ROSCOE – “We wanted it to be a war.” Those were the words spoken by Roscoe’s coach Mike Hill on Wednesday evening after a battle between division rivals. A tough, physical matchup ensued no sooner than the tip-off started the game. By the end of the game, Roscoe stood victorious, ready to celebrate after the 53-34 contest.

The first half was a war of attrition, between Livingston Manor’s tight man-to-man defense and Roscoe’s full-court press. By the halftime break, each team had committed 18 turnovers, and combined for 24 fouls. Livingston Manor made it to the free throw line 33 times in the game. Roscoe was at the charity stripe for 20.

After the win, Hill said, “We wanted a tough physical game, and it was the most physical game we’ve played all season.”

Whether it was the first or fourth quarter, Roscoe challenged every possession. Their full court press kept the Wildcats off balance, even if the Blue Devils coughed it up just as often in the first two frames.

The Wildcats netted 10 points in the first quarter, giving them a 4-point lead going into the second quarter. The Wildcats’ offense was fueled by free throws, as half of their first quarter points were scored from foul shots.

To start the second quarter, former JV standout Anthony Zamenick got the Blue Devils going right away. A quick pass and cut to the basket started the 7-0 run as Zamenick netted a quick layup. Roscoe’s press succeeded in forcing a traveling violation, in which Zamenick used to get open at the 3-point line and arc in a shot. The press succeeded again, with Zamenick stealing the inbounds pass and finding Anthony Teipelke under the basket for another quick score. The Blue Devils scored more points in 24 seconds than they did the entire first quarter. The Wildcats quickly called a timeout to regroup.

The rest of the second quarter was a back-and-forth battle, but the Blue Devils were able to extend their lead to five points by the break, 25-20. The Wildcats had shot 19 free throws by halftime, converting 11 of them.

In the third quarter, the two teams continued the battle. Neither would relent on defense, but the score stayed within 10 until Ben Ackerly fired off back-to-back threes for the Blue Devils to extend the lead to 12. All eight of Ackerly’s points were netted in the third. By the end of the quarter, Roscoe held a commanding 13-point lead. The two teams committed a combined 14 fouls in the quarter, and Livingston Manor had 10 free throws in the quarter, of which they converted on five.

The battle had mostly been won by the end of the third quarter, as Roscoe slowly increased their lead in the fourth. The regular season sweep of Livingston Manor puts Roscoe at 4-0 in the division, with rematches against Eldred and Chapel Field remaining. Livingston Manor’s division record dropped to 1-3.

Alaniz Ruiz and Anthony Teipelke led the scoring for Roscoe, with 17 and 16 respectively. Matthew Bowers led the Wildcats with 11 and Nathan Bowers added 8.

In the midst of Roscoe’s five-game skid against non-league opponents, the JV team was disbanded and absorbed by the Varsity squad to add much-needed depth.

“Bringing the jv team up has benefited the Varsity team,” coach Mike Hill explained. “It has given the younger guys valuable experience and added more competition for the seniors.”

Charlie Hicks, Livingston Manor’s coach said, “It was a physical, fast-paced game. They made adjustments in the second half, and their defense and press beat us. Credit to Mike and Amy, they’ve done an excellent job.”