As it went west to play in the Wayne Tournament during the holiday break, the Skaneateles girls basketball team hoped to finally break into the win column.
Sure enough, after five consecutive defeats, the Lakers did get that first victory on Thursday night, beating Rochester’s School of the Arts 62-33 in the tournament’s consolation game.
It was a close game early, Skaneateles only leading 16-14 after one period. But the Lakers’ defense stepped up in the second quarter and remained terrific the rest of the night, shutting down SOTA as the attack remained potent.
All told, the Lakers outscored SOTA 46-19 the rest of the game, and Elizabeth Lane was at the forefront, sinking five 3-pointers on her way to 24 points, a new career mark.
Offering the support, Emily Call finished with 13 points, while Jackie Leslie finished with eight points.
A day earlier, in the opening round, Skaneateles ran into Webster Thomas and fell again, this time by a 51-37 margin.
The first half proved decisive, as Skaneateles fell behind 27-13. Throughout the second half, the Lakers tried to rally, but no single player could put together a sustained run.
Leslie led with just eight points, while Lane, Ashley Sheldon and Mary Buck got five points apiece. Webster Thomas saw Kara Houppert account for 22 points and Allison Muth add 14 points.
With that first victory gained a day laer, Skaneateles returns to OHSL Liberty division competition Thursday night with a trip to Solvay.
