Now on separate paths after their pair of head-to-head meetings, the Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool girls basketball teams aimed to strengthen their records going as the calendar turned to February.
A big test for the Warriors came last Tuesday night, when it traveled to West Genesee and, despite a massive performance from Kyra Grimshaw, could not quite upend the reigning Section III Class AA champions in a 60-52 defeat to the Wildcats.
This margin nearly matched the first meeting on Jan. 3 between last season’s sectional finalists, where WG prevailed 52-43, but the difference here, at least on Liverpool’s side, was that Grimshaw proved impossible to contain.
Even as the Warriors fell behind 28-20 by halftime, Grimshaw was finding space to make shots, especially since the Wildcats were bent on taking away Jenna Wike, who had surpassed 1,000 career points when Liverpool beat Rush-Henrietta three nights earlier.
All through the second half, Grimshaw kept the Warriors in it, ultimately converting 13 field goals, three of them 3-pointers, and amassing 32 points overall. No other Liverpool player hit double figures, with Wike held to eight points.
What made the difference was that WG didn’t rely on a single player to carry the offense. Instead, Mackenzie Smith had 17 points, including three 3-pointers, while Mya Case and Madison Smith had 16 points apiece. Together, that trio hit on nine 3-pointers.
Back home on Friday, Liverpool faced Corcoran, and it was Senior Night for Wike, Grimshaw and Holly Sleeth, with the Warriors not about to have the occasion spoiled by a Cougars surprise.
In a 57-34 victory, Liverpool excelled on both sides of the ball while amassing a 47-22 lead by the end of the third quarter. Grimshaw led with 17 points, while Wike had 13 points and Lexi Emmi got all of her nine points from three successful 3-pointers.
Back on Tuesday night, C-NS went to Corcoran last Tuesday night and rolled past the Cougars 62-20, the Northstars giving up just two points in the first quarter and a single free throw in the third quarter.
Amani Free finished with 15 points, while Jessica Cook had 10 points. All told, 10 different Northstars got on the scoreboard as Alexandra Miller picked up nine points, with Mackenzie White adding seven points and Julianna Vassallo getting six points.
It figured to get tougher when, on Friday, the Northstars faced the same Nottingham team that pushed them to overtime less than two weeks earlier, on Jan. 20.
But C-NS remembered that scare and did not let that happen again, roaring past the Bulldogs 68-42 to improve its overall record to 16-2. Smothering on defense, the Northstars built a 40-16 advantage by halftime.
Free finished with 21 points, but it was Julia Rowe stepping up to get 14 points. Miller, Brandi Feeney, Morgan Siechen and Nia Williams had six points apiece.
C-NS and Liverpool (13-6) both take on Baldwinsville this week as the regular season winds down and the Section III playoffs loom.
