Twice in as many games, the Skaneateles girls basketball team countered the presence of a big-time star with spreading its production around. Each time, it led to victory.
Against Weedsport on Jan. 22, the Lakers overcame Jesslyn Files’ 27 points to defeat Weedsport. Then, in last Tuesday night’s non-league game against visiting Camden, Kiersten Leos was the main attraction – but Skaneateles had the better team, again, hanging on for a 50-47 victory over the Blue Devils.
Leos, with more than 1,500 career points, is Camden’s all-time leading scorer. And she didn’t get fazed when Skaneateles held the Blue Devils to four points in the first quarter as the hosts went out in front.
Sparked by Leos, Camden only trailed by one, 22-21, at halftime, and throughout the second half Leos did close to everything, pouring in 28 points and adding six rebounds to make sure the Lakers didn’t get away.
Skaneateles stayed out in front, though, in large part because it didn’t need to depend on a single player. Olivia Dobrovosky and Bailey Herr each finished with 13 points, while Shannon Foehl earned five of her 10 points at the free-throw line. Chloe Metz added eight points. On Camden’s side, no one other than Leos reached double figures, though Gwyneth Faldzinski had eight points and Hayley Kelley gained 13 rebounds.
All of this set up a key game on Thursday night between Skaneateles and visiting Cazenovia. Just as it did the first time around, Skaneateles would prevail in this Laker battle, doing so by a 52-39 margin.
This game proved far tougher than the first meeting at Buckley Gym on Dec. 11 when Skaneateles prevailed 46-25. Cazenovia came into the game riding a four-game win streak, having just locked up its own Section III Class B playoff berth in the process.
Though it got off to a slow start on the offensive end, Skaneateles worked through it and grabbed a 21-16 halftime lead. Then it used its defensive pressure to keep Cazenovia from making any kind of sustained run, protecting the margin down the stretch by converting nine of its 12 free-throw attempts.
To a large extent, Dobrovosky handled those foul shots, hitting eight of them to account for most of her 15 points. Prior to that, it was Foehl leading the way, earning 20 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Herr had eight points and Metz contributed seven points. Cazenovia got 13 points from Danielle Tedesco and 12 points from Saige Ackermann.
Skaneateles and Cazenovia would meet in boys basketball at Buckley Gym a night later, and this would end in a regular-season sweep, too, as the visiting Lakers pulled away in the game’s middle stages and won by a 63-37 margin to improve its record to 9-6.
Back on Dec. 10, Skaneateles had won at home, 70-60, and in the second meeting the game was decided in the middle stages. Cazenovia only trailed by two, 13-11, through one period, but over the course of the next two quarters Skaneateles outscored the hosts 39-16, controlling matters on both ends.
No one could contain Pete Knupp, who led Skaneateles with 22 points, hitting on six 3-pointers to account for most of that production as Marc Pietropaoli and Jake Reed each had 12 points.Other than Daniel Kent, who had 11 points, and Shawn Cunningham, who got seven points, no Cazenovia player had more than two field goals.
Just 24 hours later, Skaneateles faced Solvay at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall, the same venue where the Lakers had lost to Westhill two weeks earlier in the Zebra Classic.
Here, though, the Lakers were more successful, holding off the Bearcats 52-46 and, by doing so, clinching a winning regular-season record as it improved to 10-6. Back home Tuesday night, Skaneateles took on Moravia and welcomes Jordan-Elbridge on Friday night before closing out the regular season next Tuesday at Syracuse Academy of Science.