During a three-game stretch in the last week of its regular season, the Westhill girls basketball team had a chance to further entrench itself as the side everyone will have to catch in the Section III Class B playoffs.

At the end of that stretch, the Warriors would visit Bishop Grimes on Saturday afternoon, and with a superb defensive effort in the second half, Westhill got its 16th consecutive victory, defeating the Cobras 47-38 to improve to 18-1.

When they first met on Dec. 14, the Warriors won 54-35, but still knew that Grimes was a tough foe, especially if sophomore forward Azariah Wade got going. That’s exactly what happened in the second quarter on Saturday, with Wade dropping 14 points to help the Cobras overcome a 15-5 deficit with an 18-5 run.

But Westhill fought back and gained a 24-23 lead by halftime, and didn’t trail again. Bottling up Wade, the Warriors dared someone else to beat them, and it didn’t’ happen, Grimes held to just three field goals in the first 14 minutes of the second half before a series of late baskets made it a bit closer.

Balanced in its own attack, the Warriors saw Katelyn Karleski step up to post a team-best 13 points, with Mackenzie Martin and Delaney Martin earning 12 points apiece. Morgan Elmer and Mary Kate Washburn each had five points.

This week had started for Westhill when it hosted Marcellus last Tuesday night, and with its usual contributions from everyone in the starting five, the Warriors pulled away and beat the Mustangs 75-48, building a 38-20 lead by halftime.

Delaney Martin had 22 points and 12 rebounds, with Mackenzie Martin getting 13 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and four assists. Washburn nearly got a triple-double with her 10 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds as Karleski got 10 points and Morgan Elmer nine points.

Marcellus had its own solid efforts from Liz White, whose 15 points included three 3-pointers, and Julia Piorkowski, who had 10 points. Shannon White and Eve Hughes earned seven points apiece.

The Mustangs went on to take a 49-28 defeat to Cazenovia on Friday, with Liz White getting nine points and Shannon White seven points as Hughes was held to six points. Danielle Tedesco, with 19 points, and Lucy Connor, with 17 points, combined to do most of the Lakers’ damage.

Right before Grimes, Westhill hosted Oswego in a non-league game Thursday night and made it 15 wins in a row, though it didn’t prove that easy as the Buccaneers stayed within range most of the night, only to see the Warriors get away late and prevail by a 54-38 margin.

After Westhill took a 22-12 first-quarter lead, it cooled off. Oswego, led by Olivia Dowdle (who had 15 points and four rebounds), kept things in doubt, but could not produce on an consistent basis against the Warriors’ defensive pressure.

Getting away late, Westhill got 15 points from Delaney Martin and 13 points from Karleski, plus four steals. Mackenzie Martin added 11 rebounds and nine points, with Washburn getting nine rebounds, eight assists and eight points, and Elmer finishing with seven points.