MARCELLUS – All through the late stages of Thursday’s Section III Class B quarterfinal the Cazenovia girls basketball team charged, attempting to pull off an unlikely comeback against Marcellus.
Yet it was the no. 2 seed Mustangs hanging on, handing the no. 7 seed Lakers a 54-48 defeat which concluded Cazenovia’s season with a record of 14-8.
Despite both of these teams taking residence in the Onondaga High School League Liberty division, they did not meet in the regular season, which may have benefited the Lakers more.
For when it went to Marcellus Cazenovia had gone 5-1 in its last six games, its lone setback a close 66-59 loss to Central Square as it rebounded Feb. 22 with a 54-34 playoff romp over Holland Patent.
Things nearly go away from the Lakers in the second quarter. Trailing 13-9, it saw the state Class B no. 9-ranked Mustangs outscore them 21-8 the rest of the half led by the duo of Cece Powell and Tenly Baker, who both have more than 1,000 career points.
Staring at a 17-point halftime deficit, Cazenovia regrouped and, in the third quarter, cranked up its own defensive pressure while on a 17-8 push to reduce the margin to single digits.
This comeback attempt continued into the final period, with Maria Vaccaro working her total to 18 points as Ella Baker and Claire Vaccaro each finished with 12 points.
But no other Lakers player got on the scoreesheet, while Marcellus had six players do so, offering support to Powell’s 20 points and Baker’s 14 points as Megan Frost contributed seven points.
From this team six seniors graduate, including Baker and Claire Vaccaro. But Maria Vaccaro is just finishing her freshman year having averaged more than 17 points per game, something Cazenovia fans can look forward to in 2025-26.
