A combination of scheduling and weather had kept the Skaneateles girls basketball team from game action for nearly two weeks just when it was starting to show serious improvement.
So the Lakers were quite eager to resume action last Tuesday night at Hannibal, and things went well at the outset – but gradually, Skaneateles lost control and then struggled late in a 60-45 defeat to the Warriors.
Hannibal entered the game at 3-2, and the Lakers hit plenty of shots early, gaining an 18-13 lead through one period. But when Skaneateles cooled off, the Warriors inched in front, 27-26, by halftime, and gradually built upon that margin throughout the second half, ultimately closing the game on a 15-6 run.
Olivia Dobrovosky paced the Lakers with 14 points. Hannah Atkinson, with 10 points, was close behind as Chloe Metz and Olivia Navaroli got six points apiece. Riley Pascal (five points) and Rachael Smith (four points) were close behind.
On Hannibal’s side, four players reached double figures, and a fifth nearly did so, too. Sydney Alton and Cassie Long each led with 14 points, with Katie Pitcher getting 11 points and McKenzie Mattison 10 points as Nichole Oleyourryk earned nine points.
It wouldn’t get easier on Thursday night, when Skaneateles visited a Central Square side that started 5-0 before a 46-43 defeat to Rome Free Academy earlier in the week. That outcome riled up the Redhawks, who would shut down the Lakers in the game’s middle portion and hand the visitors a 54-31 loss.
They were tied, 13-13, through one period, but then Skaneateles was shut out in the second quarter. Central Square didn’t take full advantage of this, but even when the Lakers broke its long drought in the third period, the Redhawks outscored them 19-5 to get away.
Dobrovosky again led the attack, though she had just nine points. Smith contributed seven points, with Metz and Pascal earning five points apiece. Central Square’s Breanna Ransom proved tough to stop, finishing with 20 points, six steals and four rebounds, while Maddy Besaw had 11 points and Lauren Bell got nine points, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
And after all that, Skaneateles would host unbeaten, state Class B no. 3-ranked Bishop Ludden on Friday night, the team’s third game in four days, a prelude to the ‘More Than a Game’ tournament that starts Wednesday against Marcellus and continues Thursday at SRC Arena.
