Now situated in the no. 20 spot in the state Class B rankings, the Cazenovia girls basketball team returned from a nine-day break refreshed, and entered the regular-season homestretch.
In Friday night’s non-league game at Cortland, the Lakers had, arguably, its most complete first half of the season, which helped them breeze past the Purple Tigers 52-32.
Swarming defensive pressure swallowed up Cortland throughout the first half. And the Lakers turned the Purple Tigers’ turnovers into baskets on the other end while racing out to a 20-5 lead through one quarter and a 30-8 edge at the break.
From there, Cazenovia could cruise the rest of the way, and did so. Kristie Kleine led with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Maggie Carpenter threw in 13 points. Sally Langan contributed nine points.
Before it played Cortland, the Lakers met winless Jordan-Elbridge last Wednesday night, a one-sided affair that ended with Cazenovia gaining a 75-14 victory.
Since it was 28-3 by the end of the first quarter and 47-5 by the time the game reached halftime, Cazenovia head coach Chris Carpenter aimed for everyone on the roster to see significant playing time.
It paid off in the form of having all 12 players earn at least one field goal. Carpenter led with 16 points, while Audrey Burbidge had a season-best nine points. Maggie Johnson managed eight points as Kleine, Langan, Jocelyn Golden and Lizzy Bigsby got six points apiece.
This pair of wins improved the Lakers’ mark to 12-2. After playing Hannibal on Tuesday, Cazenovia gets a big test Friday at Skaneateles, all leading up to the long-awaited Feb. 5 battle with state no. 2-ranked Westhill at Buckley Gym.
