Still at home Thursday night, the Canastota girls basketball team met Sherburne-Earlville to start the second half of the regular season, and got one of its closest calls of the season — but still finished on top, beating the Marauders 51-43 to improve to 11-0.
All season long, Canastota had thrived on fast starts where its defense set the tone. That didn’t happen here, as S-E constantly found its way through the Raiders’ pressure points for baskets and grabbed a 17-11 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Quickly making adjustments, Canastota made up the deficit in the second period, watching the Marauders cool off and shutting off those open lanes. In the second and third periods, S-E got just seven total points.
This helped the Raiders take a 35-24 lead, and allowed it to stay in control even when the Marauders heated up again down the stretch.
When Liz McGinley wasn’t pouring in 16 points, Havens was finding success with her open looks, finishing with 14 points. Alicia Hibbard and Lindsay McGinley each had five points, while Brianna Quaglia got five points. S-E had Bridgett Irwin earn 14 points and Samantha Crandell add 10 points.
Canastota would seek its 12th straight win on Tuesday, at Sauquoit Valley, before going to Mount Markham Friday and returning home Saturday to face Adirondack.
