The close call that the Skaneateles girls basketball team had at defending Section III Class B champion Bishop Ludden on Jan. 9 was indication enough of just where the Lakers could end up.
What followed was a pair of lopsided victories, Skaneateles handling ITC/Fowler 73-35 on Jan. 11 and, last Tuesday night, doing the same against visiting Solvay.
The Lakers rolled past the Bearcats 58-26, steadily building a 32-11 halftime lead and not sitting on that margin while getting most of its rotation involved on offense.
Olivia Navaroli worked inside and, with 16 points, matched the total of Olivia Dobrovosky. Hannah Atkinson finished with seven points as Chloe Metz and Ryley Pas’cal got six points apiece.
A night later, it figured to get a lot tougher for the Lakers as it faced Christian Brothers Academy, and it did, with everyone other than Dobrovosky well-contained and the Lakers taking a 48-35 defeat.
It took a 15-7 run in the second quarter for the Brothers to take control, as its defense, throughout the night, mostly aimed to contain Dobrovosky’s teammates, and did so with a lot of effectiveness.
Finishing with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, Dobrovosky saw the rest of the Lakers manage just six total field goals as Metz, with six points, led that group.
CBA had more balance and depth as Skye Ryan, with 13 points, was just ahead of Hannah Brooks, who had 10 points as Brooke Jarvis and Olivia Carni had nine points apiece.
A chance to get back into gear came on Saturday when Skaneateles took on rival Marcellus, a team it beat 53-43 on Nov. 30. This one looked more comfortable for a while before a late Mustangs rally made the Lakers hang on to win 62-59.
Throughout the first half, Skaneateles found success against the Marcellus defense, steadily working its way to a 37-22 lead. That margin held up until the fourth quarter, when the Mustangs almost caught up thanks to a 20-8 push.
Dobrovosky connected on 22 points, getting help from Racheal Smith, who stepped up with 10 points. Maeve Canty gained eight points as Metz had seven points and Pas’cal had six points. The Lakers were fortunate that no Marcellus player got close to Dobrovosky’s production as only Sarah Fallon, with 12 points, hit double figures.
All of this left the Lakers, at 11-3, assured of a winning record for 2017-18, no matter what happens the rest of the way as Skaneateles would face Chittenango and Mexico on back-to-back nights Tuesday and Wednesday.
