At least the Baldwinsville girls basketball team knows that, whatever else happens now and in the upcoming Section III Class AA playoffs, it will have put together another winning season and shown that it can improve enough to reverse earlier poor results.
In fact, it could be argued that the Bees’ 46-42 overtime victory over state-ranked Fayetteville-Manlius last Friday night was as good as any the team has enjoyed this winter, especially since the two sides could easily have a post-season encounter, too.
When they had meet exactly one month earlier, on Jan. 5, F-M, at home, prevailed 52-41, B’ville learning that the Hornets’ vast improvement from 2014-15, when it missed the sectional playoffs, was not any kind of fluke.
Now, back at home, the Bees would turn around that result because its defense refused to give in, even after F-M, buoyed by a 16-8 push through the second quarter, took a 25-18 lead to halftime.
During the pivotal third quarter, B’ville held the Hornets to just five points. It remained stingy in the fourth quarter, too, enough to forge a 36-36 tie and send it to OT, where in the four-minute session the Bees grabbed the lead and held on tight.
Offensively, B’ville relied on balance to overcome the work of F-M teammates D’Jhai Patterson-Ricks, who had 17 points, and Carly Assimon, who had 12 points.
Carolyn Brussel had a sensational all-around effort, earning 11 points, five rebounds, four blocks and four assists. E,mily Pascale had 10 points, four rebounds and three steals, with Kaylee Lammers getting nine points and seven rebounds. Riley Carlucci and Mackenzie Schaffner each had eight points and each hit double-figures on the board, with Schaffner notching 11 rebounds and Carlucci 10 rebounds.
The Bees’ winning record was locked up on Jan. 29, when the Bees dominated Nottingham 54-25, but the momentum of that game carried over into last Tuesday’s trip to Corcoran, where B’ville picked up its production and earned a 60-38 victory over the Cougars.
Having already topped Corcoran 67-41 at home on Dec. 22, B’ville was confident it could do the same in the rematch, and doubled up the Cougars 24-12 in the first quarter to set the evening’s tone.
Then the Bees held Corcoran to four points in the second period and pulled further away, ultimately seeing nine different players record at least one field goal, led by Pascale, whose all-around effort included 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Lammers had one of her best games of the season, earning 14 points, while Carlucci got eight points and nine rebounds. Brussel had seven rebounds, six points, five assists, four steals and three blocks as Schaffner contributed six points and four rebounds.
The win over F-M followed, leaving the Bees at 13-6 going into Tuesday’s regular-season finale at Henninger, with the sectional playoff brackets released a day later.
