Through the course of last week’s girls basketball slate, teams from Marcellus, Westhill and Skaneateles all would cross each other’s paths.
At least in the early portion of the season, it was the Mustangs enjoying the most success, going 4-0 before its back-to-back games against the Warriors and Lakers.
The first of these two games involved real urgency on Westhill’s part, something rare for a program of its stature – and that translated into a much-needed win as, by a 55-42 margin, it handed Marcellus its first defeat of the season.
Back-to-back defeats to Oneida and Bishop Grimes had left the Warriors at 1-2, and at Marcellus it relied on its defense to make plenty of key stops during a close first half.
Then Jenna Larrabee took over, helping Westhill steadily pull away in the last two quarters as the senior forward poured in 26 points, nearly half her team’s output.
Mary Gibson, with 12 points, offered support as Erica Gangemi got six points. For Marcellus, no one got close to Larrabee’s production as only Katie MacLachlan, with 13 points, hit double figures and Hannah Durand got seven points.
Now the Mustangs had to show that it could rebound from a defeat, which it tried to do at Skaneateles on Friday. And while it was nervous for a while, Marcellus still pulled through and beat the Lakers 53-40.
All through the first half, it remained tight, so it was only fitting that they were tied 24-24, but once the Mustangs doubled the Lakers’ production 18-9 in the third quarter, it seized control.
Emma MacLachlan had 12 points, with LaMarre getting 10 points, Katie MacLachlan nine points and Samantha Wynne seven points. Maeve Canty paced Sknaeateles with 14 points, helped by Kate Aberi’s nine points and Tatumn Pas’cal’s seven points.
Before all this, Westhill had faced Bishop Grimes and lost 50-43, going out in front 17-10 in the first quarter, yet watching as that margin vanished through the game’s middle stages.
Ultimately, the Cobras surged ahead in the final period, led by Lora Marial, who poured in a career-best 20 points. Larrabee had 18 points, but no other Westhill player reached double figures.
Skaneateles, meanwhile, lost 50-37 to Syracuse Academy of Science, a game that was fairly close through the first half before the Atoms outscored the Lakers 18-7 in a decisive third quarter.
Maeve Canty scored a game-high 16 points. Maddy Ramsgard had eight points, while Faith Wagner had six points. SAS had more depth as Xy’el Bradford had 13 points, with Alexius Pierce and Erykah Pasha each getting 12 points.
Finally, the Lakers got its first win of the season Wednesday as it defeated Phoenix 56-30, steadily building its margin throughout the night as Ramsgard earned 18 points and Canty chimed in with 16 points. Wagner helped, too, earning eight points.
Solvay moved to 2-0 last Monday when it defeated Henninger 40-31, mainly led by the 21 rebounds put up by Ryleigh Bidwell as she and Tazz Pitts each produced 13 points. Olivia Petralito added nine rebounds.
Making it three wins in a row on Saturday, the Bearcats handled Mexico 47-39, a game that was closely fought until Solvay held the Tigers to five points in the fourth quarter.
Carrying the Bercats’ attack, Pitts earned 29 points, which included five 3-pointers, plus 12 rebounds. Haley Muehl had eight rebounds and five steals, with Ryleigh Bidwell earning seven rebounds
Jordan-Elbridge lost, 54-32, to East Syracuse Minoa last Tuesday, despite 11 points from Ashlee Eaton and nine points from Gabby Smart. The Eagles then had a 44-32 loss to Mexico on Friday , though Eaton poured in 16 points.
