Sure, it’s a familiar tale, but it’s one the Sknaeateles girls lacrosse team does not mind repeating as many times as possible.
Once more, the Lakers made its way to the Section III Class C championship game. And once again, it cast aside archrival Marcellus along the way.
This time, the deed was accomplished in Thursday night’s Class C semifinal at West Genesee, where Skaneateles, the no. 3 seed, played a sound all-around game and pulled away in the second half to beat the Mustangs 12-9.
They had met twice in the regular season. Both times, the road team won – Skaneateles by a 9-8 margin on a last-second goal March 31, Marcellus by a count of 10-9 on May 10.
And for a while, the third and most important meeting followed the same pattern, if only with more production on both ends. Skaneateles had little trouble working its way through the Marcellus defenses, but the Mustangs were just as successful, and when they reached halftime the Lakers clung to a 7-6 lead.
Once the second half started, the Lakers patiently took control. It continued to find the net and, more importantly, saw defenders like Taylor Kerr, Elyce Buell and Rachel Hurley fling back the Mustangs’ challenges. Together, they held the Mustangs’ star senior, Nora Barry, to a reasonable total of three goals and one assist.
Meanwhile, three Lakers – Shelby McNeilly, Carly Davis and Emma Ford – matched Barry with that same total of three goals and one assist. Dianne Vitkus and Erin Callahan each had one goal and one assist, while Alana Navaroli also scored.
All this leads to Tuesday night’s 6 p.m. final at Liverpool High School Stadium, where the Lakers meet no. 1 seed Christian Brothers Academy, who beat South Jefferson 11-7 in the other semifinal. The Brothers will look to avenge last year’s 12-6 defeat in the Class C-2 title game.
