Placing itself in one of the marquee contests of the holiday tournament slate, the Skaneateles girls basketball team was more than ready for it.
The Lakers met undefeated Fabius-Pompey in the finals of the Falcons’ own holiday tournament Saturday and with big performances, especially from Nicole Beatson and Elizabeth Lane, Skaneateles would dazzle and, in the process, defeat the Falcons 63-45 for its sixth win in a row.
From the opening tip, Skaneateles threw man-to-man pressure at F-P. And though it didn’t work right away, that defense would prove effective in the second quarter, when the Lakers held the Falcons to just eight points and built its lead to 31-23. A 19-10 romp through the third quarter would account for half of Skaneateles’ eventual winning margin.
With the Falcons intent on trying to stop Joanna Dobrovosky, both Beatson and Lane took full advantage, garnering 21 points apiece and both earning All-Tournament honors as Lane was selected as tournament MVP. Doborovosky still managed 10 points.
To reach the finals at Fabius-Pompey, the Lakers first had to deal with Syracuse Academy of Science in Friday’s opening round, but Skaneateles had no trouble earning its fifth consecutive victory, blasting past the Atoms 87-43.
The big assignment the Lakers faced on this day was going up against SAS’s eighth-grade forward, Azariah Wade. As it turned out, Wade would have a solid showing, with 12 points and 20 rebounds, but Skaneateles had far too much firepower on hand.
During a fast-paced first half, Skaneateles got 22 in the first quarter and 30 in the second quarter, adding up to a 52-23 halftime margin. And that lead grew to 73-32 by the end of the third period before the Lakers eased up.
Beatson set a career mark with 31 points, sinking three 3-pointers. Dobrovosky put up 14 points, while Sarah Tomlinson got 12 points and Lane added 11 points. Shannon Foehl finished with nine points.
Right after that, Fabius-Pompey smashed Waterville 49-21 in the other part of the opening round with Scalisi (23 points) outscoring the Indians all by herself, setting up the big final between the unbeaten Falcons and the red-hot Lakers.
As it turned out, Skaneateles would maintain its torrid play, moving further away from that 0-2 start as it looked ahead to some rest and recuperation before resuming action Jan. 9 at Jordan-Elbridge.
