Senior Cam Jones on the court in an earlier game against Henninger. Jones played his final high school game aganist Utica Proctor in Utica on Friday; the Warriors lost 65-53. Photo by Hal Henty

The Liverpool boys’ basketball team was deprived of that fairy-tale happy ending as they lost to Utica Proctor 65-53 – a loss that closed their story-book season. One could argue that the Warriors’ 12-7 record could have been better if senior superstar Jesse Gates hadn’t missed seven games to multiple undisclosed illnesses.

The game against Proctor, in the first round of sectionals, was the seventh game that Gates missed. Ironically, Gates’ last game was against Utica Proctor; he scored 26 points and carried the Warriors to a 61-47 victory. He was key to the Warriors’ success over the Raiders.

Though Gates was expected to play in the highly-anticipated rivalry game against CNS, he sat out and Liverpool lost 58-41. The Northstars took advantage of his absence, as senior star Andy Falvey scored 18 points and junior Zach Coleman scored 13. The Warriors hobbled through the seasons without him, going 4-3 in the games Gates missed.

Though the Warriors’ season ended earlier then everyone expected or wanted, they still played together as a family, winning and losing together. They had their ups and downs, like any other team.

One player who definitely took everyone by surprise was junior guard Adam Misener, also known as AJM. Misener came off the bench in the first half of the season, but when he showed people how good he really was, Coach Wilcox immediately moved him into the starting lineup.

Misener was a 3 point threat that other teams feared and had to react to; he could shoot further than just the 3 point arc. Misener said his favorite game was when he scored 19 points against Henninger. The Warriors won that game 77-70 in a tough environment. Liverpool also won the second meeting at Liverpool 59-56, that time without Gates.

Another great moment was when Gates hit five 3 pointers against Nottingham, including the game winner, to carry the Warriors to a 51-48 victory. Gates finished with 29 points.

The play was drawn up for Misener to hit a 3 or get the ball down low to Gates. Even then, “plays break down and sometimes you just have to play basketball,” says a maxim used by many coaches. When asked about the heroic game-winning shot, Gates said “Yeah, it felt good and looked good in the air”. Indeed it did, because once the buzzer rang, the scoreboard read Liverpool 51 and Nottingham 48.

The Warriors had many more great moments, and some bad moments as well. Though this 2009-10 season has come to a close, there is always next year – just with different faces and playing in different places.