Raising its profile in the days after Christmas, the West Genesee girls basketball team swept through both of its opponents in the Tidick division of last weekend’s Pete Hyde Tournament at Maine-Endwell High School, near Binghamton.
To kick off its trip to the Southern Tier, WG met Vestal in Saturday’s opening round and mostly relied on its defense to dominate the Golden Bears, winning by a score of 53-29.
All Vestal managed in the first quarter was four points, giving the Wildcats a chance to leap out in front. By halftime, the margin was 30-12, and WG maintained that sizable lead all through the second half.
Alyssa Sutherland nearly outscored the Golden Bears by herself, finishing with 25 points. Deanna Apps and Katie Kolinski each got seven points, while Erica Lacomb earned six points.
A day later, WG met another Section IV opponent, Johnson City, and continued to roll, winning by a score of 66-39.
This game stayed close for a while, even though the Wildcats nearly doubled Johnson City’s output in the second quarter to go ahead 33-21. But when WG dominated the third quarter, going on a 19-6 run, it was settled.
Sutherland, gaining 21 points, earned the MVP spot in her tournament bracket. Apps stepped up for 12 points, with Kolinski earning seven points. Kelsey Myers and Allie Kotula picked up six points apiece. Each of the nine WG players that saw action got at least one field goal before the game was done.
At the halfway point of the regular season, WG is 8-2, in position to get a high Section III Class AA playoff seed should it play as well in the second half, which kicks off next Tuesday at Liverpool.
