Both on and off the court, the Baldwinsville girls basketball team was determined to have a memorable time during its holiday trip to the Walt Disney World resort in Florida.
The work part involved three games at the Disney Invitational inside the resort’s massive Wide World of Sports complex, broken up by trips to the various Disney theme parks.
On the morning of Dec. 27, a day after arriving in Orlando, B’ville had its first game against Northside, from Memphis, Tennesee , and with junior point guard Emily Pascale lighting it up in a way she had never done before, the Bees prevailed 72-59.
It was a frenetic pace from the outset, and B’ville didn’t mind, steadily making its way to a 38-33 halftime lead. Then it used a 20-13 push through the third quarter to take charge, overcoming 33 points from Northside’s Jada Perkins.
Pascale, who had scored 24 points in a game against Central Square the season before, topped that total with 27 points on this day, tacking on six assists, plus two steals and six rebounds.
Northside couldn’t focus on Pascale, either, since Hope DeFazio was putting up 17 points and four rebounds and Rachael Miller was chiming in with 13 points and seven rebounds. Riley Carlucci had a team-high 12 rebounds to go with seven points, three assists and two blocks.
The next day, Dec. 28, was spent at the theme parks, and then it was back to basketball for last Monday’s game against Field School, from the Akron, Ohio area, and though it was much closer than the tournament opener, B’ville pulled out a 50-48 victory over the Falcons.
All through the first half, the Bees would stay in front, but not get away. That would prove troublesome as Field rallied to tie it, 39-39, going to the fourth quarter. Once there, B’ville’s defensive pressure allowed it to hang on once it got the lead back.
On the other end of the court, Pascale got 18 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals, while DeFazio had 13 points and four rebounds. Miller grabbed 10 rebounds and four blocks to go with her six points, with Carlucci putting together six points, five rebounds and five blocks.
Now, to win its tournament division, B’ville, by this point the last remaining Section III Class AA team, had to get past Lower Cape May (New Jersey) last Tuesday afternoon, but here the unbeaten streak would end as the Bees struggled down the stretch and took a 54-49 defeat to the Tigers.
Trailing 14-11 after one period, B’ville appeared to take charge in the game’s middle stages, leading by halftime and stretching out that lead to 42-33 by the time they reached the fourth quarter.
Only here did the magic run out, Lower Cape May causing all kinds of turnovers and converting on the other end in a closing 21-7 spurt that put a halt to the Bees’ seven-game win streak.
For the third straight game, Pascale was the top scorer, getting 17 points, plus five rebounds and six steals. Miller had 13 points and nine rebounds, while DeFazio got held to a season-low five points. Carlucci and Walsh each had six points, with Carlucci managing eight rebounds.
Now the Bees returned home, and it would start 2015 with a game Saturday against Norwich (Section IV) at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall, where it saw all of its top players make big contributions in an 82-69 victory over the Purple Tornado.
Showing no ill effect from the travel, or from playing for a fourth time in the span of a week, B’ville started fast and, after Norwich cut that lead to 34-29 by halftime, took off during a 24-14 push through the third quarter and never got caught.
Five different Bees hit double figures on the scoreboard, led by DeFazio, who had 22 points. Pascale stayed hot with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Miller stepped up with 16 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks. Carlucci chimed in with 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and Walsh added 10 points and six rebounds.
B’ville would resume league play Tuesday night, at Liverpool, two days before hosting Henninger as it passes the midway point of its regular-season schedule.
