All was relatively quiet late last week as area high school girls basketball teams prepared to enter the Section III playoffs.
Jamesville-DeWitt, in pursuit of a fourth consecutive state Class A title, enjoyed a first-round bye in the Class A sectional bracket, though it had to work from the no. 3 seed as it would face Whitesboro or Watertown
It followed last Wednesday’s regular-season finale, a 64-28 romp by J-D over Auburn, the second time the Rams had beaten the Maroons in as many weeks as it clinched another SCAC Empire division regular-season title.
Up 32-10 by halftime, J-D smothered Auburn for long stretches and had 12 different players get on the scoreboard, though it was Paige Keeler (17 points) and Momo LaClair (13 points) leading the way as they combined to hit five 3-pointers. Gabby Stickle and Lily Loewenguth each had seven points.
Meanwhile, Christian Brothers Academy would need to play an opening-round game in the Class A sectional tournament, the no. 10 seed Brothers traveling north last Friday to face no. 7 seed Central Square, the winner to face no. 2 seed New Hartford in the quarterfinals.
And it was here that the Brothers put together a defensive effort that topped anything else it had shown this winter, shutting down the Redhawks for long stretches of each half on the way to a 39-26 victory.
Things began to look good for CBA during the second quarter, where, trailing 13-8, it proceeded to limit Central Square to just two points in that frame.
That made up, to a degree, for the struggles the Brothers’ offense had for most of the night, and with the outcome still in doubt, CBA then held the Redhawks to a mere three points in the fourth quarter while hitting several key baskets.
Brooke Jarvis led with 15 points, helped by Emily Hall, who had seven points, and Skye Ryan, who got six points as Leana Heitzmann and Maura Clare Conlan had four points apiece.
And all this came after CBA lost, 66-49, to Skaneateles last Monday night, again falling below the .500 mark overall (9-10) as the Lakers’ defense took over in the second half.
Led by Jarvis (16 points) and Leana Heitzmann, whose five 3-pointers accounted for all of her 15 points, the Brothers mostly kept pace in a high-scoring first half, only trailing 36-34 at the break.
However, CBA went cold the rest of the way, allowing Skaneateles to take over as its all-time leading scorer, Olivia Dobrovosky, poured in 26 points, including four 3-pointers. Chloe Metz added 10 points as Emily Hall got nine points for the Brothers.
Bishop Grimes would enter a crowded Class B sectional bracket as the no. 19 seed, meaning it would have to win at no. 14 seed Sherburne-Earlville last Thursday in a play-in game to gain entry into the main bracket.
And the Cobras prevailed, 54-48, over the Marauders, making a big comeback after trailing 25-18 at halftime. The Cobras outscored S-E 19-9 in a pivotal third quarter to take the lead, and then held on late.
Abby Wilkinson again led the way, finishing with 24 points, including eight successful free throws. Sarah Snavlin and Lora Marial each hit a pair of 3-pointers as Snavlin got 10 points and Marial earned nine points.
This sent Grimes north, to Adams, to challenge no. 3 seed South Jefferson on Saturday night. And while the Cobras put up an all-out effort, it could not overcome a rough start, its season ending with a 63-42 defeat to the Spartans.
Much of the game was played on relatively even terms – but only after a first quarter where South Jefferson’s defensive pressure led to Grimes mistakes and baskets on the other end as the visitors fell behind 22-7.
Wilkinson would find some success late in the game and finish with 23 points, more than half her team’s output, but no one else had more than the six points put up by Jenna Sloan and Naywell Ayell.
For the victorious Spartans, Jackie Piddock finished with 24 points, five assists, four steals, three rebounds and two blocks, while Taylor Scoville had 16 points and six rebounds, Alyssa Stevenson 14 rebounds and Abby Piddock 10 points.
Finally, Fayetteville-Manlius was one of eight teams in the sectional Class AA tournament, the no. 5 seed Hornets awaiting Tuesday’s quarterfinal at no. 4 seed Nottingham, with the winner heading to this weekend’s semifinals at Onondaga Community College.
