Without a senior in its starting lineup, and staring down an 18-1, state no. 3-ranked opponent on its home floor, the Westhill girls basketball team found itself in a very unfamiliar situation Friday night, expected to bow out at Bishop Grimes in the Section III Class B quarterfinal, consider it a learning experience and get ready for next season.
But the Warriors had other ideas.
Strong defense from start to finish, and clutch shots from the likes of freshman Morgan Elmer, helped produce the biggest upset of the sectional tournament, Westhill shocking the Cobras 46-44.
Instead of a quick exit, Westhill now finds itself traveling to SRC Arena next Friday to take on no. 4 seed Skaneateles in the Class B semifinals, with a berth in the March 7 title game at that same venue against South Jefferson or Hannibal at stake.
When the Warriors met Grimes in the regular season, it lost by margins of 45-34 (on Dec. 5) and 57-40 (on Jan. 31). Those games proved that the Cobras’ duo of forward Azariah Wade and guard Jordan Vaught were tough to stop, unless they were properly defended.
So head coach Sue Ludwig, aided by assistant Steve Yarnell, drew up a scheme where the Warriors would concentrate its pressure on Wade and Vaught, eschewing a man-to-man look and daring the other Cobras players to beat them.
That containment plan worked on Wade, who only had eight points, and while Vaught did manage to get 16 points, her teammates struggled, too, opening the door that Westhill would break through.
In front for most of the first half, the Warriors took a 27-22 lead to intermission, only to have Grimes catch up in the third quarter and lead 35-30 at one point late in that period.
By now, though, Westhill had gained the confidence it would need for a tense homestretch, and even though it started an eighth-grader (Mackenzie Martin), two freshmen (Morgan Elmer and Katelyn Karleski) and two juniors (Mary Kate Washburn and Delaney Martin), the Warriors showed the poise of a veteran team when it counted the most.
Westhill rallied to tie it, 41-41, late in regulation and regained the lead when Elmer, who already had a pair of 3-pointers, struck again from beyond the arc with 1:20 left. Grimes missed, the Warriors got the rebound and Mary Kate Washburn converted to make it 46-41.
Washburn’s basket was needed, since Grimes’ Katy McInerney hit a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left, and the Cobras got the ball back just long enough for Vaught to launch a possible winning shot – but it flew wide of the target.
Elmer finished with a team-high 13 points, and Washburn added 10 points, while Delaney Martin got eight points and Katelyn Karleski contributed six points.
Westhill could have met Bishop Ludden in the sectional semifinals, but the no. 12 seed Gaelic Knights, who had pulled off one surprise at Cazenovia in the opening round, could not do so again in the quarterfinals, taking a 55-43 defeat to Skaneateles.
Having split a pair of December meetings with Skaneateles, the Gaelic Knights played on even terms during the first quarter, only to see the Lakers seize control by outscoring Ludden 14-5 in the second quarter to lead 27-17 at the break.
From there, the chase began, and while the Gaelic Knights played better in the second half, it could not put together a run of its own, despite 18 points from freshman Danielle Rauch, 10 points from Olivia Trunfio and seven points from Sara Hayes.
Skaneateles prevailed with a well-balanced attack anchored by Elizabeth Lane, who had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Bailey Herr, who piled up 15 rebounds to go with her 14 points. Shannon Foehl had 15 points and seven rebounds.
