When it steps on to the floor Monday night at Nottingham and hits the midway point of the regular season, the Liverpool girls basketball team will be in a much better frame of mind.
Once 0-4, the Warriors have won three of its last four games, including Wednesday’s night non-league date with Marcellus, where the hosts ended the Mustangs’ six-game win streak and prevailed by a score of 43-30.
Off a third-place in Binghamton’s Pete Hyde Tournament on Dec. 28-29, Liverpool had this game serve as a bridge toward the remainder of its schedule, all of which would be against CNY Counties League foes.
Marcellus was formidable for a while, especially on the defensive end. The Warriors did not get a point in the game’s first five minutes, 17 seconds before Nicole Carey hit a jumper off the glass.
But Liverpool’s own strong resistance kept the Mustangs off the board for more than six minutes, so despite its rough start, the Warriors only trailed 6-4 going to the second quarter.
For the rest of the half, both offenses picked up. Liverpool did a bit more, though, and once it inched into a 17-15 halftime lead on Natalie Parkins’ jumper, it would not trail again.
During the pivotal third quarter, Liverpool continued to apply all-out defensive pressure, and Marcellus again slumped, only able to get two field goals in that period.
That allowed the Warriors to build a double-digit edge, 29-19, with one period left, and the margin grew to 38-22 late in the fourth quarter before a late, futile Mustang surge.
Rachael Windhausen continued her fine all-around play, mixing in 17 points and nine rebounds. Parkins finished with eight points, while Emma Geyer put in seven points and Emma Lamison earned six points.
Aside from Nottingham, the Warriors will also get tested on Jan. 11, when it visits West Genesee.
