At this point in the season, all victories are valuable, regardless of how they are attained.
Such was the sentiment the Cazenovia girls basketball team had to feel in the wake of last Monday’s 27-17 win over Camden at Buckley Gym.
At 4-7 overall, with lots of games ahead in the next few weeks against tough competition, the Lakers still had work to do to get to the .400 mark necessary to reach the Section III playoffs.
Against Camden, Cazenovia would find itself in a game-long drought, yet still go to the lead because it held the Blue Devils to two points in the first quarter, and was just as stingy the rest of the way.
What saved the Lakers was the consistency of its defense and the fact that Katie Ammann did earn 11 points and that Lindsey Lawson, held in check, still got eight points, six of them at the free-throw line.
Another crucial game would take place Thursday, at Phoenix, and the Lakers improved its point total here, but still lost, 61-33, to the Firebirds.
Cazenovia again was cold at the outset, and Phoenix built a 17-2 lead by the end of the first quarter, forcing the Lakers into a futile chase as Lawson earned eight of her 15 points at the free-throw line.
Madison West had seven points, with Lucy Langan getting six points, but the Firebirds still pulled away as Samantha Doupe led Phoenix with 22 points, helped by Natalie Hart (13 points) and Caitlyn Connolly (10 points).
Chittenango had the opposite problem as Cazenovia, for it produced plenty of baskets in last Tuesday’s game at Skaneateles, yet paid for a rough start in a 66-56 loss to those other Lakers.
During the first quarter, nothing the Bears’ defense tried seemed to work as it fell into a 24-7 deficit. Even when it made up ground, Chittenango saw Skaneateles outscore them 24-15 in a decisive third quarter.
That made it 58-37, but the Bears battled to the end as Mekenzie Dahlin had a career-best 16 points, with Cassidy Kelly adding 14 points and eight rebounds. Ally Shoemaker had 11 points, seven steals, six rebounds and five assists as Emily Moon added 10 points.
The Lakers made Chittenango pay for its defensive attention on Olivia Dobrovosky, who ironically had passed 1,000 career points during the Bears’ own holiday tournament in late December.
Dobrovosky, even when well-contained, had 15 points, but had teammates Ryley Pas’cal and Olivia Navaroli each get 11 points as Hannah Atkinson had 10 points, with Maeve Canty and Chloe Metz getting eight points apiece.
The loss dropped Chittenango’s record to 7-8, but it could still clinch a post-season berth Tuesday if it beat Marcellus before facing state Class B no. 5-ranked Bishop Ludden on Friday.
Cazenovia (5-8) would face New Hartford Monday, starting a stretch of three games in four days as it also hosted Hannibal Tuesday and would go to Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Thursday night.
