The final eight minutes of each half would prove to be the difference when Fayetteville-Manlius visited West Genesee for their fourth game of the year.
F-M’s 78-50 loss came on a night that featured their first game in a true away atmosphere, as West Genesee’s student section was rocking and encouraged their team from the opening tip-off all the way until the final buzzer sounded.
Before the game, head coach Jason Dudzinski warned his team that they would have to withstand a few runs by West Genesee, which was proven to be true at different points in the contest
It was the loudest in the gymnasium during the course of the second and fourth quarters, which is when the home team found the most success, something that has happened to the visiting Hornets (0-4) a few times this season.
When their legs were fresh, the troops of F-M were able to stay with West Genesee. Throughout the first and third quarters, the F-M’s point total equalled that of West Genesee, but, the other two quarters watched F-M get outscored 49-21.
For the first time this season, effort was a question for the Hornets. As Dudzinski emphasized a few times in chalk-talks with his team, poor shot selection was the biggest contributor to the hardships that F-M experienced.
F-M was haunted by their inability to control offensive rebounds and couldn’t rely on second chance opportunities. Dudzinski’s team grasped a whopping 4 boards on the offensive end and center Henry Josephson didn’t have a rebound of any kind.
The three guys who have produced the most for the Hornets this season, Ryan Salzberg, Timmy Zapisek, and Jawaan Crouch, all had off nights and were a combined 13-for-38 from the field.
Zapisek knocked down 5 of the trio’s 13 made shots and had 14 points. The three-point specialist was 4-of-7 from downtown and recorded eight rebounds, but, only one was on the offensive end.
It was the same story for Crouch, who claimed 5 of his six rebounds after West Genesee failed to convert on their shot attempt. The senior also had 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting and hit a few free throws.
And then, as for Salzberg, it was a struggle. He scored just six points and collected a rebound. Salzberg was 3-for-9 from the field and didn’t find the net on any of his three attempts from distance.
Shot selection hurt F-M and was a big part of the loss to West Genesee.
