All was now in place for the girls basketball showdown Tuesday night between state Class B no.5-ranked Bishop Ludden and no. 3-ranked Westhill, neighbors that were supposed to square off Dec. 22 before weather got in the way.
Ludden first had to get through a tough test against 8-1 Skaneateles last Tuesday night, with the game in doubt until the fourth quarter, when Ludden pulled away and beat the Lakers 73-58.
For three quarters, neither team could pull away. Skaneateles proved that its fast start to the season was far from a fluke as 1,000-point scorer Olivia Dobrovosky continually got open looks all over the court, including four 3-pointers.
By game’s end, Dobrovosky would have 33 points, the most any single player has scored against the Gaelic Knights this season, and this helped the Lakers enter the final period only trailing by a field goal, 48-46.
But Ludden kept its cool and seized control in the final minutes. Danielle Rauch, more of a distributor in recent weeks, regained her scoring touch as she got 26 points and, unlike Dobrovosky, had three of her teammates hit double figures, too. Aurora Deshaies had 18 points, with Karleigh Leo’s three 3-pointers leading to 12 points and Katie Costello contributing 11 points.
Westhill returned to action a night later, at Homer, and found itself in a bit of trouble going into halftime before a big third quarter changed the game’s direction and pushed the Warriors past the Trojans 56-43.
Homer matched everything Westhill threw at them in the first two periods, even as the pace picked up. By the break, the Warriors trailed 26-24, but aware to the challenge, Westhill provided an emphatic response.
During a decisive third quarter, the defense picked up, and so did the production on the other end. The Warriors didn’t let up until it had outscored the Trojans 24-6 in that frame.
And the veterans led the way as Katelyn Karleski picked up 18 points and Mackenzie Martin earned 16 points. Imani Watts, with eight points, and Erica Gangemi, with six points, helped out. Homer’s Caley Cornwell produced 21 points in defeat.
Ludden won again Thursday, handling Solvay 70-23 as Deshaies got 20 points and Rauch added 19 points. Costello finished with seven points, with Amarah Streif and Lauren Petrie getting six points apiece. Aleah Yaizzo and Nadea Davis led the Bearcats with six points apiece.
Meanwhile, West Genesee had a breather last Tuesday night as it rolled past Corcoran 62-23, getting away during a 23-5 second-quarter push and showing remarkable scoring balance.
Five different Wildcats scored eight points, including Mackenzie Smith, Mya Case and Catie Cunningham, but also reserves Aleysha Castanon and Bailee Legnetto. Madison Smith and Kaitlyn Walker had seven points apiece.
Two nights later, at Fayetteville-Manlius, it proved quite different as the Wildcats needed all 32 minutes to rally and fight to a 49-48 victory over the Hornets.
A rough first half for WG allowed F-M to steadily build a 26-13 advantage. But the Wildcats caught fire in the third quarter, going on a 22-8 run, and from there the game went back and forth in the final minutes, neither side able to break free.
It took 17 points from Madison Smith to help the Wildcats pull it out, along with Case and Mackenzie Smith getting nine points apiece.F-M’s Lexie Roe hit five 3-pointers to account for most of her 21 points as Alexandra Vinci added 13 points.
Jordan-Elbridge played at Hannibal last Tuesday and dropped a tight 51-46 decision to those other Warriors, unable to overcome a 29-13 halftime deficit despite some inspired play in the late going.
Allison Jennings, with 20 points, led this late Eagles push, while Alexis Braun got 15 points (including three 3-pointers) and Kate Goodrich poured in 11 points. Hannibal held on with 22 points from Katie Pitcher and 16 points from McKenzie Mattison.
Then J-E topped Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 49-29 on Thursday, outscoring the Rebels in every quarter. The duo of Jennings and Ashlee Eaton topped APW by themselves as Jennings gained 16 points and Eaton finished with 14 points.
Solvay returned to action last Tuesday against Chittenango, and the Bearcats lost, 42-27, unable to recover from a first quarter where it fell behind 14-5. Haley Muehl still piled up 13 rebounds to go with nine points, while Yaizzo had six points
