A single defeat to Bishop Ludden on Jan. 6 sent the Westhill girls basketball team tumbling down the state Class B rankings, all the way to the no. 14 spot.
And that spot would get threatened again because the Warriors took a second loss on the season on Saturday afternoon, struggling in the fourth quarter as it fell to Nottingham 59-49.
Having already established itself as a Class AA title challenger to Cicero-North Syracuse, the Bulldogs would add to that reputation against Westhill, hanging around throughout the first three periods as the two sides went back and forth.
Still, the Warriors were in front, 46-44, before everything fell apart in the fourth quarter. Going into a slump at the wrong time, Westhill managed just three points the rest of the way as Nottingham’s pressure led to decisive baskets on the other end.
Before going cold, Anna Ross picked up 18 points, with Delaney Martin adding 15 points and Sam Peebles getting 10 points. Nottingham featured Cheyana Canada, who led both sides with 22 points as she dominated in the paint, with Necedah James offering perimeter support through her 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Before this, Westhill had followed up the Ludden defeat by smashing Solvay later that week and, last Tuesday, had a similar result against Cazenovia, rolling past the Lakers 58-33.
What was an 11-11 tie at the end of the first quarter turned when Westhill’s defense forced Cazenovia into all kinds of mistakes, and the Warriors took advantage, outscoring the Lakers 18-5 the rest of the half.
Cruising from there, the Warriors saw Ross pick up 11 rebounds and seven steals to go with her 19 points. Martin earned 13 points, while Peebles had 10 points and five steals. Mary Kate Washburn contributed nine points.
Westhill followed up on Thursday night with an impressive 58-32 victory over Hannibal, who entered the night with a 5-2 record and fresh momentum from beating Ludden 51-46 earlier in the week behind Devin Sorrell’s 27 points.
Here, though, Westhill’s pressure on the ball kept the ball from getting to Sorrell, who settled for 14 points. And that heat took a toll as Hannibal, who only trailed 34-22 at halftime, managed just 10 points in the second half, wearing down and turning the game into a romp.
Peebles, with 18 points, paced the Westhill attack, while Ross gained 15 points and Martin finished with 10 points. Washburn continued to help, too, getting six points.
Marcellus, awaiting Erica Balman’s return from a knee injury, met rival Skaneateles on Wednesday and tried to end the Lakers’ seven-game win streak, only to see early success dissipate in a 75-58 defeat to the Lakers.
With eight first-quarter points from Meghan Witkowski, Marcellus took a 14-5 lead late in the first quarter. But things would soon turn around.
And the catalyst for the Lakers wasn’t a starter. Sophomore Shannon Foehl, coming off the bench after Joanna Dobrovosky picked up two early fouls, hit a pair of 3-pointers late in the period, and then added another 3-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play early in the second period.
All of this was part of a 20-5 run that covered three minutes of clock and put Skaneateles ahead for good. Foehl earned all of her 12 points in that sequence, but her spark ignited the rest of the Lakers – particularly Nicole Beatson, who notched 13 first-half points, capped by a 3-pointer just before the horn, that gave the Lakers a 41-29 halftime lead.
All through the second half, the Mustangs remained close as Shelby Nye, who had 23 points, led her side’s effort, at one point moving within six, 63-57, with more than two minutes to play. But the Lakers closed with one more burst, 12-1, and it was Elizabeth Lane in the lead role as she compiled 24 points, nine assists and six steals.
Unable to recover quickly enough, Marcellus lost, 55-45, to Altmar-Parish-Williamstown on Friday night, even though Balman finally returned to the court in limited action.
Poor starts doomed the Mustangs as it trailed, 17-7, after one quarter, and rallied within two, 24-22, by halftime before a 17-8 Rebels push through the third quarter restored the margin. Molly MacLachlan had 12 points, with Witkowski adding nine points and Lauren Soule seven points, each of them trailing APW’s Alexis Stevens, who led her side with 23 points and eight rebounds.
Witkowski cooled off after her quick start, but still finished with 11 points. Nicole Wynne got nine points, with Lauren Soule contributing seven points.
Solvay lost on Thursday night to Bishop Grimes, 62-47, playing quite well in the second half, but only after a 21-9 first quarter put the Cobras in charge and the Bearcats’ deficit grew to 46-25 at one point in the third quarter.
Still, Solvay fought to the end, Chelsie Delperuto finishing with 20 points and four assists. Jackie Gardner had 12 points, with Courtney Napolitano managing eight rebounds and seven blocks as Kelly Noland contributed nine points. Katy McInerney led Grimes with 12 points.
