Though it is still quite early, with the way they have dispatched opponents the Bishop Ludden and Westhill girls basketball teams are making sure that their Dec. 22 showdown turns into one of the season’s most anticipated games.
Both started last week with more lopsided wins as Westhill rudely welcomed 3-0 Cazenovia with an early-game scoring outburst by Mackenzie Martin that fueled a 61-29 rout of the Lakers.
Of Martin’s 18 points, 13 of them came in the first eight-plus minutes. That, combined with a relentless man-to-man defense that stifled Cazenovia, led to a steady getaway.
Production was spread around, too, as Katelyn Karleski got 11 points and Jenna Larrabee came off the bench to earn eight points. Another key reserve, Imani Watts, had six points to match Morgan Elmer’s total. Cazenovia had just two total field goals aside from the 12 points put up by Katie Ammann and the 11 points from Lindsey Lawson.
As that went on, Ludden was putting away ITC/Fowler 94-37, nearly getting to the century mark as the Gaelic Knights built a 54-14 margin by halftime and put six players in double figures.
Aurora Deshaies, with 17 points and seven rebounds, led the way, with Danielle Rauch notching 15 points, six assists and five steals. Amarah Streiff got 11 points and 10 rebounds as Karleigh Leo, Katie Costello and Kaitlyn Kibling earned 10 points apiece.
Jordan-Elbridge picked up its first win of the season last Monday, rallying past LaFayette 39-36 in a game that was tight from start to finish.
Up 16-15 at halftime, the Eagles saw the Lancers go in front during the third quarter. Still down 30-26 in the final period, J-E fought back, requiring Alexis Braun to hit key baskets down the stretch, including a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left that proved the winning margin.
Braun finished with 13 points, while Katie Goodrich had 10 points and Ashlee Eaton got eight points. Most of LaFayette’s production came from Charlotte Ryan, who had 16 points, and Grace Dow, who had 14 points.
Two nights later, hosting undefeated Skaneateles, J-E fell 76-41, seeing most of the damage done in a first half where the Lakers bolted out to a 45-20 lead.
Even with 10 points apiece from Eaton and Allison Jennings, no one else on the Eagles had more than two field goals. Meanwhile, Olivia Dobrovosky dominated for Skaneateles, getting 30 points from nine field goals (three of them 3-pointers) and nine free throws.
And then J-E ran into Ludden on Friday, with the Eagles overwhelmed in a 59-11 defeat as it didn’t get a field goal until the second quarter. Rauch led the Gaelic Knights with 14 points, while Deshaies had 13 points. Kibling and Leo had seven points apiece.
Marcellus fell 56-32 to Bishop Grimes last Tuesday night, held to eight points in the first half and unable to get any player to score in double figures. Hannah Durand, with seven points, and Emma MacLachlan, with six points, got close, but the Cobras featured Abby Wilkinson, who had 19 points, and Bri Squier, who added 17 points.
But the Mustangs rebounded when it went to Cazenovia Friday and topped the Lakers 42-37. What made the difference was the start for Marcellus, who jumped to a 15-7 edge on the Lakers through one quarter and then nursed that lead the rest of the night.
MacLachlan, with 10 points, paced a well-balanced attack where Durand had nine points. Mei LaMarre and Sam Wynne got eight points apiece.
Solvay lost at home to Christian Brothers Academy 59-23 that same night, Aleah Yaizzo had nine points and five rebounds, with Nadea Davis getting seven points and Brielle Bagozzi nine rebounds, but the Bearcats surrendered an 18-0 third-quarter run from the Brothers, who had 16 points from Brooke Jarvis and 10 points from Emily Hall.
Despite this, Solvay delivered a stunning performance against Mexico Thursday night, holding the Tigers without a field goal the entire game and winning by a 46-3 margin.
All that Mexico could produce was two free throws in the second quarter and another in the third quarter. Otherwise, it was a complete shutout that featured Yaizzo getting eight steals to go with 12 points and six assists.
Davis contributed five steals, plus eight points and seven rebounds. Haley Muehl also had eight points as Allie Posnick had six steals, Linaysa Williams had six rebounds and Carly Devereaux managed five points.
