The Marcellus girls basketball team is getting used to this concept of back-to-back games, having gone through it three times in a span of two weeks. in this latest incarnation, the Mustangs met Solvay and Jordan-Elbridge in a span of 24 hours and won against both OHSL Liberty division foes. It all started with Friday’s 41-36 victory over Solvay.
Really, the Mustangs won this contest in the first half, shutting down the Bearcats for long segments as it battled toward a 23-9 advantage. Solvay, led by Tessa Pucello’s 15 points, would come back in the third quarter and pull within five, 28-23, but Marcellus would settle down in the homestretch and get the baskets it needed to hang on. Behind Melissa Lee, who finished with 13 points, Alex Hess produced seven points. Kate Gosson gained six points as Emily Hunt and Christa Rockburn each had five points. Marcellus then went through some extreme behavior in Saturday’s visit to J-E, but overcame its rough start in a thorough manner to beat the Eagles 54-37. Less than four minutes into the game, Marcellus trailed, 11-0, and finally looked to be wearing down from the long week of work. But after Kelsey Richardson’s 3-pointer made it 11-0, the Eagles went more than 15 minutes without a basket, a drought that covered the entire second quarter. During that time, Marcellus dominated on the boards, took full advantage of J-E’s cold shooting and ran off 29 consecutive points. Lee got most of her 13 points in this stretch, and though the Eagles would break the string and fare better in the last two periods, it never got close again. Gosson had eight points, while Megan Tock and Emily Brisette picked up seven points apiece and Marie Temara earned six points. Marcellus is now 6-5 on the season and determined to stay above the .500 mark as it meets rival Skaneateles Tuesday night before a Thursday home date with Hannibal.