Any transformation from contender to champion involves several steps, lots of hard work spread out over months and years, but also specific moments where the big prize felt a lot closer than it did before.

Such was what the West Genesee girls basketball team went through Friday night when it roared to a 51-25 victory over Baldwinsville. Not only did the Wildcats seize first place in the CNY Counties League and improved to 8-2 overall, it established itself as the mid-season favorite to grab a long-elusive Section III Class AA title.

What WG had gone through the previous two weeks, especially its wins over Ithaca and Penfield in the “Hoops for the Hospital Tournament at SRC Arena on Dec. 29-30, had increased its profile and confidence.

And it helped, no doubt, that the Wildcats were facing B’ville at an opportune time. The Bees were 6-2, and both of its losses had come in a tournament at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex in Florida in December.

But B’ville had not played a game since a Dec. 22 win over Henninger, a span of 15 days. While that long break offered some rest, it also meant the Bees would need time to return to game speed, and West Genesee was the wrong opponent to find top form.

From the outset, the Wildcats played intense, relentless defense, contesting everything the Bees tried. That pressure started to pay off in a 20-second stretch midway through the first quarter where WG scored seven straight points, taking the lead for good.

Two more sustained runs would put the game out of the Bees’ reach. Camryn Chawgo and Madison Smith accounted for four consecutive baskets, each of them hitting a 3-pointer, as part of a 10-0 run that gave the Wildcats some separation and a 26-14 halftime lead.

WG’s defense continued to smother B’ville, holding them without a field goal for the last five minutes, 20 seconds of the third quarter while it reeled off an 11-1 run, launched by back-to-back baskets by Mackenzie Smith.

Depth was a factor, too. Each of the 10 WG players that saw action recorded at least one field goal, Mackenzie Smith leading with 11 points as Chawgo adding 10 points. Haley Collins finished with eight points. The Wildcats and Bees are not done with each other, with a rematch set for Feb. 2 at the Baker High School gym.

This long, important stretch of basketball had started back on Dec. 28, when WG entered the “Hoops for the Hospital” Tournament and had to make a big fourth-quarter comeback in its opening-round game to beat Ithaca 53-51.

The game went back and forth until the Little Red surged into a 44-37 lead in the third quarter. Just in time, though, WG reclaimed its defensive prowess, limiting Ithaca to just seven points in the final period as the Wildcats made up the deficit and inched in front near the end.

Chawgo led the comeback, finishing her night with 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Help came from Madison Smith, who earned 12 points, along with ollins and Mackenzie Smith, who got eight points apiece as Mya Case added six points.

All this led to a championship game Dec. 29 against Penfield, from Section V, who had routed Utica Proctor 68-34 in its opening-round tilt. The Patriots, ranked no. 19 in the state in Class AA at the time, made a second-half comeback – but the Wildcats answered it and earned its biggest win of the season, topping Penfield 60-50.

Throughout the first half, WG did a solid job finding gaps in the Patriots’ defenses, translating to baskets and a 32-25 advantage at the break. This didn’t bother Penfield too much, for in the third period it made up all the ground, forging a 44-44 tie.

Gradually, the Wildcats’ defensive pressure, exploited in the early going, took a toll and the Patriots managed just six points in the fourth quarter. WG could then be patient with its attack and mix in timely outside shots with clutch free throws.

Mackenzie Smith would snare tournament MVP honors, pouring in 16 points, but Madison Smith was close behind, her 15 points including five 3-pointers. Case had 11 points as Chawgo, an All-Tournament selection, earned nine points. Collins got five of her seven points at the free-throw line.

The only real breather was last Tuesday’s 53-22 win over Nottingham, a game where the Wildcats blanked the Bulldogs 19-0 in the first quarter and led 32-5 by halftime.

Aside from the defense, there was Madison Smith picking up 13 points, with Collins and Mackenzie Smith both sneaking into double figures with 10 points apiece and Alyesha Castanon breaking through for eight points, including a pair of successful 3-pointers.