The Bishop Ludden girls basketball team hosted its own holiday tournament that commenced on Dec. 29 with a thrilling battle against St. Mary’s, from the Buffalo suburb of Lancaster.
The Gaelic Knights lost, 79-76, to the Lancers, who held on after building a 46-37 halftime advantage. Aurora Deshaies still had 25 points and Amarah Streiff added 21 points, with Karleigh Leo getting 10 points and Lauren Petrie eight points.
Now in the Dec. 30 consolation game against another Buffalo school, Sacred Heart, Ludden won 70-54, pulling away in the second half with Deshaies pouring in 29 points, helped by Petrie’s 14 points and Streiff’s 11 points. Leo gained eight points.
Then Ludden won again last Thursday night, against Rochester Mercy, this one a 69-55 decision nearly identical to the Sacred Heart game, in terms of score and margin.
Though an early 16-8 lead nearly got away, the Gaelic Knights reasserted control by outscoring Mercy 22-14 in the third quarter, and again the inside players led the way.
Deshaies put up 21 points, with Streiff close behind as she got 19 points. Petrie finished with 12 points and Leo added 10 points as Kaitlyn Kibling finished with seven points.
Making it three wins in a row on Saturday, Ludden went north to face Indian River and pummeled the Warriors 64-38, the game even more lopsided as the Gaelic Knights were up 61-23 before easing up in the fourth quarter.
For the second straight game, Deshaies poured in 21 points, and while Streiff cooled off, Ludden spread baskets around as eight different players had at least four points, with Kibling and Katie Costello getting eight points apiece.
West Genesee, after a Dec. 28 loss to Shenendehowa, returned to SCAC Metro division action on Friday at Baldwinsville and roared back to typical form, bashing the Bees 71-39.
Without an injured Katie Pascale in the lineup, B’ville could not keep the Wildcats from building a 62-27 lead through three quarters as five WG players scored in double figures.
Mackenzie Smith, with 17 points, led the charge, with Kaitlyn Walker adding 12 points. Catie Cunningham got 11 points as Aleysha Castanon and Madison Smith earned 10 points apiece.
Angry at a Dec. 29 defeat to Nottingham, Westhill took out that frustration on Hannibal when OHSL Liberty National division play resume last Thursday, dominating this Warrior duel by a score of 66-27.
It was 35-9 by halftime, Westhill showing tremendous balance as Jenna Larrabee and Catherine Dadey both finished with 11 points. Mackenzie Martin, Erica Gangemi and Imani Watts gained nine points apiece as Ellie Masterpole had seven points and Mary Gibson got six points.
Meanwhile, Marcellus returned from its holiday break with an uneven effort in last Friday’s game against visiting Solvay, but even with plenty of struggles, the Mustangs worked its way past the Bearcats 42-24.
Rust from a two-week layoff showed in the first half as Marcellus found itself in front 14-11, but it woke up in the third quarter, outscoring Solvay 20-9 for the only run it needed.
Katie MacLachlan, with eight points, led a well-balanced attack as Shannon Kellar and Hannah Durand had eight points apiece, with Emma MacLachlan and Sarah Fallon both earning six points.
For Solvay, Allie Posnick and Carly Devereaux each produced seven points, while Brielle Bagozzi and Diamond Grant both got seven rebounds.
Jordan-Elbridge fell 58-32 to Class C contender Pulaski on Dec. 27, despite Ashlee Eaton’s 11 points and Jenna Melchior’s eight points. For the Blue Devils, Samantha Paternoster had 22 points and 13 rebounds as Lauren Denny amassed 12 points, nine steals, seven assists and five rebounds.
Then, on Friday, J-E lost 60-26 to Chittenango, with Mollie Yard getting seven points and Megan Bard adding six points. The Bears’ Sarah Lanphear had 13 points and 12 rebounds as Mekenzie Dahlin also had 13 points and Cassidy Kelly had 12 points.
