CENTRAL NEW YORK – Absolutely nothing was going to keep the Baldwinsville girls lacrosse team from repairing a year-long wound and claiming the Section III Class A championship.
Certainly neither of the Bees’ opponents in the sectional tournament got close, including Liverpool, who offered the challenge in Tuesday’s sectional final at SUNY-Cortland, only to get bashed as B’ville sprinted to a 24-5 victory.
Ever since last June’s sectional final at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, where the Bees dropped an overtime classic to Cicero-North Syracuse, every single B’ville player and caoch was motivated to avoid that pain again.
The end result was a 13-2 regular season where no Section III opponent was able to keep up with B’ville, along with a perfect run through the SCAC Empire division.
Once the sectional tournament started, B’vlle was ready to dominate – which it did on May 26 when it took out no. 4 seed Christian Brothers Academy 19-6 in the semifinals at East Syracuse Mnoa Stadium.
When these teams had met early in May, CBA had put up enough of an effort, even as B’ville won 15-9, to allow the Bees reason to take the game with full and serious intent- which was obvious from the opening draw.
Mia Pozzi, who won six draw controls, set a dominant tone, and Pozzi, Carlie Desimone and Sara Hunter led a prolific attack that steadily built an 11-3 advantage by halftime.
By game’s end, Desimone had scored five times, adding an assist, while Pozzi and Hunter notched three-goal hat tricks. Sophia Ianno and Grace Hollenbeck each gained two goals and one assist as Caitlin Sacco and Alexza Zalla had single goals.
Then B’ville watched as C-NS’s hopes of a sectional finals rematch was dashed when Liverpool, who lost twice to the Northstars in the regular season, prevailed 9-8 on Gianna Carbone’s goal at the end of the first overtime period.
This meant a title game against the no. 3 seed Warriors, who hadn’t gone this far since 2012. When these teams had met in the spring, the Bees had won big 24-7 in April, but had a much closer 15-11 decision in mid-May.
For a brief moment in the title game, Liverpool fans carried some hope as Carbone answered Brianna Peters’ opening goal.
What followed was a clinical, ruthless display of aggressive lacrosse by B’ville’s attack as, in a span of barely four minutes, it rattled off six unanswered goals.
Desimone had two of the goals, with Peters converting again, Pozzi netting her first goal and Emma and Grace Hollenbeck both finding the net, too.
Hardly letting up from there, the Bees answered consecutive goals from Carbone and Maggie Tifft with another surge as Desimone, Pozzi, Hunter, Grace Hollenbeck (twice) and Sophia Muscolino all got on the board to make it 14-3 at halftime.
Even with a running clock the entire second half, B’ville still scored 10 more times, Pozzi working her total to five goals and two assists as Grace Hollenbeck had four goals, Desimone and Peters getting three goals apiece.
All the reserves saw extensive action, too, with Sierra Natoli and Myra Nicholson notching goals. Muscolino and Zalla both had a goal and two assists, with Ianno and Sacco also finding the net.
On Saturday at 9 a.m., B’ville meets Section IV champion Corning at Ithaca High School in the Class A regional, with the winner getting to Cortland for next weekend’s state final four.
