Even before it took to the court fot the 2011-12 season, the Baldwinsville girls basketball team was short-handed, missing the services of a cornerstone player in Claire Monnat.
But led by her twin sister, Maggie, the Bees are still 3-0, capping a perfect opening week with a come-from-behind, 48-36 win over Rome Free Academy in Saturday’s final of the Bill Middleton Tip-Off Tournament.
Claire Monnat tore a knee ligament during soccer season. As a result, she will spend the winter as a team manager, offering whatever help she can for head coach Kathy Morse and her players.
Mostly propelled by strong shooting from Maggie Monnat and Gabi Jordan, B’ville, with wins over East Syracuse-Minoa and Cato-Meridian, was 2-0 going into the Middleton tournament final against RFA, who had held off Phoenix 48-44 in its opening-round game.
Yet it was the Black Knights administering an effective transition game in the early stages against B’ville. RFA led, 16-8, after one period, and early in the second quarter stretched the margin out to 26-14.
From that point forward, though, B’ville would dominate. In fact, using consistent defensive pressure, it held RFA without a point for more than nine minutes, a drought that stretched deep into the third period as the Bees got 17 unanswered points to move ahead for good.
Though the Black Knights didn’t go away and pulled within 37-34 midway through the final period, the Bees responded with an 11-0 spurt in the closing minutes.
On her way to tournament MVP honors, Monnat produced 15 points. Jordan, who left the game in the late stages due to a tender left ankle, had eight points, as did Andrea Moore, while freshman Hope DeFazio had five points off the bench. Liz Giromini and Morgan Marshall each had five points.
B’ville had blasted Cato-Meridian in Friday’s opening round as most of Monnat’s 13 points came from a trio of successful 3-pointers.
Jordan had 10 points as all of Giromini’s six points were earned at the free-throw line. Marshall and DeFazio also got six points. Phoenix would beat Cato 57-12 in Saturday’s consolation game.
Back in the season opener, Monnat and Jordan led the way in B’ville’s tough 39-35 win over East Syracuse-Minoa.
Off quickly, the Bees led 13-6 after one period, but over the course of the next two periods the Spartans made up that deficit, leaving it tied, 29-29, with one quarter to play.
Down the stretch, Monnat and Jordan earned the key baskets, pushing B’ville ahead for good. They finished with 14 points apiece, most of it from hitting seven combined 3-point field goals, as the rest of the Bees had just four combined field goals, two of them from Giromini. Gabrielle Eure (14 points) and Julie Maselli (11 points) led ESM’s efforts.
B’ville plays just once this week, at home against Hannibal on Wednesday night.
