Weedsport Proves Dominance, Overpowers Manlius Pebble Hill

The Weedsport Varsity Basketball Team showed their dominance against Manlius Pebble Hill on Wednesday night, with a 63-33 victory. With a sluggish first quarter, and a lot of back-and-forth play, Weedsport was on top early with a score of 16-9.

“We were just a little more talented than them,” said head coach, Jon Sgarlata, “and we were able to get off to a good start. We were slow at times, and kind of sluggish, but all is well.”

With the first half coming to an end, it was clear the Warriors’ offense was a little different than earlier in the game. There seemed to be more control of the ball, and a lot more movement of the ball, as well. Weedsport took at 34-14 lead at the end of the first half.

“We just weren’t moving the ball all that well, they didn’t really have any forwards, they had all guards, so they were pretty quick,” said Sgarlata. “Pass is going to beat them quicker than the dribble, so we just had to move the ball a little better.”

In the third quarter, the Trojans weren’t happy, and they called a timeout only 35 seconds into the quarter. This was another opportune time for the Warriors to establish a game-plan to strategize for the second half-Trojans.
It was again a strong time for the Warriors, as they added 20 points during the third quarter. With great offense came great defense, as they only allowed the Trojans to add eight points.

“It was good, we try to be a defensive team,” said Sgarlata. “I thought our first group went out there to start the first half, put our thumb on them and ended the game pretty quick.”

With the Warriors attempting to finish the game as fast as they could, they played the fourth quarter with mainly their bench-players. They finished the game with a final score of 63-33.

With a victory, Weedsport is now 5-1 (2-0 League) on the season. They compete next on Friday, against Port Byron at the Panther’s gym.

“I think the intensity level will be higher,” said Sgarlata. “We’ve got one day to prepare for them, and it’s a big rivalry game, and it’s always intense. It’ll be over [in Port Byron], we’re looking forward to it.”