In multiple venues, the area’s girls basketball teams tried their luck in a full slate of holiday tournaments, with Westhill at the forefront as it ventured to the Southern Tier and fared quite well against a pair of tough Section IV foes in the Pete Hyde Classic.
To start with, the Warriors faced Maine-Endwell, no. 8 in the first state Class A rankings of the season, Monday afternoon, and relied on steady offensive production to get a convincing 70-55 victory over the Spartans.
Both sides chose to speed it up, and Westhill took advantage, gaining a 36-30 halftime lead. Then it got away by improving on the defensive side while still lighting up the board with four players scoring in double figures.
Delaney Martin led that charge with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Mackenzie Martin gained 15 points and 14 rebounds. Mary Kate Washburn fed both of them with 11 assists, while tacking on 18 points and seven rebounds to get close to a triple-double. Katelyn Karleski contributed 10 points and three steals.
A day later, Westhill met Union-Endicott and was impressive again, routing the Tigers 77-52, a lot of it due to Delaney Martin, who could not be stopped in the paint, erupting for a career-best total of 37 points and tacked on 11 rebounds, too, to go with four steals and three assists.
The Warriors roared out to a 26-10 first-quarter advantage on U-E and never got caught. To help Delaney Martin, Shannon Bunce came off the bench to earn 11 points and five rebounds, while Mackenzie Martin had nine points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. Washburn added nine rebounds and eight assists as Karleski gained 10 points, three assists and three steals.
Jordan-Elbridge and Solvay got together in the Bearcats’ own tournament during Monday’s opening round. It turned out to be a tense, close battle, but the Eagles prevailed over the Bearcats 48-45.
Having raced out to a 14-4 first-quarter lead, J-E saw that margin disappear in the game’s middle stages. By the fourth quarter, By the fourth quarter, Solvay was within one, 32-31, with all kinds of chances to get in front, but constantly denied.
The Eagles saw Alexis Braun, with 12 points, lead a well-balanced attack where Bailey Van Gorden had 11 points and Emily Klock added 10 points. Solvay’s Aleah Yaizzo led both sides with 15 points, with Elle Hodge contributing 13 points. Nadea Davis had seven points and Sam Farruggio got six points.
J-E would take on Henninger in the final after the Black Knights edged Cato-Meridian 44-42 in the other opening-round game.
This game was close, too, but the Eagles pulled it out, 42-41, hanging on for dear life after building up a 34-25 lead through three periods. Emily Somes had 15 points, while Klock got 10 points and VanGorden eight points. Autumn Linton (13 points) and Erykah Pasha (10 points) led the Black Knights’ comeback attempt.
Solvay, in the consolation game against Cato-Meridian, lost to the Blue Devils 63-41. Cato pulled away in the second half behind a monstrous effort from Payton Noeller, who poured in 35 points. Yaizzo had a big day, too, earning 23 points as Davis added nine points.
Prior to all this, Marcellus, still short-handed without Liz White in the lineup, faced a difficult Pool One bracket during the Hoops For the Hospital Holiday Classic at SRC Arena, a fund-raiser for the More Than A Game Foundation and Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital.
In the opening round last Saturday, the Mustangs put up a great fight against Hannibal, but lost, 50-43, to the Warriors. Marcellus nearly erased a double-digit deficit in the second quarter, closing within two, 27-25, by halftime, only to have Hannibal restore that margin in the third period and hang on from there.
Eve Hughes had one of her best showings of the season, though, pouring in 19 points, including three 3-pointers, and adding five rebounds. Shannon White had 12 points, with Grace Hoey and Sydney Lewis each adding five rebounds. Seven different Warriors had four or more points, with Katie Pitcher (15 points) leading the way.
Hannibal went on to surprise Whitesboro 38-34 in Sunday’s Pool One final, this after Whitesboro had toppled Indian River the day before. Now it was the Mustangs’ turn to deal with Indian River, and it didn’t go well.
Marcellus lost, 74-39, to IR, who built a 39-20 lead by halftime and didn’t let up one bit, paced by Paige Leonard, who had 25 points, and Kammikia Barnes, who poured in 24 points. Lewis was responsible for nearly half the Mustangs’ production, finishing with 16 points as Hoey added six points and four rebounds.
