It only figured that the Bishop Ludden and Westhill girls basketball teams would meet somewhere in the Section III Class B playoffs.
As it turns out, that showdown will take place in the semifinal round at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall this Saturday at 1:30 after both the Gaelic Knights and Warriors won their respective quarterfinals games on Tuesday night.
The no. 5 seed Warriors had the tougher assignment, traveling to face no. 4 seed Oneida, but passed the test by building a first-half lead and then holding on to defeat the Indians 64-54.
During a 17-3 regular season that included a Tri-Valley League Pioneer division title (its first league crown in 10 years) and a first-round sectional playoff win over Lowville, Oneida had more than proved its worth and had reached the state Class B rankings.
Westhill was fazed by none of this, though, and figured out a way to get through the Indians’ defense throughout a strong first half. By the time they reached the break, the Warriors held a 30-18 lead.
Oneida did start to produce on a consistent basis in the third quarter, ultimately getting 17 points from Lauren Skibitski and 15 points from Sydney Lusher as Ella Rainbow and Julianna Cavanagh had 10 points apiece.
Every time the Indians threatened to get close, though, Westhill had an answer for it. Drawing lots of contact, Jenna Larrabee earned nine of her game-high 17 points at the free-throw line.
Katelyn Kareski earned 13 points, inching closer to joining her teammate, Mackenzie Martin, in the 1,000-point club as Martin got 14 points and Morgan Elmer added eight points.
Meanwhile, Ludden hosted no. 9 seed General Brown, who already owned a road playoff win at Skaneateles, but could not upend the top-seeded Gaelic Knights, who rolled to a 64-43 victory over the Lions.
Pushing the tempo from the outset, Ludden built a 19-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. GB didn’t let it get out of hand, largely due to the efforts of Kylie Rosbrook, who had 19 points and six rebounds, and Chelsea VanTassel, who had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Still, the Gaelic Knights kept adding to its margin as, in her last home-game appearance, Ludden’s all-time leading scorer, Danielle Rauch, tacked on 12 more points to her total, including a trio of 3-pointers.
The inside game was working, too, as Aurora Deshaies had a team-high 18 points and Amarah Streiff finished with 10 points. Karleigh Leo also had 10 points as Katie Costello contributed eight points.
Meanwhile, in the Class AA sectional quarterfinal, defending champion West Genesee, the no. 2 seed, rolled through its playoff opener, routing no. 7 seed Rome Free Academy 75-34.
Any concern about post-season nerves vanished within the opening minutes. Charging on both ends, WG forced the Black Knights into all kinds of mistakes, from turnovers to poor shots.
Meanwhile, a string of baskets on the other end allowed the Wildcats to build a 29-4 lead by the end of the first quarter, and it kept going from there, the margin growing to 68-27 before the starters rested in the fourth quarter.
Kaitlyn Walker and Mackenzie Smith combined to outscore RFA by themselves, each finishing with 18 points. Madison Smith had 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while Catie Cunningham had six points. All 10 WG players that saw action earned at least one field goal.
WG advanced to Sunday night’s sectional semifinal at 6:45 against no. 6 seed Baldwinsville, who knocked out no. 3 seed Central Square 55-43 to emerge from a late-season skid that included two losses to the Wildcats. Whoever won here would face Cicero-North Syracuse or Liverpool in the March 2 title game at the Carrier Dome.
