Marauders’ Hunter Lane helped SE to a 70-61 win over Cazenovia on Friday. (Photo by Frank Speziale)
SHERBURNE – The Marauders’ Hunter Lane had 35 points in the opening round of the Section III Class B boys basketball tournament as the Sherburne-Earlville held on for the 70-61 win over Cazenovia Friday night.
On the other end of the floor, S-E’s Noah Posson held the Lakers’ Drew Johnson – the visiting team’s leading scorer – under his average by limiting his offensive production for the first three quarters of play.
The Marauders went to free throw line several times, making four in the final minute of the game to keep the lead for the home team. Lane added a bucket with 20 seconds left to last points on the board.
Cazenovia made five points in the same stretch and couldn’t come any closer to S-E than that.
Sherburne-Earlville put 14 points – 13 scored by Lane – on the scoreboard in the opening quarter of play but the Lakers drained three 3-point field goals to count for nine of their 13 points, trailing by just one point after the eight minutes of play.
S-E’s balanced scoring between their five starters aided in the home team scoring 20 points in the second quarter. However, Cazenovia was right behind the Marauders as Alex Moesch paced his team with 10 of their 18 points in the stanza.
The two teams were separated by three points as they went into the halftime break.
Johnson wasn’t allowed a point in the first two quarters and the Marauders’ took a three point lead going into the halftime break.
Following the intermission, Sherburne-Earlville added another 20 point eight minute stretch and were able to pull away slightly in the third as they held the Lakers to 15, taking an eight point lead entering the final quarter of play.
In the fourth, Cazenovia’s Keegan Bailey’s scored the opening basket. Then Johnson – the Lakers’ stand-out – went on a 10 point run of his own, pulling his team within two points at 58-56.
Sherburne-Earlville pulled away for good over the last three minutes of the contest as they held Cazenovia to just five points while the Marauders tallied 12 points – including their four made foul shots – in the run.
