What a difference seven days can make, especially when the pressure of the post-season is brought into the equation.
When the Cazenovia girls basketball team visited Bishop Ludden on Feb. 10, it won 76-62 and set a school record with 15 3-pointers.
Exactly one week later, when those same two sides met in the opening round of the Section III Class B playoffs at Buckley Gym, the Lakers’ shooting magic had disappeared, and the Gaelic Knights took full advantage, ending Cazenovia’s season in a 45-39 decision.
It marked the second straight year the Lakers had fallen in the opening round of the sectional tournament. Back in 2014, as a no. 15 seed, it had nearly stunned no. 2 seed South Jefferson and lost by a single point, 49-48.
Fueled by the pain of that defeat, Cazenovia had returned intact this winter, had gone 12-6 in the regular season and won the OHSL Liberty National division regular-season title, earning a no. 5 sectional playoff seed.
On the surface, facing Ludden, the no. 12 seed, seemed quite manageable. But aside from that shooting barrage Cazenovia lay on them, the Gaelic Knights had played well in the latter stages of its regular season, winning six of seven heading into its rematch with the Lakers.
From the outset, Cazenovia tested to see whether that outside shooting touch was still there. But it only managed one field goal in the game’s first seven minutes before Kelsi Fredericks’ 3-pointer ignited a 7-0 run to close the first quarter.
That gave the Lakers a 9-7 lead – the only lead it had all night. Unfazed, Ludden countered with a 9-0 run to start the second quarter, the first four of those points coming from its freshman sensation, Danielle Rauch, who would prove the best player on the floor this night.
Rauch’s nine first-half points helped Ludden gain a 21-16 edge on Cazenovia by halftime. Meanwhile, the Lakers waited, in vain, for its shooting touch to return, mostly settling for 3-point attempts during the third quarter.
But while Fredericks connected twice more and Kate Sullivan added a 3-pointer of her own, Ludden kept answering, as baskets by Sara Hayes (off a beautiful half-court pass from Rauch) and Ally Weigand extended the Gaelic Knights’ edge to 36-27 going to the fourth quarter.
Try as it could, the Lakers could not get the run it needed, moving within five, 39-34, on Sullivan’s pair of free throws with 2:08 left, but getting no closer.
Fredericks, in defeat, led Cazenovia with 14 points, and Sullivan added eight points, but that trailed Rauch, who finished with 19 points, including three free throws in the final minute to seal it. Hayes had all eight of her points in the second half as Kellie Byrne also had eight points.
Now the challenge that awaits the Lakers is trying to replace a six-girl senior class that includes Fredericks, Sullivan, Audrey Burbidge, Maggie Johnson, Lizzy Bigsby and Rachel McLaughlin. Danielle Tedesco is the lone returning starter in 2015-16.
