Cicero-North Syracuse gave West Genesee all it could handle in a Salt City Athletic Conference Metro Division boys lacrosse contest on Wednesday.
The Northstars pushed forward a tough defensive and goalie effort in the first half, but a big second half for the Wildcats guided them to a 9-3 win.
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It's the ninth-straight season the Wildcats have beaten the Northstars twice.
"We were happy with the win. C-NS is a tough and gritty team," West Genesee coach Eric Burns said.
West Genesee had a slim 3-1 lead at the break but broke it open for a four-goal advantage between the final two periods.
"It took us a while to get going, but we got it going in the third period," Burns said.
Burns noted the first period saw the Wildcats playing more "individually." The squad, however, made adjustments in the second half to pull it together.
"We got some good offensive looks and put the ball in the goal," Burns said. "We were happy with our defensive play."
Nolan Bellotti recorded a hat trick for the Wildcats. Liam Burns chipped in a goal and two assists. Ryan Considine, Teshale Kelly and Nash Oudemool had goal and an assist apiece. Also scoring for West Genesee were Zachary Ryan and Jack Mellen. Goalie Shane Staudt made nine saves.
For C-NS, Elijah Martin finished with two goals and an assist. Ian Leahey also scored a goal. Leyton Sullivan and Garett Branning combined to make 21 saves in the cage.
West Genesee (10-6) and C-NS (6-8) will now await seeding for the Section III Class A tournament on Sunday.
"We'll see how the seeding lines up," Burns said. "We'll have the boys ready to go."
