From a purely technical standpoint, it isn’t possible to have two teams that face each other win in girls basketball, and yet the weekend for girls basketball teams at Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool left both sides feeling quite good.
True, the Northstars beat the Warriors for the second time in as many months last Friday night, taking over in the fourth quarter to prevail 55-42 as the duo of Amani Free and Jessica Cook led the way.
Less than 24 hours later, though, Liverpool was smiling, not just because it had bounced back to beat Rush-Henrietta 50-38 at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall, but because senior Jenna Wike achieved her 1,000th career point.
It had nearly happened in the renewal of the C-NS-Liverpool rivalry, where for a long while the Warriors appeared poised to get even for a 49-35 defeat to the Northstars on its home court Dec. 22.
Liverpool led through most of the first half, swarming on defense to contest C-NS. Even though, its lead dwindled to one, 20-19, by halftime, and the Northstars were in front when Wike drained a pair of 3-pointers late in the third quarter to put her team back in front, 37-36, with one period left.
All of that aggression took a toll, as Liverpool had several players, including Kyra Grimshaw (who had 10 points) and Holly Sleeth (six points), get into foul trouble, and though Cook also had four fouls, she remained in the game and, with Free, took over.
During a decisive 15-0 run, C-NS shut out Liverpool until the final seconds. Meanwhile, Cook had eight of her 21 points to support Free, who with a variety of moves finished with 27 points and proved she was over an injury that had sidelined her for two games the previous week.
For Liverpool, Lexi Emmi had nine points. Wike had scored 14 points in those first three quarters, leaving her five short of the 1,000-point marker. She would have to get it against Rush-Henrietta and did so.
It came just past the midway point of the third quarter. The Warriors were leading the Royal Comets 27-23 when Wike took the ball at her own end and went the length of the court before converting on a lay-up.
Once the game was stopped and Wike was honored as the third player in Warriors program history to get past 1,000 points (joining Robin Capoto and Kristyn Pluchino), Liverpool resumed action and staged its own fourth-quarter getaway.
The Warriors, playing its fourth game in six days, outscored ush-Henrietta 17-8 in those last eight minutes, led by Amanda Barnell, who stepped up with 17 points and six rebounds. Grimshaw was also strong, with 16 points and six rebounds.
C-NS, who fell from no.5 to no. 10 in the latest state Class AA rankings, had split its two games without Free, who missed a loss to West Genesee plus a win over CBA before returning to help pull out a Jan. 20 overtime win over Nottingham.
The full roster was in place for last Tuesday’s game against Fayetteville-Manlius, and while it was far from a pretty effort, the Northstars did beat the Hornets 48-29.
Defense saved C-NS after it cooled off from a 20-7 first-quarter blitz. This was especially true in the third quarter, when C-NS, clinging to a 27-22 halftime lead, struggled from the field, but limited F-M to a single free throw.
Free only had nine points, while Cook led with 14 points and Julianna Vassallo added 10 points as all of Morgan Siechen’s nine points came from three 3-pointers. Alexis Schneider led F-M, matching Siechen’s total of nine points.
Liverpool’s lead-up to the C-NS rematch started with a visit from Auburn last Monday night. In one of its best all-around efforts of the season, the Warriors pummeled the Maroons 69-42.
Auburn sported a 7-3 record, but Liverpool smothered them on defense from the outset and took full command with a 19-4 charge through the second quarter that produced a 38-14 halftime advantage.
Grimshaw, in particular, torched the Maroons, finishing with 28 points, 12 rebounds and three steals, while Wike got 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Barnell added 10 points and four rebounds, with Auburn’s Stephanie Gera leading her side by earning 21 points, including five 3-pointers.
Two nights later, at Corcoran, the Warriors handled the Cougars 56-27, steadily building a 45-18 lead through two periods as Grimshaw led the charge, getting 19 points and 14 rebounds. Barnell was solid, too, with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Wike had nine points.
