If a single game could encapsulate the growth process of the Westhill girls basketball team this winter, it was Thursday night’s battle at Skaneateles, where a quiet start turned into a loud finish and a 48-35 victory over the Lakers.
These same two teams had met nine days earlier, on Dec. 30, and Westhill had come from behind that night to prevail 63-58, little imagining that it would have to do the exact same thing, on a smaller scale, in the rematch on Skaneateles’ home court.
Nothing worked for the Warriors in the first quarter as Skaneateles bolted out to a 15-2 lead. But with Mary Kate Washburn providing a spark on both ends with her 10 first-half points, the Warriors put up a 13-2 run of its own in the second quarter and only trailed by five, 20-15, at the break.
But the real comeback started late in the third quarter. Down 26-18, Westhill scored the last seven points of that period and then took its first lead early in the fourth quarter on Delaney Martin’s rebound basket.
As if that 12-0 spurt (including seven points from Morgan Elmer) wasn’t enough, Westhill’s defense stepped up, too, not allowing a Lakers field goal over the game’s last four minute, 44 seconds, the final run adding up to 30-9 by the time the game ended.
Delaney Martin earned most of her 16 points in the second half, while Washburn finished with 14 points and Mackenzie Martin contributed six points. No Skaneateles player scored in double figures, though Olivia Dobrovosky had nine points, nine rebounds and five steals.
Two nights earlier, Westhill had proved quite impressive in a 72-50 win over Phoenix, and unlike the games that came before and after, it was an effort largely built on what it did at the outset.
Playing close to perfection, the Warriors outscored the Firebirds 23-2 in the first quarter. That couldn’t be matched, but Westhill gained confidence throughout the night, eventually building a 61-27 margin before letting up in the fourth quarter.
Mackenzie Martin, with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, led a well-balanced effort. Washburn and Katelyn Karleski each had 12 points, with Delaney Martin matching her sister’s total of 10 points. Shannon Bunce and Meghan Burke had six points apiece as Phoenix’s Samantha Doupe led both sides with 20 points.
A busy week awaits the 7-4 Warriors, who host Bishop Ludden on Tuesday and then get back-to-back games against Jordan-Elbridge and Camden. The Gaelic Knight’s game at unbeaten, state Class B no. 4-ranked Bishop Grimes, scheduled for Thursday, was postponed until next Friday at 7 p.m.
