CENTRAL NEW YORK – Coming off a rare three-game skid the West Genesee boys basketball team posted three consecutive victories to improve its overall record to 6-3 before an unexpected setback. Any worries about Tuesday night’s game against Henninger vanished in the opening minutes as the Wildcats, dominating on both ends, built a 21-4 advantage by the end of the first quarter. And the margin got to 44-16 by halftime, which allowed WG a chance to mosly relax in the second half and breeze to an 81-57 victory while setting a season mark for points. Kolton Castrello and Aidan Phelan continued to pace the offense, each getting 19 points as Castrello ably followed up his 33-point effort in a Jan. 10 win over Corcoran. Evan Dufford put in nine points, while Jake McMahon and Liam Kelly had eight points apiece. With a chance at an even bigger victory Thursday night against visiting Fayetteville-Manlius, the Wildcats saw it all get away in the final seconds of a 48-47 defeat to the Hornets. F-M entered the game with a 7-2 record and was without one of its top scorers, Boomer Kuss (out for the season with a broken wrist), and though it led early WG appeared to take over in the second quarter outscoring the Hornets 18-7 to lead 27-22 at the break. Both teams went cold in the third quarter, but though F-M was limited to six points it stayed within range and then, in the fourth quarter, chipped away at the Wildcats’ 36-28 advantage. With 13 seconds and WG only in front 46-45, Jack Cosamano was fouled. He missed the first free throw but made the second. Down two, the Hornets inbounded it to Reilly Anderson, who dribbled to the right side, faked out a defender and then hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left, which proved the game-winner. F-M’s defense held Castrello to three points, negating the 25 points put up by Phelan and 13 points from McMahon. Anderson (16 points) and Ryder Burns (15 poins) carried the Hornets’ attack. Skaneateles found itself hosting state Class A no. 14-ranked Bishop Grimes Wednesday night, a game where the Lakers did plenty of what it wanted yet still lost 70-61 to the Cobras. Defensively, Skaneateles concentrated on Grimes standout Nate Abernethy and held him to seven points. Meanwhile, on the other end Reid Danforth netted 21 points, adding six rebounds and six assists as Jack Peenstra got 15 rebounds to go with 11 points and five assists. Shea Musso also had 11 points and Joe Delmonico got 13 points. Still, Grimes was able to take an early lead and, after the Lakers nearly caught up by halftime, used a 20-12 push through the third quarter to take control for good because Bol Garang stepped up with 25 points and Garang Garang added 23 points. Far better for the Lakers, though, was the way it pummeled a strong Phoenix side 64-45 just seven days after it lost a last-second decision to those same Firebirds. Remembering that result, Skaneateles bolted out 24-11 on Phoenix by the end of the first quarter and never got caught, Danforth getting 21 points helped by Delmonico earning 18 points and five rebounds. Brody Loi stepped up with nine points and eight assists. Solvay returned to action Wednesday against that same Phoenix squad and lost 70-45, Phoenix wasting little time establishing control by sprinting to a 20-9 lead by the end of the first quarter and constantly leaning on its defense to make sure the Bearcats never put together a sustained scoring run. Aaron Trendell, in defeat, got 19 points, with Chris Nichols adding nine points and Jeremiah Benjamin eight points, but the rest of the Solvay roster had just three total field goals. Chase Fortman hit seven 3-pointers for the Firebirds on his way to 28 points as Eli Bailer added 15 points and Tallen Prior 13 points. Rebounding from this, Solvay defeated Hannibal 52-37 two nights later, limiting the opposition to just 11 first-half points and establishing a double-digit margin. Nichols led with 14 points, with Benjamin and Deon Thomas getting eight points apiece.