Only by claiming the ultimate prize – a state Class B championship – can the Westhill girls basketball team improve on what it did in 2015-16, which is quite a task, but not completely out of reach.
For while Delaney Martin, Mary Kate Washburn and Shannon Bunce graduated from last year’s team that made it to the state final at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy before falling to Penfield, the other core players – Mackenzie Martin, Katelyn Karleski and Morgan Elmer – remain in place.
And so does head coach Sue Ludwig, who last season passed Corcoran’s Jim Marsh as the all-time leader in Section III victories, a mark she will add to each time Westhill prevails this winter, with everyone in the Class B ranks trying to topple them.
For its season opener last Wednesday night, the Warriors drew Jordan-Elbridge, and were red-hot from the outset, riding that work all the way to a 71-39 victory over the Eagles.
Combining defensive pressure with red-hot shooting, Westhill owned a 25-8 edge by the end of the first quarter. It then spent the rest of the night adding to that edge and displaying a bit more depth, too, with eight different players earning at least one field goal.
Karleski set the pace, scoring 21 points, but Martin was close behind, notching 18 points as Elmer got into double figures, too, with 13 points. Help came from the likes of Jenna Larrabee, who had six points, and Brigid Heinrich, who had five points.
J-E could not keep up with the Warriors’ fast pace, but still managed to see Emily Somes sink three 3-pointers and finish with 15 points, while Alexis Braun notched 10 points and Allison Jennings got nine points.
From there, the Eagles visited Phoenix Friday night and lost to the Firebirds 65-43. All through the game, J-E’s deficit grew, and it couldn’t turn things around despite Somes scoring 15 points for the second game in a row and Emily Klock stepping up with 13 points.
Jennings added six points as all nine of Phoenix’s players that saw action recorded at least one field goal, with Samantha Doupe, Caitlyn Connolly (12 points each) and Erika Brown (10 points) reaching double figures.
Meanwhile, Westhill hosted Hannibal, a Warrior clash that was very nervous for a long while before Westhill, led by its veterans, took charge in the fourth quarter to pull out a 55-45 victory.
All through the first half, Hannibal matched whatever Westhill threw at them, and by the time the third quarter was done, the visitors led 35-33, the effort paced by Mackenzie Mattison, who would finish the night with 20 points.
Yet when Mattison got contained in the final period, Westhill quickly reclaimed the advantage, much of it having to do with Karleski, who finished with 17 points, and Martin, who gained 16 points. Elmer got eight points and Erica Gangemi contributed seven points.
