Onondaga — Not only was the Westhill girls basketball team staring at the end of its reign as Section III Class B champions – which was scary enough – it was doing so at the expense of its neighbors from Bishop Ludden, which would make the pain much more acute.
Just in time, though, the Warriors delivered its most important clutch performance of the season, rallying from an eight-point deficit to defeat the Gaelic Knights 54-47 in Sunday’s Section III Class B semifinal at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall.
“In these games, sometimes you’ve just got to grind it out,” said Westhill head coach Sue Ludwig.
And that’s exactly what the game was, from opening tip to final horn – a physical, grinding battle where every single possession was heavily contested on both ends.
So it only figured that, with less than two minutes to play, the Warriors and Gaelic Knights were tied, 43-43, but all of that changed when Katelyn Karleski drilled a 3-pointer to put Westhill ahead for good.
Seconds later, Ludden turned it over, and Delaney Martin, who scored 13 of her 14 points in the second half, took a pass from Mary Kate Washburn and converted a lay-up to make it 48-43.
Try as it could, the Gaelic Knights could not recover from those twin blows. And freshman Mackenzie Martin, who had struggled at the foul line through much of the game, made five of the six free throws she attemped in the final minute to seal the Warriors’ win.
As the only team to beat Westhill in the regular season (59-46 on Dec. 10), Ludden, the no. 4 seed, carried a confidence that few of the Warriors’ other foes could match.
Mostly, this manifested itself on the defensive side, with sophomore star Danielle Rauch setting the tone during a low-scoring first quarter with a pair of aggressive blocks.
continued — All through the first half, the Warriors – partially due to its own struggles, partially due to the pressure Ludden put on them – played in a manner Ludwig said she did not recognize.
Paced by Rauch, who had 11 first-half points, Ludden scored the last six points of the half to lead 22-18 at the break, and then doubled the margin to 30-22 midway through the third quarter.
Only here did the Warriors’ true self start to emerge. Ludwig said she switched to a 1-3-1 defense, and it caused all kinds of uncertainty for the Gaelic Knights, increasing the number of turnovers and rushed shots.
Karleski, in particular, stood out on the defensive end, shadowing Rauch throughout the game. Though Rauch finished with 19 points, she never had some of the sustained bursts that had marked her ascendancy and did not hit on any of her 3-point attempts.
Westhill closed the third period on a 10-2 run, capped by Delaney Martin’s lay-up that put the Warriors in front, 34-33.
From there, the lead switched hands throughout the fourth quarter before Westhill made its decisive late surge. Karleski’s go-ahead 3-pointer was part of a 13-point effort as Mackenzie Martin earned 11 points and Washburn added nine points.
On Ludden’s side, Laura Patulski, with 13 points, and Meg Sierotnik, with 10 points, joined Rauch in double figures. The Gaelic Knights finish its season 18-5 and loses just one senior starter, Sara Hayes, returning Rauch, Patulski, Sierotnik, Ally Weigand, Aurora Deshaies and Taj Huddleston next winter.
As for Westhill, a very familiar foe awaits in this Sunday’s sectional final at 2:45 at SRC Arena –no. 2 seed South Jefferson, who drilled Skaneateles 57-34 in the other semifinal.
The Warriors and Spartans have sparred many times in post-seasons past, including last year’s title game won by the Warriors 56-48 in overtime. Now South Jefferson wants to get even, and Westhill is just as determined to hang on to that crown.