CENTRAL NEW YORK – In three different brackets, area high school girls basketball teams would plunge into the Section III playoffs with expectations ranging from modest to something much more.
Jamesville-DeWitt was in Class A, looking to reclaim its crown and feeling good after it pushed eventual top seed Auburn to overtime on Feb. 11.
In Monday’s 55-48 victory over New Hartford, the Red Rams struggled in the second quarter and trailed, 32-26, at halftime, before starting to make its way back.
Tough in the final period, J-D outscored the Spartans 14-5 to move out in front as Aniyah Neal finished with 14 points and Macy Durkin added 13 points. Victoria Payne and Miriam Zoghby had eight points apiece as Ava Sandroni returned to form with seven points.
Bishop Grimes found itself a bit frustrated after letting a fourth-quarter lead get away in Monday’s 43-39 defeat to Marcellus.
All through the first half, the Mustangs were contained well as Grimes moved out in front. The pace picked up early in the second half, but as the third quarter ended the Cobras still led 34-27.
Then it all turned around. On one end, Marcellus shut down Grimes’ attack and, on the other end, the Mustangs used a series of baskets to rally and move out in front.
Naywel Ayeil led the Cobras with 10 points as Jenna Sloan and Althea Simmons had nine points apiece. Emma MacLachlan finished with 12 points, while Katie MacLachlan had 11 points.
This followed a 50-43 defeat to Syracuse Academy of Science one day earlier. Against a team it would get matched up against in the sectional playoffs, Sloan and Ayeil had 13 points apiece, but the Atoms saw Anniya Eudell earn 15 points as Aneesha Millhouse (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Alexius Pierce (11 points, 10 rebounds) both earn double-doubles.
Fayetteville-Manlius went up Monday against a Liverpool side it took to overtime back on Jan. 7, but here it was decided in regulation, the Hornets falling 51-38 to the Warriors.
Leading early, F-M still found itself tied 22-22 at halftime before Liverpool used a 17-6 push through the third quarter to gain the lead for good.
Ava Angello still led all scorers with 15 points as Evie Kawa got 12 points. F-M did hold the Warriors’ Naveah Wingate to nine points, but she got help from Jakeira Stackhouse (13 points) and Julia Wike (10 points) as A’briyah Cunningham matched Wingate’s total of nine points.
F-M did prevail 49-40 over Henninger a night later, using a 17-9 second-quarter spurt to take control as Angello and Lauren Hoffman both put in 12 points, with Kawa and Lauren Clark adding nine points apiece.
And East Syracuse Minoa won its regular-season finale, topping Oswego 36-31 as it used a 13-5 push through the third quarter to overcome a 17-13 halftime deficit. Aniyah Jones had 11 points, with Aryanna Finkelstein adding nine points and Adriya Jones getting eight points.
