A 10-game win streak, a no. 10 state ranking – these were the sorts of long stretches of success that the Cicero-North Syracuse girls basketball team made routine in its eight-year run atop the Section III Class AA ranks from 2009 to ’16.
What those Northstars also had was a big-game aura, built on nights such as Thursday’s high-stakes clash with state no. 12-ranked Baldwinsville at Baker High School.
That long win streak was at stake, as was the SCAC Metro division regular-season title and the possible top seed for the sectional playoffs.
Determined to grab all of it, C-NS nearly overcame a short-handed roster, an ice-cold start and a double-digit second-half deficit, but saw its late comeback thwarted in a 48-40 loss to the Bees.
Just eight players were dressed for the Northstars as forwared Julia Rowe was out. Then, in the first quarter, Jessica Cook picked up two fouls and Alita Carey-Santangelo went to the bench with an injury, though she would return.
Without Cook for the entire second period, C-NS got five bench points from Crystal Leonardi, but then was shut out for more than five minutes. Only superb defense kept things close as the Northstars trailed 14-11 at the break.
Early in the third quarter, B’ville’s defensive pressure forced a rash of C-NS turnovers, and late in the period the Northstars trailed 33-20.
But helped by a 10-0 run, C-NS pulled within one, 35-34, with more than six minutes to play, finally getting some outside shots to go with Cook’s production as she finished with 21 points.
Ultimately, it was B’ville’s Ola Bednarczyk sinking a pair of crucial 3-pointers to thwart the Northstars’ comeback, the last of them with 2:18 to play that made it 43-36. C-NS never got closer than four points again.
Leading the Bees, Katie Pascale earned 13 of her 17 points in the second half. Hannah Mimas, Sydney Huhtala and Kyrah Wilbur had six points apiece.
And all this followed a tense battle at West Genesee Tuesday night, where Cook returned to the lineup after missing the Northstars’ Feb. 5 win over Fayetteville-Manlius.
Every bit of Cook’s inside dominance was needed to beat the Wildcats 60-52. For three periods, it went back and forth, the Wildcats far more effective against the Northstars’ defense than it was when C-NS won 46-32 in their January encounter.
Down by just a point, 51-50, going to the fourth quarter, WG ultimately fell back because Cook kept making baskets, not letting up until she had amassed 36 points, two short of a career high.
Enough support came from Carey-Santangelo (eight points) and Abbee Norris (six points) as WG got 19 points from Meredith James, including five 3-pointers, while Catie Cunningham put in 17 points.
After the loss to B’ville, C-NS romped past Corcoran 82-43 on Friday, getting away with a 22-2 second-quarter run. Cook again had 21 points, with Alexandra Miller getting 14 points as Nicolette Kasch and Gianna Chiaramonte had 10 points apiece.
In between these two games, Liverpool handled Henninger 59-17 last Wednesday night, streaking to a 38-5 halftime lead helped by a 27-4 dominantion of the second quarter.
Karlyssa Shifflett, with 20 points, outscored the Black Knights all by herself, adding five rebounds as Naveah Wingate had 12 points. Sarah Miles got 10 rebounds as Jim’Marya Hunter had eight points and six rebounds.
A 56-55 defeat to Victor (Section V) on Saturday left the Warriors at 6-13 going into Monday’s regular-season finale against Nottingham, where a win could still mean a post-season berth.
