For an entire spring, summer and fall, the Bishop Ludden girls basketball team worked, and waited, for the 2016-17 season to start.

Motivation wasn’t too far away for the Gaelic Knights – it was found down the road, at Westhill. Ludden remembered, quite well, how it nearly upended the Warriors in last year’s Section III Class B semifinal, and then watched Westhill make it all the way to the state title game at Troy before falling to Livonia.

All the while, the Gaelic Knights underwent a coaching change. Jerry Roesch stepped aside, allowing junior varsity coach Nicole McManus to move up and take over the varsity team. The former Phoenix and Babson College standout has also coached in the AAU ranks with the Syracuse Royals.

McManus inherited a terrific situation. Of the 2015-16 Ludden starting five, only Sara Hayes graduated. The other four – seniors Meg Sierotnik and Ally Weigand, juniors Danielle Rauch and Laura Patulski – are back, with much of the attention focused on Rauch, arguably Central New York’s best all-around player.

The Gaelic Knights would open its season at SRC Arena Friday, facing Utica-Notre Dame as part of the two day “Hoops for the Hospital” event where top teams from the Onondaga High School League and Tri-Valley League squared off.

Ludden was ready for it, defeating the Jugglers 54-35 in a game that, more than anything, showcased the Gaelic Knights’ defense. It held UND to four points in the first quarter on the way to a 28-12 halftime advantage.

Another feature was the emergence of Aurora Deshaies, a standout on Ludden’s state final four volleyball team this fall. Deshaies poured in 15 points, nearly matching Rauch’s team-high 16 points as Sierotink added six points. The Jugglers’ top player, Claire Sehring, had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

A night later, Westhill held a “Midnight Madness” event for its girls and boys basketball teams, which helped raise funds for area food banks.

The girls Warriors, who return three starters (Mackenzie Martin, Katelyn Karleski and Morgan Elmer) from last winter but lost Delaney Martin and Mary Kate Washburn to graduation, meets Ludden twice in the regular season, on Dec. 21 and Jan. 14, the latter game a part of the Pathfinder Classic at Le Moyne College.

Meanwhile, Ludden is off until a Dec. 7 trip to Christian Brothers Academy, which takes place after Westhill opens up its season this week with games against Jordan-Elbridge and Hannibal.