In the course of winning 11 times in 12 games, the Cazenovia girls basketball team had plenty of big wins.
Yet none compared to what the Lakers did last Tuesday night at Buckley Gym, when it confronted long-time nemesis Westhill and, led by the forward duo of Danielle Tedesco and Lindsey Lawson, pulled out a 50-43 victory over the Warriors.
Westhill, of course, is the defending sectional Class B champions, went to the state title game a year ago and was no. 12 in the latest state Class B rankings. None of this would faze the unranked Lakers, for it could match the Warriors’ inside power and defensively hold up, too.
Whether it was Tedesco or Lawson finishing off scoring plays, the Lakers gave the Warriors real problems in the paint from the outset. However, the real issue was the way Cazenovia’s defense swarmed Westhill and forced turnovers and bad shots.
Thus, at halftime, the Warriors trailed 23-12, but it stormed back and pulled within four, 31-27, going to the fourth quarter. It stayed tense until, with the score 42-40, Tedesco converted on a three-point play with 54.3 seconds left, igniting an 8-3 finish for the lakers.
All told, Tedesco had 21 points and Lawson had 20 points, with Lucy Connor adding six points. By contrast, Westhill’s main trio never broke out, though Katelyn Karleski and Morgan Elmer both earned 11 points and Mackenzie Martin added 10 points. Brigid Heinrich finished with eight points.
Cazenovia did not have a letdown on Thursday, going to Jordan-Elbridge and, with a 51-29 victory, knocking the Eagles out of post-season consideration.
Steadily, the Lakers built a 39-16 lead through three quarters with a defense that smothered anything J-E tried to establish. Constantly fouled, Lawson picked up nine of her 20 points at the free-throw line, with Tedesco gaining 18 points. Combined, the rest of the Cazenovia squad had just five field goals.
What followed, on Saturday, was another landmark effort as the Lakers trailed Phoenix, but then turned up its defense and smothered the Firebirds for a long stretch to set up a 48-36 victory, its 14th in 15 games.
No doubt, Cazenovia was displeased when Phoenix outscored them 16-6 in the second quarter and, by the third period, enjoyed a 31-18 lead. Then the Lakers’ defense locked down and forced a rash of bad shots and turnovers from the Firebirds, which led to baskets at the other end.
From that mid-game double-digit deficit, Cazenovia outscored Phoenix 30-5 the rest of the way, with Tedesco continuing to find open spots as she finished with 24 points. Lawson, with 12 points, helped out, as did Connor and Saige Ackermann, with six points apiece. Caitlyn Connolly led Phoenix with 17 points, but the Lakers held the Firebirds’ 1,000-point scorer, Samantha Doupe, to just five points here.
When the week got underway, Chittenango had a great opportunity to end Hannibal’s 12-game win streak, leading into the fourth quarter of last Monday’s game before it all fell apart in a 62-54 defeat to the Warriors.
Things were active from the start, but the Bears took charge by outscoring Hannibal 19-7 in the second quarter. Even with the Warriors’ resurgence early in the second half, the Bears carried a 47-42 lead to the final period.
But then Hannibal took over, burning Chittenango’s defense for baskets while proving stingy at its own end. Led by the veteran trio of McKenzie Mattison (22 points), Sydney Alton (14 points) and Katie Pitcher (12 points), the Warriors pulled it out.
Ally Shoemaker still gave Chittenango 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Mekenzie Dahlin had one of her best outings with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Morgan Shoemaker got 10 points. Cassidy Kelly got seven points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists. Rachel Cleary had six points and four rebounds.
It would turn a lot tougher Saturday afternoon when Chittenango visited Bishop Grimes, and for the most part the Bears put up a superb effort, matching the Cobras –except for a pivotal third quarter that led to a 62-51 defeat.
Throughout the first half, Chittenango and Grimes traded baskets, and they went to intermission 26-26. Led by Azariah Wade, though, the Cobras outscored the Bears 19-8 in the third quarter, exactly matching the eventual margin as Wade finished with 31 points off 10 successful field goals and 11 free throws.
Morgan Shoemaker paced Chittenango, earning 16 points as Grimes honed in on Ally Shoemaker had held her to eight points, though Ally did get nine steals, four assists and three rebounds. Kelly had seven points, three rebounds and three steals, while Dahlin earned six points.
