CENTRAL NEW YORK – Both inside and outside Central New York, area high school girls basketball teams faced plenty of challenges and had to take some humbling defeats.
Yet it was balanced out by some big victories, few of them more impressive than what Skaneateles accomplished last Wednesday night as it knocked off previously unbeaten Bishop Grimes 34-25.
All game long, the two defenses prevented much from happening. But as the second half wore on, the Lakers gradually built its winning margin, seeing Maddy Ramsgard score 15 points and Ayla Pas’call add 10 points, matching the Cobras’ top scorer, Jenna Sloan.
Before this, Sknaeateles handled Central Square 50-31 in a game on Dec. 10 where the Lakers started out 15-5, nursed that lead through the middle stages and then got away for good in the fourth quarter.
A closing 13-2 spurt saw Ramsgard work her total to 23 points, nearly half the Skaneateles output. Faith Wagner finished with 12 points, while Pas’cal gained eight points.
On the same night that Skaneateles beat Grimes, Bishop Ludden took its first loss of the season, falling to Rochester-area power Bishop Kearney 68-45 despite 25 points from Amarah Streiff.
This same Ludden team had already beaten Marcellus on Dec. 8 and, going to Cicero-North Syracuse two nights later and pulled off a 54-50 victory over the reigning Section III Class AA champion Northstars.
Building a 25-17 lead by halftime, the Gaelic Knights saw C-NS make up most of the ground in the third quarter, led by Alexa Kulakowski, who finished with 18 points, and Alita Carey-Santangelo, who got 16 points.
Still, Ludden held on. Streiff, had 22 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Kaitlyn Kibling got 16 points and 11 rebounds, plus five assists. Sarah Boyea added eight points and six rebounds.
A day later, Westhill took on Bishop Grimes and struggled in a 60-39 loss to the Cobras, who jumped out 20-7 in the first quarter to take control.
The Warriors closed within 25-21 by halftime, only to see the game get away for good in the third quarter. Catherine Dadey, with 21 points, and Janiah Robinson, with 12 points, could not make up for it. Jenna Sloan led Grimes with 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks.
Marcellus lost on Dec. 10, too, falling 49-41 to Oneida in a game where, thanks to a 21-11 second-quarter dash, the Mustangs had a 28-22 halftime lead.
But as Marcellus went cold late, the Indians, led by Kaylin Curro (23 points) and Mollie Rainbow (17 points), roared into the lead in the third quarter and never gave it up. Hannah Rogalia and Annabella Mondello led the Mustangs, each scoring 14 points.
Rebounding in last Tuesday’s home opener, Marcellus beat Auburn 60-43 almost entirely based on a third quarter where it blitzed the Maroons 25-4.
Leading that charge, Katie MacLachlan hit on three 3-pointers and got 21 points overall, with Rogalia earning 13 points and Cece Powell stepping up to earn 10 points.’
West Genesee traveled to Poughkeepsie and lost twice in the Lourdes Tournament, falling 67-31 to Ursulin and 64-51 to Saratoga Springs despite 16 points from Erin DiPaola, 12 points from Molly Benetti and 10 points from Mollie James.
But the Wildcats nearly rebounded from this by knocking off undefeated Baldwinsville in last Tuesday’s SCAC Metro division opener, battling to the end in a 54-50 defeat to the bees.
As it turned out, B’ville’s third-quarter scoring surge which created a 39-30 advantage was a bit too much to overcome. Still, James had 17 points, with Benetti getting 11 points and DiPaola adding 10 points.
Solvay got its first win of the season 35-28 over Altmar-Parish-Williamstown,the key sequence a second quarter where the Bearcats held the Rebels to two points as Margaret Kemp piled up 16 points and 22 rebounds, adding six blocks.
Jordan-Elbridge was tied with undefeated Christian Brothers Academy going to the fourth quarter, only to get outscored 15-9 in the final frame of a 41-35 defeat. Abbie Ahern had 12 points to lead the Eagles as Ava Hildebrant got 10 points and Heather Sorts added nine points.
