Syracuse — It is said that a rivalry never turns full-blooded until both sides have found success. If so, then the boys basketball saga of Syracuse's two smaller high-school powers, Institute of Technology Central and Syracuse Academy of Science, is maturing into something special in a hurry.
A year after the Atoms swept three games from the Eagles, including the Section III Class C final, now ITC holds the upper hand after a regular-season sweep, capped Wednesday night with a come-from-behind, 64-55 win at SAS's home gym, dubbed "The Lab".
On its way to a 13-1 start and a no. 5 state Class C ranking, the Eagles counted, as its biggest win, a 63-58 decision over SAS. Home-court advantage helped in that firstr meeting, so ITC was determined to catch the 12-3 Atoms again when it ventured across town for the rematch.
A loud, boisterous crowd provided noise from the opening tip, and SAS fans were pleased with what it saw in an uneven first quarter, the Atoms moving ahead 12-5 at one point and holding the Eagles' top scorer, Mikell Clemons, without a point.
ITC head coach Joe Boronczyk said it was his team's worst half of the season, a continual stretch of poor passes and turnovers. Yet SAS could not expand on its early margin, and the last 30 seconds of the half would prove telling.
Down 23-19, the Eagles pulled within one when Clemons got a three-point play. Then, as the clock wound down, Kyseem Robinson tried a 3-pointer that bounced high off the back of the rim, and went through. Just like that, ITC, despite its struggles, led 25-23 at the break.
The level of play improved on both sides in the third quarter. SAS, led by guard Kaleel Johnson and forward Dogukan Zalal (who finished with 17 points apiece), kept forcing turnovers and finding baskets, and the Atoms took a 39-36 lead to the final period.
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