From milestones to injuries to close contests decided in the final seconds, a lot happened to the Westhill and Bishop Ludden girls basketball teams in the aftermath of the Gaelic Knights’ Jan. 16 overtime win over the Warriors.
Westhill started to recover in last Monday’s 69-45 victory over Marcellus where junior Mackenzie Martin surpassed 1,000 career points.
In her fourth season on the Warriors’ varsity roster, Martin, a three-year starter, scored 18 points, more than the 13 she needed to get past that 1,000 mark.
Katelyn Karleski poured in 23 points, while Sara Galante had 12 points as Westhill built a 57-31 lead through three quarters. For Marcellus, Sarah Fallon led with 13 points as Shannon Kellar got eight points.
On Wednesday night, Westhill flattened Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 66-8, with Martin and Karleski each getting 13 points. Jenna Larrabee led the Warriors with 14 points as Galante and Imani Watts had eight points apiece.
The big game for Ludden, still at no. 5 in the state Class B rankings, would come on Saturday when it took on Bishop Grimes on the same day where state no. 10-ranked Westhill would face Syracuse Academy of Science, a leading Class C contender.
And the big problem for the Gaelic Knights was that Danielle Rauch was unavailable to play, but Rauch watched as her Ludden teammates, especially Aurora Deshaies, stepped up and produced a 54-52 victory over the Cobras.
Sensing the chance to pounce on Ludden, Grimes gained a 19-14 lead by the end of the first quarter, but the Gaelic Knights’ defense limited the Cobras to 17 total points over the course of the next two periods.
That gave Ludden time to gain a 43-36 lead, and it would withstand Grimes’ late comeback as Deshaies poured in 27 points, nine of htem in the fourth quarter, and adding 10 rebounds as Amarah Streiff had 11 points. Abby Wilkinson led Grimes with 16 points.
Westhill got its own scare from SAS, but held on to win 51-50, seeing an early lead vanish before the two sides traded baskets throughout a tight second half.
Morgan Elmer had 12 points and eight rebounds, with Martin getting 11 points and 11 rebounds as Karleski also got 11 points, adding five steals. All of that helped negate a great effort by the Atoms’ Lyrik Jackson, who had 29 points and 17 rebounds.
Before all this, Ludden routed Homer 59-23 last Monday night. All that the Trojans could manage in the first half was nine points against the Gaelic Knights’ constant pressure.
Deshaies had 15 points and eight rebounds, pacing a Ludden attack where Rauch had 10 points and 10 assists, plus five rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Karleigh Leo’s 11 points mostly came from a trio of 3-pointers as Streiff had eight points and seven rebounds.
Jordan-Elbridge visited Pulaski last Monday night, where it lost, 64-55, to the Blue Devils, who kept burning the Eagles’ defense as Samantha Paternoster had 33 points and nine rebounds, while Lauren Denny had 23 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Ashlee Eaton led J-E’s attack, getting 10 of her 14 points at the free-throw line. Alexis Braun had 13 points, with Kate Goodrich pouring in 12 points and Allison Jennings getting 10 points.
Playing ITC/Fowler Thursday night, the Eagles gained a 54-35 victory, building a 36-13 margin by halftime as Jennings led the way with 17 points. Eaton remained steady with 13 points as Goodrich earned her second straight 12-point outing.
Solvay prevailed last Tuesday against Onondaga, beating the Tigers 39-30 in large part because of a first quarter where the Bearcats bolted out to a 13-4 lead.
OCS stayed close, but got held to three points in the fourth quarter as Solvay held on thanks to Aleah Yaizzo’s 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Nadea Davis had eight points and nine rebounds, with Dominique Roberts and Haley Muehl each getting seven rebounds and Johnae Crenshaw earning six points.
On Thursday, Solvay made it back-to-back wins, handling Mexico 45-21 as it limited the Tigers to six points in the first half and saw Davis nearly get a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven steals.
Yaizzo gained 15 points, adding seven rebounds and three steals. Carly Devereaux contributed nine points and four rebounds as Linaysa Williams had six rebounds and Brielle Bagozzi had five points.
As that went on, Marcellus lost to Homer 51-39, the game close until the Trojans outscored the Mustangs 14-3 in the third quarter.
Durand had eight points and eight rebounds, while Mei LaMarre also had eight points. Claudia Luebner and Kade DeMarle had six points apiece as Homer’s Caley Cornwell, with 13 points, became the girls basketball Trojans’ all-time leading scorer.
In Saturday’s action, Solvay fell to Phoenix 56-31despite nine points from Yaizzo and 11 rebounds from Linyasa Williams.
Meanwhile, Marcellus took a 43-37 defeat to General Brown, with the Lions closing on a 12-3 run to overcome the Mustangs’ fourth-quarter lead thanks to Kylie Rosbrook’s 28 points and 16 rebounds. DeMarle led her side with 13 points.
