In the follow-up to its run-in with Cicero-North Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, the Liverpool girls basketball team recovered enough to earn second place in the Traci Zimmer Memorial Tournament at Central Square.
Playing in the first round of this fund-raiser for Coaches vs. Cancer, the Warriors met the hosts from Central Square Friday night and took over early in the second half to beat the Red Hawks 49-32.
All through the first half, at varying paces, Liverpool and Central Square traded baskets. All of that changed, though, at the start of the third quarter, when the Warriors started to convert on a regular basis, not stopping until it had outscored the Red Hawks 20-9. Then the defense held Central Square to four points in the final period, just to be sure.
Lyteshia Price led the way, with 15 points, while Rachael Windhausen stepped up and matched Shannon Seymour, each of them earning 10 points. Claudia Stirpe led the Red Hawks with 11 points.
Saturday’s final pitted the Warriors against Fayetteville-Manlius, who had rolled past CBA 49-28 in the other half of the opening round. Defense would rule here, too, and that would hurt Liverpool in a 39-31 defeat to the Hornets.
At first, the Warriors, playing without Price in the lineup, did a good job containing F-M, and led 7-5 through one period. Yet Liverpool never got its own offense in gear, and it had to watch as the Hornets gradually assumed the lead and prevented any comeback.
Windhausen did put up 10 points for the second consecutive game, backed by Sabina Kadic (seven points) and Jacy Kocan (six points). Charlotte Beers led F-M, pouring in 18 points.
As the girls Warriors were beating Central Square, Liverpool’s boys team, still in search of its first win in 2011-12, went to West Genesee and fell to the Wildcats 69-58.
Having dropped its opener to Baldwinsville in the Tip-Off Classic in the Dome, the Warriors stayed even with WG in the first period, only to struggle late in the half as it was held to seven points in the second quarter.
From there, Liverpool was in catch-up mode, and didn’t suffer on the offensive side. In fact, Josh LaRue set a career mark with 16 points, while Mike Russo got 11 points and Caleb Taylor added nine points. Alzono Grainger had seven points as Abe Odum and Tyler Bliss picked up six points apiece.
However, none of them came close to the effort of WG’s Phil Allen, who torched the Warriors for 27 points, constantly earning fouls and converting 12 free throws.
Both of Liverpool’s teams would look for more success on Tuesday against F-M and on Friday when they play Oswego.
