Grimes girls race to 15-0 mark

Fresh from a series of exciting contests where it needed to finish strong to keep itself unbeaten, the Bishop Grimes girls basketball team kept busy — and kept on winning — when it came back to the OHSL Patriot division.

From a strictly defensive standpoint, the Cobras’ trip to Pulaski last Tuesday was one of its best efforts of the season as it pounded the Blue Devils 43-22.

What happened here was a definite response to Grimes giving up its most points of the season in a 53-51 thriller over Nazareth in its most recent game on Jan. 23.

No such suspense would be found here, even as the Cobras struggled to find offensive consistency in the first half. Contesting every Pulaski shot with a variety of defensive looks, Grimes held the Blue Devils to five points in the opening period and a single free throw in the second quarter.

And that margin kept growing, as Grimes made it 39-11 by the early part of the fourth quarter before easing up in the late stages.

For a long while, Amelia Heiselman was outscoring the entire Pulaski roster, finishing with 15 points, all from five 3-pointers. Amanda Marcely worked inside for nine points, including five successful free throws, as Cady Kalemba’s six points came from a pair of 3-pointers. Just two Blue Devils, Torie Hax (11 points) and Elissa Longley (10 points), had field goals on this night.

It promised to be tougher Friday night, when Grimes hosted Weedsport, but the Cobras again were ready for it and pounded its way past the Warriors 51-36. It marked head coach John Cifonelli’s 184th win at Grimes, passing the total of 183 wins Barb Pfefferle achieved in 15 years, from 1969 to ’83.

Slowly, the Cobras began to take charge in the second quarter, doubling Weedsport’s output 14-7. Then it really took charge in the third quarter with a 19-7 spurt.

Marcely had a double-double, backing up her 13 points with 12 rebounds, while Cassidy Weeks assumed a larger offensive role and got 12 points. Emma Kelley had nine points as Heiselman contributed eight points.

Less than 24 hours later, Grimes played again, this time against Fabius-Pompey in the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge at Onondaga Community College. Here, the defense told the whole story in a 42-24 win over the Falcons.

Grimes almost blanked F-P in the first half. Applying relentless pressure and causing all kinds of mistakes on the other side, the Cobras held the Falcons to just four total points, one field goal in each quarter.

That gave Grimes enough time to race out to a 22-4 halftime edge and relax even when F-P finally started to make some baskets in the late going.

With 19 points, Marcely nearly matched the entire Falcon roster, while Kalemba (nine points) and Heiselman (six points) provided the outside balance, getting all their points from sinking five 3-pointers.

Meanwhile, the Bishop Grimes boys team moved into sole possession of first place in the OHSL Liberty division without even taking the court, as co-leader Westhill lost to Marcellus 47-45 in overtime — this just days after the Mustangs, in double overtime, knocked Skaneateles from its share of the lead.

As fate would have it, Grimes will host both Skaneateles and Marcellus this week, which could strengthen the Cobras’ lead — or make it disappear.