True, it doesn’t mean anything until the season is over, but for now, the Jamesville-DeWitt girls basketball team can brag that it’s the no. 1 team in the state in Class A.
The Red Rams rose to the top of those state rankings early last week, and played its first game as a no. 1 side on Thursday night, hosting Vernon-Verona-Sherrill and dominating the Red Devils from the outset, winning by a 71-29 margin.
During the first half, J-D nearly shut out VVS, holding them to five total points. That couldn’t continue, but the Rams proved effective on both ends, as each of the 10 players who saw action earned at least one field goal.
To lead this well-balanced attack, Carly O’Hern hit on three 3-pointers and earned 18 points overall. Meg Hair earned 12 points, with Bess Murad contributing eight points. Angela Bussone got seven points as Jamie Boeheim and Julia Fairbanks earned six points apiece.
Christian Brothers Academy, recovering from a second narrow defeat to Whitesboro in as many months on Jan. 15, did quite well in its next outing, venturing to Oswego last Wednesday and pulling away for a 60-38 victory over the Buccaneers.
Oswego did hang around in the first half, trading baskets until the Brothers gained a 30-22 edge. Then, in each of the last two periods, the Bucs’ offense sputtered in the face of CBA’s pressure, outscored by a 15-8 margin in both frames.
Four CBA players hit double figures, led by Paige Nicholson, who poured in 19 points. Rosalee Winderl had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Natalie Nardella gained 10 points, seven assists, five blocks, five rebounds and three steals. Nafysa Williams chimed in with 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
Two nights later, the Brothers made another road trip north, this time to Central Square, and had far less success, running into a tremendous all-around effort by the Redhawks and absorbing a 47-38 defeat.
Much of the game was on close terms, neither side able to pull clear. But with the score tied, 31-31, with one period left, Central Square asserted itself, outscoring CBA 16-7 in that fourth quarter, led by Lauren Bell, who had 14 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, and Lizzy Straub, who had 12 points.
On the Brothers’ side, no one matched Bell’s production, though Nardella did get 11 points. Nicholson and WInderl had nine points apiece, with Williams adding seven points.
Bishop Grimes was back on the court Thursday night, routing the combined ITC/Fowler squad 59-21. Already with a 32-13 halftime edge, the Cobras went on to shut out its opponent in the third quarter, netting 20 unanswered points.
Just as J-D did against VVS, everyone who saw action earned a field goal, the production spread around. Katy McInerney led Grimes with 11 points, with Brianna Squier (10 points) also sneaking into double figures as Azariah Wade and Abby Wilkinson had eight points apiece.
Two days later, Grimes had another tough non-league test, visiting Indian River, no. 16 in the state Class A rankings, who proved that mark wasn’t a fluke by going out and defeating the Cobras 61-54.
The first quarter proved pivotal, Grimes held in check as IR claimed a 14-6 lead. The Warriors then built a 19-point lead before the Cobras charged and pulled within four, only to see the rally fall just short.
Wade piled up 21 points and 19 rebounds and, by doing so, surpassed 1,000 points for her career. Wilkinson and Maria Naylor got 11 points apiece as Naylor also had four assists, four steals and four rebounds. McInerney added eight points as, for the Warriors, Kammikia Barnes had 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals, with Paige Leonard managing 17 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and six assists.
The struggles for East Syracuse Minoa would continue in last Wednesday night’s 63-37 defeat to Fulton. Held to five points in the first quarter, the Spartans spent the rest of the game chasing the Red Raiders, but instead watching its deficit grow.
Athena Thomason still managed 10 points to lead ESM, while Loren Clifford had nine points and Olivia McEachron earned eight points. Fulton was well-balanced, with two players (Sydney Gilmore and Emilee Hyde) each getting nine points and three others (Brittany Alton, McKenna Chesbro and Nicole Hansen) earning eight points apiece.
A night later, hosting Cortland, the Spartans lost again, 50-38, which was more frustrating because the Spartans played a solid first half, keeping pace and only trailing by three, 27-24, before going quiet in the third quarter, only managing three points as the Purple Tigers got away.
While well-balanced, no one on ESM’s roster had more than the eight points put up by Thomason as Brigid McGinley added seven points. Meanwhile, Cortland had a similar pattern except for Shea Swartout, whose 21 points included five successful 3-pointers.
