With the weather finally settled down, the Cazenovia girls basketball team plunged into a busy stretch that would include four games in six days.
The first two of those games were split, with the Lakers beating Jordan-Elbridge 58-30 but falling to New Hartford 76-52, and continued last Monday night with a 46-27 defeat to Christian Brothers Academy.
Once 3-8, the Brothers had won four in a row entering this game, and its defense took over against Cazenovia, too, limiting the Lakers to four points in the second quarter as it eventually built a 40-22 margin before the final period.
Other than Lindsey Lawson, who finished with 14 points, Cazenovia had just four total field goals against a stifling CBA defense.
Meanwhile, the Brothers’ Brook Jarvis led her side with 16 points, including three 3-pointers. Skye Ryan, Maura Claire Conan and Claire Nicholson had six points apiece.
At Hannibal two nights later, the Lakers again sought a 10th victory this winter, and nearly attained it, making a frantic late comeback, only to see if fall just short as it lost to the Warriors 49-48.
Ultimately, Cazenovia paid for scoring just two points in the first quarter. Still behind 26-14 at halftime, the Lakers gradually cut into that deficit throughout the second half.
Carleigh Szalach took full advantage of the attention put on Lawson, setting a career mark with 17 points, while Hannah Matteson had 11 points to help out, too, as Lawson finished with 13 points.
Hannibal held on, though, with Julia Shortslef producing nearly half her team’s output with 23 points and adding 13 rebounds as Kelsey Combes added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Pushed back to the .500 mark (9-9), Cazenovia would have a rematch with Jordan-Elbridge Tuesday after hosting Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Monday before finding out its Section III Class B playoff seed.
Busy as Cazenovia was, Chittenango had it worse, having to play six times in eight days at the start of February to go along with Monday night’s regular-season finale against Marcellus.
But the Bears did quite well at the start of this gauntlet, handling ITC/Fowler and Altmar-Parish-Williamstown on Feb. 1 and 2, and then routing Solvay 56-28 last Monday to kick off another set of back-to-back games.
Chittenango built a 52-22 lead through three quarters, led by Emily Moon’s 18 points and six rebounds. Cassidy Kelly added 11 points, four steals, three rebounds and three assists as Ally Shoemaker had eight points, six assists, six steals and four rebounds.
A night later, at Homer, the Bears pushed past the Trojans 55-42, getting 11 rebounds from Sarah Lanphear and eight rebounds from Kelly as Shoemaker amassed six rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Mexico arrived Thursday night to start a third set of back-to-back games, and the Bears handled this task, too, routing the Tigers 65-23 as Moon went back to the forefront, earning 16 points and seven rebounds.
Shoemaker earned 14 points, seven rebounds, five steals and five assists, while Lanphear had 12 points and six steals. Kelly notched nine rebounds to go with six points,, with Ashley Thompson earning six rebounds and four assists.
Finally, there was Friday’s trip to Phoenix, where Chittenango, who had every reason to feel some fatigue from the crowded run of games, still got another triple-double from Shoemaker in a 61-34 victory over the Firebirds.
By game’s end, Shoemaker had 13 assists, 10 steals and 10 points, plus eight rebounds as Moon finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, with Kelly getting 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mekenezie Dahlin added nine points.
Chittenango still had Monday’s home game against Marcellus before it plunged into the sectional tournament later this week.
