By Kieran Coffey

Sun Sports Contributor

Frank Speziale Photo

SHERBURNE – Never underestimate the power of the underdog. That’s the harsh lesson that the Sherburne-Earlville boy’s varsity team learned Friday night, Feb. 17, as they fell victim to the 13th seeded Skaneateles Lakers team in the first round of the Section III, Class B tournament.

A poor third quarter on both ends of the floor for the Marauders ultimately led to their demise. S-E mustered just five points on the offense end of the court, while giving up 21 on the defensive end.

“They (Skaneateles) switched to man-to-man (defense) and we missed shots that we would normally make,” said head coach Kevin Vibbard following the defeat.

Skaneateles’ Jake Reed also hit nine of his game-high 24 points in the third to down the Marauders.

Up until that point, the game was an end-to-end enthralling contest. The Lakers went on an early scoring run, and jumped out to an 11-4 lead, but S-E came right back with an 8-0 run of their own to claim the slimmest of leads, a one-point advantage. The high pace scoring bout continued until the end of the quarter, with Skaneateles just outscoring the Marauders 18-14.

Both teams were more defensively focused in the second quarter. The Marauders limited their opponents to just seven points, while scoring 12 on the other end of the court to take a one-point lead into the halftime break.

After their horrendous third quarter, S-E tried their best to attempt a comeback, but it proved futile, as both teams scored 16 points apiece, allowing Skaneateles to hold out for the 15-point victory.