Denied the chance to go after Bishop Ludden when their Dec. 22 neighborhood showdown was snowed out, the Westhill girls basketball team would go up against other tough foes during the Hoops for the Hospital Holiday Classic during the holiday break.
Up against Norwich (Section IV) on Dec. 27, the Warriors got a big boost from reserve Jenna Larrabee that keyed a 53-39 victory over the Purple Tornado.
First, it was Westhill’s defense that helped gain control as it held Norwich to nine points in the first half. Then the Warriors protected its double-digit margin throughout the last two periods, even though Mackenzie Martin was held to a season-low five points and Brigid Heinrich got shut out.
Larrabee, with all kinds of open looks, poured in 16 points, a career high. Katelyn Karleski helped out with 12 points as Imani Watts earned eight points, mostly from a pair of 3-pointers. Erica Gangemi added five points.
A day later, Westhill faced Indian River, from the Class A ranks, and this Warrior clash proved closer than the Norwich game, but again Westhill prevailed, this time by a 53-45 margin.
Steady efforts on both ends helped Westhill gain a 29-18 lead by halftime. IR would narrow the gap a bit, led by 1,000-point scorer Paige Leonard, who had 22 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and three steals.
Westhill proved far more balanced in its attack, as Karleski led with 12 points, but Watts and Gangemi both added eight points. Morgan Elmer added seven points as Martin and Larrabee had six points apiece.
Bishop Ludden and Westhill will make up that snowed-out game on Jan 16. Meanwhile, the Gaelic Knights had its own holiday tournament that got underway Dec. 29 with a 90-41 rout of Fredonia (Section VI).
Having not played since returning from its Dec. 15-17 trip to the Disney complex In Florida, the Gaelic Knights tore Fredonia’s defense apart from start to finish as five players scored in double figures.
Aurora Deshaies, with 22 points, controlled the paint as Amarah Streiff chimed in with 13 points. Danielle Rauch, Karleigh Leo and Katie Costello got 11 points apiece as Kaitlyn Kibling had nine points and Lauren Petrie earned eight points.
The final pitted Ludden against another Section VI team, Amherst, who had routed Whitesboro 66-35. This game was far tighter than either of the previous two, but the Gaelic Knights still controlled matters and beat the Tigers 53-45.
What was a close contest broke open in the middle stages. Stifling defense by Ludden proved the key as it outscored Amherst 27-11 in the second and third quarters.
The Gaelic Knights continued to show that it did not have to lean on any single player on the offensive end. Deshaies led with 12 points, while Leo had 11 points. Rauch and Kibling notched nine points apiece and Costello had seven points.
When the first state Class B rankings of 2018 came out, Westhill was no. 3 and Ludden sat at no. 5. While the Gaelic Knights’ game with Cazenovia was snowed out, the Warriors went out last Wednesday and smashed Christian Brothers Academy 58-24.
Defensively, Westhill did not let any CBA player other than Brooke Jarvis score more than one field goal. Meanwhile, the Warriors built a 45-14 lead through three periods as Karleski got 16 points, with Martin adding 12 points and Larrabee adding 10 points. Gangemi and Catherine Dadey had five points apiece.
