A week had passed, but the Bishop Ludden girls basketball team was still steaming about letting a 22-point lead get away in a Jan. 19 defeat at Phoenix.
Exactly one week later, having fallen from no. 3 to no. 6 in the state Class B rankings, the Gaelic Knights rebounded, grinding out a tough 42-25 win over Cazenovia and putting an end to the Lakers’ eight-game win streak that dated back to early December.
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.
Rauch, whose foul trouble was a crucial factor in the Phoenix loss, stayed on the court 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. Lindsey Lawson, with 11 points, and Danielle Tedesco, with seven points, accounted for most of the Cazenovia production.
While that victory proved a temporary balm, Ludden could make a bigger statement if it went to Rochester Saturday and conquered Bishop Kearney. Instead, the Gaelic Knights absorbed a 74-41 defeat and fell to 13-3 on the season, still with some key games left, including a Feb. 9 trip to Bishop Grimes.
Westhill had three games last week and won them all, starting with last Monday’s 47-22 romp over Solvay where the Warriors managed to hold the Bearcats to just four points in the first half.
Though far from sharp, the Warriors’ attack still had Katelyn Karleski pick up 15 points and Mackenzie Martin add 13 points, while Brigid Heinrich gained eight points. Most of Solvay’s production came from Aleah Yaizzo, who had 10 points, and Camille Devereaux, who got seven points and five rebounds.
A night later, Solvay fell to Hannibal 63-38, with those other Warriors moving to 11-2 on the season by bolting out to a 25-10 lead by the end of the first quarter and spending the rest of the night adding to that margin.
Elle Hodge had 11 points for the Bearcats, with Aleah Yaizzo adding eight points, four rebounds and four assists. Sam Farruggio claimed nine rebounds as Marissa Grammatico got six points. For Hannibal, McKenzie Mattison (17 points), Nichole Oleyourryk (15 points), Katie Pitcher (12 points) and Sydney Alton (11 points) all scored in double figures.
Back home on Wednesday, Westhill routed ITC/Fowler 69-34, building up that big margin in the first three quarters as Karleski, with 18 points, led the attack. Martin got 16 points and Elmer earned 11 points as Jenna Larrabee finished with eight points.
It proved a lot tougher in Friday’s game against Holland Patent, but the Warriors pulled it out, 57-43, in large part because it tore out of the gate, leading 26-11 after one period and making the Golden Knights chase them the rest of the way.
More than half of Elmer’s 16 points came from three 3-pointers. Karleski, with 14 points, and Martin, with 11 points, were close behind as Larabee had eight points and Heinrich earned six points. Ally Livesey led HP with 16 points, but Westhill still improved to 12-4 overall.
Marcellus would start its week on a happy note by getting even with archrival Skaneateles, largely on the basis of a strong third quarter that proved the turning point in a 67-60 victory over the Lakers.
All game long, there was major momentum swings. The Mustangs saw a 20-12 lead disappear when Skaneateles took over in the second quarter. Olivia Dobrovosky earned 12 of her 19 points in that period, gunning the Lakers to a 33-29 halftime.
Just as quickly, Marcellus gained back the lead by scoring the first 15 points of the third quarter. That couldn’t last, but the Mustangs still were up, 51-42, going to the final period, where the visitors got the margin to double digits to withstand one more Skaneateles comeback attempt.
All the while, Eve Hughes lit it up, sinking six 3-pointers to account for a majority of her 28 points. Help came from Sydney Lewis, who put in 14 points, and Liz White, who managed 13 points. Aside from Dobrovsky, Chloe Metz was the Lakers’ top threat, earning 20 points as Hannah Atkinson had nine points and Racheal Smith got eight points.
Jordan-Elbridge had gone to Bishop Grimes last Monday night and led the 11-1 Cobras through one period – only to get smothered in the game’s middle stages, which led to a 64-23 defeat.
That 10-6 advantage gained in the first quarter was followed by a 49-8 Grimes surge in the second and third periods, with the Eagles not even recording a field goal in the third quarter. Alexis Braun still had seven points and Allison Jennings as Emily Somes and Emily Klock got five points apiece.
Marcellus was back on the court Thursday night, taking its own shot at Hannibal, but falling by a 56-42 margin, unable to capitalize even when the Warriors were contained in the second quarter and then seeing the deficit grow to double digits in the last two periods.
Hughes finished with 18 points, while White had 10 points. No other Marcellus player had more than five points, though, and Pitcher hurt all of them by piling up 20 points and 20 rebounds, with help from Mattison, who had 19 points, and Alton, who again got 11 points.
J-E also played on Saturday, falling to Cazenovia 62-35 as it only trailed by a basket before the Lakers started to gain control in the second period, followed by a third quarter where it outscored the Eagles 23-5 to put the game away. J-E’s overall record fell to 4-11.
