Somehow, in the last full week of January, the efforts of the Cazenovia and Chittenango girls basketball teams got tied up with what happened on Jan. 19, when Bishop Ludden, sitting at no. 3 in the state Class B rankings at the time, blew a 22-point second-half lead in a stunning defeat at Phoenix.
It turned out that the Gaelic Knights’ next game, exactly one week later, would be a home date with the Lakers, while the Firebirds got a week to savor its shocker before going on the road to face the Bears, both of these games taking place on the same Thursday night.
Cazenovia, who had not lost since falling to Hannibal on Dec. 9, would, in its trip to Ludden, play some of its best defense of the season, but even that wasn’t enough because it could not generate much production against the Gaelic Knights and took a 42-25 defeat, ending an eight-game win streak.
All through the game, the Lakers were bent on playing at its own tempo, and it did so, but that strategy could work only if shot well on the other end. Thanks to swarming pressure, Ludden held Cazenovia to four points in the first quarter and three points in the third quarter, droughts the visitors could not overcome.
Lindsey Lawson, with 11 points, and Danielle Tedesco, with seven points, accounted for most of the Cazenovia production, with Lucy Connor adding five points and Saige Ackermann contributing a basket.
For the Gaelic Knights, Danielle Rauch, whose foul trouble was a crucial factor in the second-half collapse at Phoenix, stayed on the court this time and filled the stat sheet with 17 points, eight assists, six steals and six rebounds. Laura Patulski had eight points, with Aurora Deshaies and Ally Weigand getting six points apiece and combining for 12 rebounds.
Chittenango, by contrast, thought it had a real opportunity against Phoenix, both because of the week that had passed since the Firebirds’ win over Ludden and the possibility of a Firebirds letdown from such a monumental accomplishment.
Neither thing mattered, though, as Phoenix put away the Bears 54-35, and established that margin through the course of the first three periods. Chittenango struggled to generate anything against the Firebirds’ defense and, by the time it reached the fourth quarter, trailed 45-24.
Phoenix did a tremendous job containing Ally Shoemaker, holding the Bears’ main threat to five points, though she did pick up nine rebounds. Makenzie Dahlin led Chittenango with eight points, while Cassidy Kelly had seven points and six rebounds. Trisha Whaley added five rebounds to go with four points.
Samantha Doupe, who passed 1,000 career points on Jan. 18 in a win over Marcellus right before the Ludden upset, led the Firebirds here with 17 points, followed closely by Natalie Hart, who had 13 points, and Caitlyn Connolly, who had 12 points.
