When the Bishop Grimes girls basketball team closed out its regular season last Saturday with a 44-30 victory over Tully, it came right in the middle of a long period of rest.
From the time it lost Feb. 5 to Onondaga, to the time it will make its Section III Class C-2 playoff debut, the Cobras (18-2) will have played one time in 19 days.
At least the Cobras made that single outing a successful one, despite some injury trouble. Amelia Heiselman left early, not to return, and Brooke Bonacci didn’t even start, though she would contribute off the bench.
Grimes steadily worked its way to a 20-14 halftime lead, but Tully, who had a four-game win streak coming into the game, refused to go away, holding the Cobras to just five points in the third quarter.
The Cobras did get clear in the late going, though, as Tenley Pitonzo led the offense with 11 points and Bonacci, despite her limited minutes, got eight points.
Emma Kelley (seven points) and Amanda Marcely (six points) were close behind. Also, eighth-grader Abbey Timpano, seeing more court time due to Heiselman’s injury, had four points, six rebounds and four assists.
As the no. 2 seed in Class C-2 (Mohawk has the top seed), Grimes will host no. 7 seed Dolgeville next Tuesday, with the winner to face Fabius-Pompey or Waterville in the semifinal round.
