vNow the push for the Cicero-North Syracuse girls basketball team was to go through its entire regular season without a defeat, and hope that can carry on all the way deep into the month of March.
What made last Friday’s game against Corcoran more poignant was that it was the last regular-season home game for the senior quartet of McKayla Roberts, Beth Bonin, Mary Kate Bonnani and Samantha Tortora, and it turned more memorable in the course of the state Class AA no. 2-ranked Northstars’ 88-34 victory over the Cougars.
As with so many other foes, C-NS jumped ahead early, leading 30-8 by the end of the first period. Roberts already had eight points when, with three minutes left in the quarter, she banked in a 3-pointer – which put her past the 1,000-point mark.
As her teammates joined her in celebration and the game was stopped to present a commemorative ball, Roberts could not hide the tears. She is the sixth player in C-NS history to get 1,000 points, joining Breanna Stewart, Kelly Morrone, Kim Wagoner, Beth Mowins, Marybeth Egan and Brittany Paul in that club.
For the game, Roberts had 19 points, but all 11 C-NS players had at least one field goal, joining in the fun. Bonin got 10 points, with Tortora and Amani Free earning nine points apiece. Ashley Jimenez, Julianna Vassallo and Mackenzie O’Hara each had eight points and Bonnani added six points.
Back from a successful trip to New York City in the last weekend of January, the Northstars made a much shorter venture to Nottingham last Tuesday night and, again, rolled to victory, defeating the Bulldogs 69-38.
There was a small reason for concern, since C-NS was playing its fifth game in eight days, and Nottingham, though with just a 6-11 record, would have extra motivation on this night beyond the Northstars’ challenge. The team was retiring the number 44 worn by Ke’Ara “Ladybug” Rowser, a Bulldogs player and team captain who passed away in September before her senior year at Nottingham following a brief illness.
For a while, Nottingham did stay within range, only trailing 17-10 through one period. But then C-NS found its form on both ends and used a 20-4 burst in the second quarter to seize full control.
Free dominated in the paint, pouring in 10 field goals and earning 23 points overall. Bonin chimed in with 16 points, while Vassallo had seven points and Roberts added six points. Jaleya Bryant led Nottingham with seven points.
While all this was going on, Liverpool would visit Fayetteville-Manlius, the same team C-NS takes on its regular-season finale, last Tuesday night, and the Hornets would get even with the Warriors, prevailing 58-50.
Back on Dec. 22, Liverpool had handed F-M its first loss of the season, 50-39, and the Hornets hadn’t forgotten, especially its lone senior, D’Jhai Patterson-Ricks, who would put on a personal showcase at the Warriors’ expense.
A wild first half saw Liverpool held to four points in the opening quarter, only to rally with a big second-period surge to only trail by three, 29-26, at the break. But F-M restored that margin early in the second half and, with Patterson-Ricks constantly drawing contact, withstood all of the Warriors’ charges.
Patterson-Ricks finished with a season-best 27 points, 15 of which came from free throws, and got ample help from fellow guard Carly Assimon, who had 16 points. For its part, Liverpool did not have as much scoring depth as usual, relying a lot on Jenna Wike, who had 16 points, and Kyra Grimshaw, who added 14 points. Drew Dufrane contributed nine points.
Back home Friday night, the Warriors honored its nine seniors and routed Henninger 62-29, a game that saw Dufrane get red-hot from the perimeter, hitting seven 3-pointers to account for all of her 21 points. Wike had nine points, while Grimshaw had seven points and Trisha Lane earned six points.
On Tuesday night, Liverpool would visit West Genesee, just as C-NS visited F-M and sought to close out a perfect regular-season run.
