It only figured that Sue Ludwig’s 500th victory as Westhill girls basketball coach would come against an opponent so closely tied to the Warriors’ fortunes over the course of the past 15 years.
The Warriors pulled out a dramatic 58-56 victory over undefeated, state Class B no. 10-ranked South Jefferson Wednesday afternoon when Morgan Elmer hit a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of regulation and the defense made sure that slim margin held up.
During Westhill’s run to the 2016 state Class B final, Ludwig passed Corcoran’s Jim Marsh to become the all-time coaching wins leader in Section III Class B girls basketball. And she had tied the record beating South Jefferson in the sectional final at SRC Arena, one of many post-season clashes the two powerhouses have enjoyed, sometime favoring the Warriors, but other times favoring the Spartans.
Here, state no. 25-ranked Westhill, a week removed from a tough home loss to no. 3 state-ranked Bishop Ludden, threatened to reach Ludwig’s milestone without a lot of stress, grabbing an 18-5 lead by the end of the first quarter.
South Jefferson regrouped and then traded baskets until the third period, when it outscored the Warriors 21-10 to forge a 44-44 tie. Jenna Zimmerman led the comeback and would pace the Spartans with 21 points.
All through the homestretch, neither side could get away, but South Jefferson edged in front, 56-55, as time wound down. With the ball, Westhill originally intended to get it to Mackenzie Martin, but like most of the game she couldn’t find much space amid South Jefferson’s inside pressure.
Elmer was open, though, and Martin passed it to her. With 3.8 seconds left, Elmer’s shot from beyond the arc swished through the net, and the Spartans couldn’t answer it. With that basket, Elmer matched Martin’s total of 11 points as Katelyn Karleski, with 20 points, had paced the offense most of the way.
Later that same evening, another classic unfolded, minus the coaching milestones. Marcellus tried to beat archrival Skaneateles, but could not quite pull it off in a 70-66 overtime defeat to the Lakers.
This one went back and forth. Twice, Skaneateles led and twice the Mustangs rallied, including a fourth quarter where, amid a fast pace, Marcellus tied it, 57-57.
During the four-minute OT period, the Mustangs could not quite keep up, even though Eve Hughes was enjoying a career night, pouring in 34 points, much of it from six 3-pointers. Liz White had 16 points, with Kade DeMarie adding seven points. For the Lakers, Olivia Dobrovosky led with 21 points, while Chloe Metz had 17 points and Hannah Atkinson picked up 12 points.
Back on Dec. 22, Marcellus hosted Solvay. Despite a 1-4 record, the Bearcats nearly pulled off a big surprise, seeing its late-game comeback fall just short as the Mustangs prevailed by a 45-43 margin.
Both sides were red-hot in the first goal, and Solvay took a slim lead which it kept, 27-26, going into halftime. The third quarter proved pivotal as Solvay got held to four points, falling behind, 36-31, something it could not quite overcome.
White continued to play at a high level for Marcellus, finishing with 17 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds. Hughes was close to a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds, adding four blocks, while Sydney Lewis got 13 points, three rebounds and three assists. Durand added six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Solvay’s Elle Hodge led both sides with a career-best 18 points, mostly from four 3-pointers as she also got six rebounds. Aleah Yaizzo gained 13 points, four assists and three rebounds. Camille Devereaux earned eight rebounds as Brielle Bagozzi and Nadea Davis both had seven rebounds, with Bagozzi adding five assists.
