Even with all that it had accomplished, the Cicero-North Syracuse girls basketball team entered the 2015-16 season carrying more urgency and hunger than usual.
This was because the Northstars, after seven straight Section III Class AA titles and five straight trips to the state final four, saw the last of those streaks halted in 2014-15, courtesy of a 59-54 defeat to Section II champion Bethlehem in the regional finals at Colgate University.
C-NS wants no part of that ending this winter, especially with a core of eight seniors that head coach Eric Smith can count on, led by McKayla Roberts, Beth Bonin, Samantha Tortora and Mary Kate Bonanni, each of whom signed college letters of intent hours before their season opener at Henninger.
Roberts, who is going to Le Moyne College, and Bonin, who is headed to Queens College in New York City, are staying with basketball, while Tortora (University at Albany) and Bonanni (Cornell University) will concentrate on lacrosse.
They have one more season of basketball together, though, and it got started Nov. 7 with a victory in the 32-team ‘Marsh Madness’ tournament played in honor of ailing Corcoran coaching great Jim Marsh.
C-NS defeated East Syracuse Minoa (55-10), Syracuse Academy of Science (61-14) and Liverpool (64-38) to reach the final four at Corcoran, where it survived a 52-35 semifinal with West Genesee and, in the finals, battled past Fayetteville-Manlius 27-12.
The regular season commenced last Tuesday with a 73-16 romp over Henninger where the Northstars netted 28 points in the first quarter alone and were up 48-8 by halftime. Roberts led with 18 points, while another returning starter, junior Amani Free, had 14 points. Bonin added nine points and Tortora seven points as Julianna Vassalo picked up eight points.
On Friday night, C-NS and Liverpool would get together again, and again the Northstars proved unstoppable, not letting up until it had a 79-34 victory over the Warriors.
Both sides were active in the first quarter, and Liverpool did find some success earning baskets, yet still trailed 24-13. Things got out of hand from there, C-NS amassing a 42-20 lead by halftime and then going on a 31-4 dash through the third quarter.
Roberts, with 19 points, led the charge, though Bonin, with 14 points, and Free, with 13 points, weren’t too far behind. Tortora also got into double figures with 11 points as Vassallo added seven points and Jordyn Francati got six points. Drew Dufrane did lead Liverpool with 15 points, with Taylor Van Camp adding eight points and six rebounds.
And now a big trip for C-NS looms this Tuesday night as it went to 4-0 Baldwinsville. The irony about that game was that Liverpool took on the Bees first, having visited them last Tuesday night in a game where it was unable to gain much footing until the latter stages of a 59-45 defeat.
Defensive pressure had a lot to do with B’ville’s good start, as it held Liverpool to six points in the first quarter. Though that grip gradually loosened, the Bees still kept building its margin, and the Warriors went to halftime trailing 30-17.
That deficit kept growing, to 48-29, before Liverpool finally put together a string of fourth-quarter baskets, by which point it could not catch up. Still, Dufrane, with 14 points, and Holy Sleeth, with 10 points, led the way as Van Camp and Trisha Lane had six points apiece.
On B’ville’s side, Riley Carlucci and Emily Pascale reached double figures in points and rebounds, Carlucci getting 14 points and 12 rebounds, plus four blocks, as Pascale had a season-best 11 boards and seven steals to go with 16 points. Kaylee Lammers added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.