Bishop Ludden’s girls basketball team carries high expectations into 2014-15, and learned plenty about itself in a busy opening week of the season – namely, that it could flourish, or at least beat some opponents, without one of its stars.
Even with seniors like Nicole Granteed, Gemma O’Kane and Stephanie Brazell gone from a squad that lost a narrow decision to Sherburne-Earlville in last year’s Section III Class B quarterfinal, the return of young standouts like freshman Danielle Rauch and veterans like Sarah Byrne gave the Gaelic Knights plenty of reason for optimism.
But Rauch sprained her ankle just before last Monday night’s season opener against Skaneateles, so she watched from the bench as Ludden got a big night from sophomore Meg Sierotnik and defeated the Lakers (coached by Ludden alum Jill Blasi) by a score of 57-42.
The pivotal sequence came late in the first quarter. Skaneateles led, 8-4, before Ludden broke through with a 17-2 run to close the period and move ahead for good. Sierotnik had seven of those points, and 10 in the first half.
Trailing by as much as 29-12 midway through the second quarter, the Lakers inched back within nine, 31-22, by halftime. During the third quarter, Ludden kept taking wild shots, but Skaneateles could not capitalize, only getting within eight, 33-25, before Sierotnik tacked on six more points to extend the margin to 42-27.
As the final period wore on, and Sierotnik made two more 3-pointers to move her game-high total to 24 points, the only question left was whether Lakers senior Elizabeth Lane would make it to 1,000 career points. A series of missed shots left her at 998 as the clock ticked under one minute to play.
Then, on the baseline, Lane drove to the hoop, went under the rim and connected on a reverse layup with 53 seconds left, getting her to 1,000. The game was briefly stopped as fans from both Skaneateles and Ludden gave Lane a standing ovation for her achievement.
Rauch was still out when Ludden faced Corcoran on Wednesday night, and this time around, the Gaelic Knights didn’t start well, ultimately paying for it with a 45-34 defeat to the Cougars.
Corcoran broke through Ludden’s defenses during a 16-8 first-quarter push, and then nearly blanked the Gaelic Knights in the second quarter, holding them without a field goal and allowing just a single converted free throw.
Down 25-9 at halftime, Ludden started to find some success in the last two periods, largely due to Hayes recording 19 points. But Sierotnik made just one field goal and settled for three points as Nazjaha Thompson, Gabby Bell (11 points each) and Brandi Fowler (nine points each) led Corcoran to victory.
Now the question is whether Rauch will return in time for Monday night’s showdown between Ludden and Bishop Grimes, or would have to wait until next Friday, when the Gaelic Knights and its neighbors from Westhill collide.
