Playing three times in the last week of the regular season, the Liverpool girls basketball team claimed one victory – but it was enough to assure a winning record for 2013-14.
That win came last Friday night, when the Warriors defeated Central Square 47-29 in a game that was important for both sides.
While Liverpool, at 9-7, was trying to lock up that winning mark, the Red Hawks, with a 7-9 record, were still one win short of clinching a post-season berth.
Perhaps reflecting that tension, the two sides played through a 9-9 first quarter. But in the second period, the Warriors, led again by Rachael Windhausen, took charge, outscoring Central Square 16-6 to take the lead for good.
By the time they reached the fourth quarter, Liverpool had a 40-24 lead, and could cruise the rest of the way. Windhausen had one of her best showings of the season, pouring in 20 points, with Drew Dufrane adding six points. Emma Geyer and Nicole Carey had five points apiece. Claudia Stirpe led Central Square with 11 points.
Before all this, Liverpool hosted Nottingham last Tuesday night and the Bulldogs showed its worth by rolling past the Warriors 60-36.
Steadily, the Bulldogs gained a 28-16 edge by halftime and then used a 17-5 third-quarter spurt to move clear. Windhausen had 12 points, while Kyra Grimshaw managed seven points. Aliyah Wade led Nottingham with 19 points as Shauntesha Bryant (11 points) and Chayanna Canada (10 points) also hit double figures.
Right after the Central Square win, Liverpool went to Utica Proctor on Saturday and lost, 56-35, to the playoff-bound Raiders, who held the Warriors to four points in the first quarter and did so again in the third quarter to take charge.
Dufrane still managed 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, with Windhausen adding 10 points and four rebounds and Grimshaw getting six points. Proctor’s Domizchelle Williams led both sides with 17 points as teammate Malainah Elliott contributed 12 points.
