A long, difficult December that saw the Skaneateles girls basketball team deal with an immensely difficult schedule would reach a satisfying conclusion.
That came solely on the basis of what took place in last Wednesday’s game against archrival Marcellus. With just one victory on its ledger going into the night, the Lakers jumped out in front of the Mustangs, absorbed two different comebacks and got pushed to overtime, but still emerged to prevail by a 70-66 margin.
Marcellus carried a 5-1 mark, opposite of the 1-5 mark of Skaneateles, but it was the Lakers playing strong defense in the first quarter to grab a 14-8 lead before the Mustangs found its rhythm and pulled even, 25-25, by halftime.
Once more, Skaneateles went in front during the third quarter, and once more the Mustangs answered, getting a big night from Eve Hughes, who would hit six 3-pointers and set a career high with 34 points as teammate Liz White added 16 points.
This helped tie it, 57-57, at the end of regulation. The shooting barrage continued in the four-minute OT period, but Skaneateles moved in front for good with Rachael Smith’s 3-pointer, and answered every time Marcellus tried to make a third comeback.
Having a little more depth and balance in its attack paid off for the Lakers, as did free-throw shooting. Eight of Olivia Dobrovosky’s 21 points came at the foul line, with Chloe Metz adding 17 points and Hannah Atkinson getting five of 12 points through free throws. Smith had nine points, Olivia Navaroli six point and Riley Pas’cal five points.
Now, in the tournament bracket final Thursday afternoon, Skaneateles faced Watkins Glen (Section IV), where it lost, 63-42, to the Senecas, who were no. 2 in the latest state Class C rankings. The Lakers’ lone game next week is a trip to Chittenango.
