It’s fair to say that the Bishop Ludden girls basketball team liked dealing with Skaneateles the first time around.
In a second head-to-head encounter in a span of less than three weeks, the Gaelic Knights went on the road to face the Lakers last Friday night and had a much different result, unable to overcome a first-half slump and taking a 48-40 defeat.
Back in the season opener Dec. 1, Ludden, playing without guard Danielle Rauch (ankle injury), still handled Skaneateles 57-42. But the Lakers had not lost since, and showed the Gaelic Knights just what difference confidence gained from a three-game win streak can make.
All through a nightmarish first half, Ludden found itself pressured into mistakes and bad shots. At first, that didn’t hurt too much, but only trailing 10-6 through one period, the Gaelic Knights saw Skaneateles roar through an 18-4 run that covered the rest of the half.
Trailing 28-10 at the break, Ludden never really got moving until the fourth quarter, courtesy of Rauch, who had most of her 15 points in the late stages. Other than Rauch, only Meg Sierotnik, who had 11 points, produced on a consistent basis.
By contrast, Skaneateles had a deep, well-balanced attack. Kelsey Kraetz piled up 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks, while Elizabeth Lane (who broke 1,000 career points in the first game with Ludden) added 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Shannon Foehl had a big night, too, with 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
West Genesee didn’t return to action until Tuesday afternoon, when it played a tight, tense game against Fayetteville-Manlius and did just enough to edge the Hornets 42-40.
The Wildcats clung to a 22-20 halftime lead, but could not get away with any string of baskets. Instead, WG turned to its defense to pull through – which it did, limiting F-M to just five points in the fourth quarter despite numerous chances by the visitors to pull it out.
Camryn Chawgo, with 19 points, accounted for nearly half of the Wildcats’ production. Only one other player, Kyra Bednarski, had more than one field goal, finishing with five points as F-M’s D’Jhai Patterson-Ricks (14 points) and Elizabeth Hall (10 points) both hit double figures.
Marcellus faced Westhill in non-league action that same night and continued the Warriors’ early-season struggles, the Mustangs making a big late-game comeback to prevail by a score of 62-54.
All went right for Westhill early, as it led Marcellus 16-8 after one period. Little changed in the game’s middle stages as the Mustangs could not catch up, but the Warriors, despite a career-high 29 points from Delaney Martin, couldn’t get away, either.
Then, in the final period, Marcellus took charge, overwhelming Westhill with a closing 21-4 burst that included a more balanced attack than Westhill could muster.
Tessa Mosher led with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Morgan DeLand added 14 points, six rebounds and four steals. Eve Hughes contributed 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals as Erica Balman and Liz White managed eight points apiece and White added seven assists.
Westhill’s loss followed yet another defeat that it hadn’t experienced much of in recent years, as it fell to its fellow Warriors from Hannibal 46-33 last Thursday night.
Right from the outset, Westhill’s offense could not string together baskets against a tight Hannibal defense. In turn, it fell behind, Hannibal steadily gaining a 22-15 halftime edge and then taking full command by going on a 16-6 third-quarter run.
For Westhill, only Mackenzie Martin, with 12 points, reached double figures, with Katelyn Karleski adding six points. Hannibal featured Sydney Alton earning 15 points, with Spencer Kenney adding 10 points as Rachel Shute (nine points) and McKenzie Mattison (eight points) close behind.
On the same night that Westhill lost to Hannibal, Jordan-Elbridge put up a strong showing at Phoenix, hanging close until the fourth quarter of a 51-42 defeat to the Firebirds.
Even when it trailed, 19-10, after one period, the Eagles didn’t panic, getting hot in the second quarter and closing the gap to 28-27 at the break. And it stayed close until the final minutes, when Phoenix used a series of free throws to regain control.
Alexis Braun led J-E with 12 points, while Emily Somes gained 10 points and Leah Wright contributed eight points. Samantha Doupe paced the Firebirds with 18 points as teammate Natalie Hart contributed 11 points.
