In order to restore some order after a 49-39 defeat to unbeaten, state no. 2-ranked Westhill on Jan. 3, the Cazenovia girls basketball team had to return to the same neighborhood a week later.
Just down the road from Westhill, the Lakers visited suddenly-hot Bishop Ludden Thursday night, and promptly cooled the Gaelic Knights down, playing superb defense throughout a 50-30 victory over the Gaelic Knights.
Ludden entered the night sporting a three-game win streak, but from the start it found itself under duress as Cazenovia’s entire lineup applied pressure and forced turnovers.
As that went on, the Lakers enjoyed modest offensive production, which led to a 23-14 halftime edge. Led by Maggie Carpenter, Cazenovia caught fire in the third quarter, outscoring the Gaelic Knights 17-8 to put the game out of reach.
Carpenter had close to half of her team’s output, finishing with 20 points. Kelsi Fredericks sank a trio of 3-pointers, accounting for all of her nine points, while Kaitlyn Gerber threw in seven points. No Ludden player scored in double figures.
Two nights earlier, the Lakers hosted Solvay at Buckley Gym, and turned to Maggie Carpenter and a stout defense to earn a 47-23 victory over the Bearcats.
All through the first half, Cazenovia shut down whatever Solvay tried, and the attack did enough to make it a 29-7 margin going to the break.
Cruising from there, the Lakers saw Carpenter pick up 22 points, nearly as much as the entire Bearcats roster. Each of the other seven Lakers that saw action got at least one field goal, too, though no one had more than the six points put up by Maggie Johnson.
Cazenovia (9-2) faces yet another tough road game on Monday, when it visited 8-3 Bishop Grimes, after which it would take a nine-day break before resuming play Jan. 23 against Jordan-Elbridge.
