Onondaga — Ever since the Westhill girls basketball team lost at Bishop Ludden on Dec. 10, it had not taken any more blemishes, but it carried a long memory of what had gone wrong up the road and made sure it didn’t happen again.
The rematch Tuesday night between state Class B no. 15-ranked Warriors and no. 6-ranked Gaelic Knights went in the other direction, Westhill leaning on its defense and a well-balanced attack among its entire starting five to prevail by a 62-42 margin.
Among the many aspects of that initial meeting, which went 59-46 in Ludden’s favor, was the way sophomore sensation Danielle Rauch overcame every Warrior attempt to contain her, piling up 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and three blocks.
It was clear, from the outset, that Westhill was intent on frustrating Rauch. And it worked in a way that may have even surprised the Warriors.
By the end of a closely played first quarter, Rauch had already picked up two fouls. And when a Westhill player took a charge midway through the second period, Rauch was saddled with a third foul, and sat out the rest of the half, having scored just one field goal.
For its part, the Warriors went through its own share of early turnovers, but once it started taking care of the ball, it gained control of the game.
What’s more, all of the starters – Mackenzie Martin, Delaney Martin, Mary Kate Washburn, Morgan Elmer and Katelyn Karleski – had contributed two points by the end of the first quarter and six points by the third quarter, when the Warriors took off on a decisive 13-1 run.
Delaney Martin would finish with 16 points and nine rebounds, just ahead of Mackenzie Martin’s total of 15 points, though she also had 13 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and three steals.
Washburn got 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Though Elmer finished with those six points, Karleski added a late basket to work her total to eight points, plus four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Rauch did not hit double figures until the game’s final minute, earning 12 points and nine rebounds, plus five assists and three steals. Meg Sierotnik had seven points, with Laura Patulski and Karleigh Leo getting six points apiece, as the Gaelic Knights fell to 8-2 and Westhill improved its mark to 10-1.
