If ever there was a time where a 2-2 record was an unqualified success, the Cicero-North Syracuse girls basketball team managed it while attending last week’s Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Ariz.
Both in victory and defeat, the Northstars enhanced the entire reputation of Central New York high school hoops, as Breanna Stewart and her teammates put up four supreme efforts against some of the nation’s best programs.
After those early wins (43-40 over Bollingbrook, Ill. on Monday, 48-28 over Dr. Phillips, Fla. on Tuesday), In Wednesday’s semifinal, CNS would play a virtual road game against the nation’s no. 2-ranked team, St. Mary’s (Ariz.), who was playing not far from its Phoenix home.
Here, finally, CNS fell short, though not without a fierce fight as Stewart again was the best player on the court in a 63-55 defeat.
Mostly, the Northstars paid for a slow start. St. Mary’s, energized by the home crowd, held CNS to seven points in the first quarter, and though the pace quickened, the margin got larger as St. Mary’s kept making a long string of 3-pointers.
When those shots stopped falling, though, CNS took off, going on a 13-0 run to close the third period and, early in the fourth quarter, moving within seven.
That was as tight as it would get, but Stewart still proved too much for St. Mary’s to handle, amassing 33 points and 16 rebounds. Brittany Paul offered ample support, too, earning 14 points, but only two other players, Sarah Bowles and Hannah Nichols, hit field goals.
It concluded Thursday night as CNS met Windward, from Los Angeles, in the third-place game where Stewart would match up against 6-7 Texas recruit Imani Stafford.
Windward would prevail, 49-45, in a game that was in doubt until the end, even though Windward went on a 12-2 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters after the Northstars briefly moved in front 33-31 on Paul’s 3-pointer.
Again, the Northstars rallied, moving within one, 46-45, when Julie Hauberg sank a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left. But Windward would shut down CNS the rest of the way, making a trio of free throws to hang on.
Stewart managed 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Paul finished with 10 points. Sarah Bowles finished with nine points and Cara Gannett chimed in with six points.
Tired from the grind of this tournament (four games in 73 hours), CNS flew home for a much-needed break during the holidays. The Northstars’ season will resume Jan. 3 with a key home contest against Class AA challenger Fayetteville-Manlius.
