More than 10 months had passed, and the stakes and venue were quite different.
But the Jamesville-DeWitt girls basketball team still remembered what Pittsford Sutherland had done to them, ending the Red Rams’ dream of a first-ever state Class A championship one victory short of the summit in March 2014.
And just to remind them, J-D head coach Rob Siechen put on a tape of that state final a day before the Rams met the Knights again last Saturday at SRC Arena.
Inflamed by that memory, J-D didn’t care what kind of condition Sutherland was in, so long as it could play lights-out on the defensive side and roll to an easy 60-25 victory.
Sutherland was without two of its key players, Santita Enbangwese (on a volleyball trip) and Vicky Beatham (injured), and had played the day before, so both depth and fatigue were factors.
Still, even if it was at full strength, the Knights may not have dealt adequately with the defensive fury J-D threw at them. The Rams held Sutherland without a field goal in the first quarter and deep into the second period, too.
Not until Ally Judd’s basket did the Knights get that field goal – a span of nearly 13 minutes, by which point J-D was up 23-4, despite its own string of missed baskets.
At one point in the third quarter, the Rams’ lead was cut to 29-16, but before anything could get dangerous, the Rams unleashed an 11-0 run that put the game out of Sutherland’s reach.
Again, the attack was well-balanced. Carly O’Hern led with 12 points, while Julia Fairbanks and Alyssa Robens each had 10 points. Maddy Frank (eight points) and Meg Hair (six points) were close behind.
Making up the snowed-out Dec. 10 opener with Nottingham last Tuesday night, the Red Rams pulled away for a 51-25 victory over the Bulldogs. Still seething about a Jan. 17 defeat to Troy in the Juggler Classic in Utica, J-D jumped on Nottingham 16-4 in the first quarter and went from there, also starting the second half strong by outscoring the Bulldogs 16-4.
Hair, with 11 points, led the attack, with Fairbanks getting into double figures with 10 points. Robens (seven points) and Julia Kelner (six points) were close behind.
Another easy win followed on Thursday night, J-D handling Chittenango 61-28 in a game where its production continued to improve, especially during a first half where it sprinted out to a 39-9 advantage over the Bears.
O’Hern got half of her game-high 18 points from three successful 3-pointers. Frank finished with 10 points, while Hair and Angela Bussone had eight points apiece. Fairbanks contributed six points.
One of the things J-D is waiting for is another shot at CBA, which will take place next Tuesday night, nearly two months after the Brothers stunned the Rams in the Dec. 12 season opener.
Before that, though, the Brothers had plenty of games to wade through, and it was quite impressive during last Tuesday’s trip to Oswego, where tough defense combined with an improved attack to subdue the Buccaneers 51-32.
What was a close game broke open in the second quarter, when CBA outscored Oswego 19-7. The Brothers’ margin would grow to 45-24 before the Bucs slowed things down in the late going.
Natalie Nardella, earning 13 points, led a well-balanced CBA attack where Rosalee Winderl added 11 points and Julie Cuomo got 10 points. Paige Nicholson (eight points) nearly got to double figures, too, as the Brothers’ defenders mostly contained Oswego’s lineup, though Marguerite Dillon managed 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Again, the Brothers’ defense played a starring role in Thursday night’s 45-36 victory over Fulton – and it needed to, since for three quarters the Red Raiders proved just as stingy, keeping CBA uncomfortable and taking a 28-25 lead to the final period.
When it mattered, though, CBA found those baskets, and spread the production around. Nardella led with 12 points, but Winderl, with 10 points, was close behind, while Nicholson got nine points and Cuomo eight points. Michaela Whiteman (12 points) and Nicole Hansen (12 points) led Fulton’s effort.
