Cicero-North Syracuse boys basketball got off to a sluggish start during Tuesday's Salt City Athletic Conference matchup against Baldwinsville.
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The Northstars trailed 14-3 after the first quarter, but used solid defense to get back into the game and hold on for a 44-43 victory.
"We got of to a really slow start," C-NS head coach Kyle Martin said. "But fortunately the guys didn't get to discouraged and they made enough stops to keep within striking distance."
The Northstars climbed back from their deficit by outscoring the Bees 32-14 through the second and third quarters.
"We made a lot of shots in the middle quarters to get a lead heading into the fourth and held on," Martin said.
The Bees, trailing 35-28 heading into the final quarter, went on a 15-9 run but the comeback fell just short.
"We're not happy with how we closed it but Baldwinsville is a tough, mature team that deserves a lot of credit for making it a difficult game," Martin said. "So we will take the win."
Sophomore guard Andrew Benedict knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 15 total points for the Northstars, while senior guard Reece Congel added 14 points of his own.
Baldwinsville was led by senior Jason Bifulco game -high 21 points. Senior Eli Taft also chipped in nine points for the Bees.
C-NS (7-1) next travels to Fayetteville-Manlius for a 7:15 p.m. matchup on Friday. Baldwinsville (3-4) will be at Henninger at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
