Area girls basketball teams were mostly sidelined late in the first week of 2018 by winter weather, but were quite busy before and after the new year hit.
Marcellus played on Dec. 28 against Fulton and lost, 52-45 seeing an early 18-12 lead vanish when the Red Raiders outscored them 26-14 over the course of the next two periods.
Hannah Durand still had 13 points for the Mustangs, while Emma MacLachlan had eight points. Kade DeMarle (seven points) and Sarah Fallon (six points) closely followed as Fulton’s Erin Nicholson and McKenna Chesbro hit a combined nine 3-pointers, Nicholson getting 19 points and Chesbro adding 16 points.
A 45-30 defeat to Greece Arcadia followed on Dec. 30, with the Mustangs strong in the first half and gaining a 24-11 lead, only to have Arcadia turn it around in a 36-6 second-half blitz. Fallon and Claudia Leubner led Marcellus with seven points apiece as Durand earned six points and MacLachlan got seven rebounds.
In last Tuesday’s 58-15 romp over Mexico, Marcellus got 10 different players to earn at least one field goal as Durand led with 11 points. MacLachlan, DeMarle and Emily Card had eight points apiece as MacLachlan got seven rebounds and Card six rebounds
Solvay, hosting its own holiday tournament, dropped a 40-36 decision to Cato-Meridian in the Dec. 28 opening round, the Blue Devils closing the game on a 16-5 run to erase a lead the Bearcats had most of the afternoon.
Nadea Davis carried Solvay most of the way, finishing with 25 points, 12 rebounds and five steals. But the rest of the Bearcats had just five combined field goals as Cato got 12 points from Morgan Steele, 11 points from Olivia Ford and 10 points from Cassie Chalon.
But the Bearcats would beat ITC/Fowler 50-32 a day later. Aleah Yaizzo had 17 points, four rebounds and three steals as Davis was held to six points, but Brielle Bagozzi (nine points, six rebounds) and Carly Devereaux (eight points) helped plenty.
Then, in a rematch with ITC/Fowler last Tuesday, Solvay won again, 46-32,l having Davis get 14 points and 10 rebounds as Johnae Crenshaw stepped up with 11 points and five rebounds. Haley Muehl had eight points and Dominique Roberts picked up 10 rebounds.
Jordan-Elbridge would win a 39-36 non-league decision over Onondaga on Dec. 28. Allison Jennings, with 12 points, led the way as Ashlee Eaton picked up 10 points and Alexis Braun gained eight points.
It proved just as close last Wednesday when J-E took on Homer, but the Eagles lost, 67-61, in a game where the pace picked up as the night went along.
Trailing 30-25 at halftime, J-E did everything it could to catch up, especially Jennings, who set a career mark with 25 points as Braun gained 15 points and Kate Goodrich added 10 points. But Homer held on thanks to 26 points (and five 3-pointers) from Caley Cornwell, who got help from Katlyn Sovocool and Brenna Johnson with 12 points apiece.
