.
“Solvay was getting into the basket too much,” Sgarlata said. “We did a much better job in the second half of forcing them into tough shots that led to easier transition points for us.”
Weedsport benefited greatly from the offense. Especially seniors mason Kocur and sophomore Brady Doctor lit up the scoreboard in the second half. Kocur scored 13 points in the second half, while Docteur added 12 more to propel the Wolverines to victory. Sgarlata also highlighted the point guard Blake Freidel as a key offensive player.
“We had a three-headed monster there,” Sgarlata said. “Then we had enough contributions from other guys here and there, we made some shots and plays that helped us get going.
1/81
Weedsport vs Solvay Boys Basketball
Weedsport senior Treston Williams led with a game-high 19 points. Kocur finished with 18, while Docteur aimed for 15.
The win marks Weedsport’s third straight since a season-opening shutout against Tully. The Wolverines had a slower start to the campaign due to some players being busy with the Class D-2 league championship in the football program, but the team quickly came together as a cohesive unit.
Weedsport (3-1) has a non-sectional matchup with Southern Cayuga of Section IV on Friday as part of the Cayuga County Tournament.
“We have a really tough Christmas tournament coming up,” Sgarlata said. “When we make the schedule, we try to give us a tough game. Solvay is a bigger school than us, so it gives us an opportunity to play against a bigger school. It’s just good to win whenever we can. We take it as we can and we’re looking forward to the next step in this Christmas tournament.”
Solvay (4-3) gets a significantly longer break before its next outing. The Bearcats are scheduled to face Homer on Jan. 5. Solvay was riding a three-game winning streak before Tuesday’s loss.
Leave a Reply