The words “Skaneateles girls basketball team” and “win streak” have not often flowed together in recent years.
Yet that’s exactly what the Lakers had on Thursday night, as its 51-42 road conquest of Solvay gave it back-to-back victories, counting its win over Rochester School of the Arts in the Dec. 30 consolation game of the Wayne Tournament.
It helped, no doubt, that Solvay was playing without injured forward Abbey Jones, forcing the Bearcats to rely even more on senior Tessa Pucello, the team’s all-time leading scorer.
But with Pucello cold early, Skaneateles jumped all over the Bearcats, playing strong defense and converting turnovers into baskets as it grabbed a 17-3 lead.
For the rest of the game, the Lakers protected that advantage, watching as Pucello worked her way to 26 points to close the gap, especially in the final period.
Still, Skaneateles would hang on, pushed there by a three-pronged attack. Emily Call led with 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Elizabeth Lane worked her way to 15 points and Jackie Leslie chimed in with 11 points. Together, the trio accounted for all but two of the Lakers’ field goals.
And if two wins in a row was odd, a three-game win streak was crazier – but Skaneateles pulled it off Saturday, holding on to beat Bishop Ludden 47-46.
All through the first half, the Lakers were steady and productive, combining it with a hard-nosed defense to build a 29-19 lead. That margin largely held up until the fourth quarter, when the Gaelic Knights, led by Nicole Granteed (20 points), almost caught up.
But the Lakers stayed in front as, again, the baskets got spread around. Leslie had 15 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Lane earned 14 points and Call put up 13 points.
On Tuesday, Skaneateles went for its fourth straight win against rival Marcellus at Onondaga
Community College before hosting Bishop Grimes Friday night.
