Continuing its surge into a busy February stretch, the Cazenovia girls basketball team easily got the best of its Madison County neighbors from Chittenango – who just happen to be coached by a former Laker great.
The Lakers claimed its 10th win in 11 games following an 0-3 start Tuesday night at Buckley Gym, relying on the trio of Saige Ackermann, Danielle Tedesco and Lindsey Lawson to take over at different portions and also playing superb defense to beat the Bears 53-29.
Part of the anticipation about this game went beyond the neighborhood rivalry and the solid records both team possessed – Chittenango was 11-4, Cazenovia 9-4. It also marked the return of Bears head coach Kassie Kleine to her alma mater, where she was warmly applauded in pre-game introductions.
Once the game started, though, the Lakers’ hospitality toward Kleine ended. Ackermann made sure of that, hitting on nine of her game-high 18 points in the first quarter to give Cazenovia a lead it would not relinquish.
As the margin grew to 32-18 by halftime, Tedesco established her inside presence on both sides. Aside from earning most of her 12 points in this portion of the game, she also established such a presence on the defensive boards that Chittenango missed several close-up attempts.
Then it was Lawson’s turn. The freshman forward all but put the game away by sinking a series of baskets during a 10-0 run to close the third quarter, and finished the night with 13 points.
From a defensive standpoint, the Lakers held Chittenango’s top scorer, Ally Shoemaker, to just four points. Morgan Shoemaker and Trisha Whaley led the Bears with eight points apiece.
This was supposed to begin a busy week for Cazenovia, who had another tough opponent, Phoenix, visit Buckley Gym on Thursday night. Coming off a loss to Westhill, the Firebirds sought to make a road statement similar to the one it made Jan. 19 when it railed from a 22-point deficit to stun then-state no. 3-ranked Bishop Ludden.
But that game got postponed by a Phoenix snow day, and will get made up this Saturday at 3:30, but action resumed Friday night for the Lakers against Sherburne-Earlville and, by a 58-41 margin, the Lakers made it 11 wins in 12 games.
The Marauders started hot and led, 17-13, after one period, but Cazenovia outscored S-E 20-10 the rest of the half and its defense dug in from there, limiting the visitors to just 14 second-half points.
Lucy Connor, quiet in the Chittenango game, drilled five 3-pointers on this night and, with 19 points, gave a nice balance to the inside work of Tedesco, who also had 19 points. Lawson, with 12 points, and Ackermann, with eight points, accounted for the rest of the offense.
Meanwhile, Chittenango did play Thursday, at Jordan-Elbridge, and saw its struggles continue in 53-47 defeat to the Eagles.
Despite entering the game with a 4-12 record, and despite falling behind 18-8 after one period, J-E stuck with it and closed most of that gap by halftime. Then it held the Bears to eight points in the third quarter while going in front, 39-35, and withstood all of Chittenango’s comeback attempts.
Ally Shoemaker still had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, with Cassidy Kelly adding 11 points, five steals and three rebounds. Whaley earned nine rebounds as Giuliana Farr got six points. J-E won with 21 points from Alexis Braun, 14 points from Emily Somes and 10 points from Emily Klock.
The week did end well for Chittenango, though, as on Saturday it rolled past Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 56-24 to move its record to 12-6. Already with a big lead, the Bears outscored the Rebels 17-4 in the third quarter to seal it.
Again filling up the stat sheet, Ally Shoemaker had 13 points, eight steals, six assists and five rebounds, but Morgan Shoemaker was close behind, getting nine points, eight steals, seven assists and five rebounds. Sydney Bennett gained 10 points and three rebounds.
