While some wait until school is out to fly south, the Baldwinsville girls basketball team made its trip to Florida more than a week in advance of the holiday break.
From Thursday to Saturday, the Bees took part in the KSA Tournament at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando, giving itself a chance to enjoy the sights and have the inevitable bonding experiences, but also play a trio of games to prepare for the main part of its CNY Counties League and Section III Class AA title quests.
In the tournament opener against Madisonville (Texas), the Bees took its first defeat of the season, a 51-44 decision where it was close most of the way and B’ville was in front, 39-37, through three periods, only to get shut down and held to five points in the fourth quarter.
Jenna Costello still managed 13 points, four rebounds and two assists, while Kaylee Lammers picked up 12 points, three rebounds and three assists. Katie Pascale contributed eight points as Carolyn Brussel had seven points and six rebounds.
A day later, taking on John Burroughs High School (California), B’ville evened up its Disney mark by earning a 42-35 victory. Again working without a shot clock, the Bees saw the pace slow down, but only after it took a 17-9 first-quarter lead.
Burroughs chipped away and closed within two, 31-29, going to the fourth quarter, but B’ville pulled clear behind the work of Lammers, who led with 15 points. Pascale had nine points and three steals, while Costello gained seven points and five rebounds.
To wrap up the trip, B’ville played Saturday against Pueblo South (Colorado), and never could get going in a 59-44 defeat, unable to recover from the Colts outscoring them 17-6 in the first quarter, even if the game was played on relatively even terms the rest of the way.
Pascale led the Bees with 11 points, with Brussel adding 10 points and seven rebounds. Lammers managed eight points, but had just three rebounds as Alena Criss picked up six points and Claire McAllister had five rebounds.
Before all this, B’ville started CNY Counties League play by hosting Corcoran last Monday night and cruising past the Cougars 49-24.
It was the Bees’ first game in more than two weeks. And while the offense might have shown some rust, the defensive effort B’ville showed in claiming the Bill Middleton Tip-Off Tournament title on Nov. 25-26 remained strong as it held Corcoran to seven points or less in every single quarter.
A 15-5 push through the second period blew the game open, and the Bees spread things around, with 10 different players recording at least one point. Costello led with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Lammers had nine points.
Brussel had nine rebounds, four steals and four assists to go with six points. Pascale contributed five rebounds, four assists and four steals as Meaghan Wilson grabbed eight rebounds, Claire McAllister seven rebounds, Rachel Foertch six rebounds and Criss five rebounds.
Returning from the Disney trip battle-toughened and glad to see a shot clock again, B’ville, whose overall record is 4-2, would host Liverpool Tuesday night and visit Henninger on Thursday night in its last game of 2016.
