One victory separates the West Genesee girls basketball team from a third consecutive Section III Class AA championship, while Bishop Ludden is seeking a three-peat of its own and Westhill is bent on getting back to the top after a two-year hiatus.
The Wildcats earned a return trip to the Carrier Dome by getting a tremendous first half from senior Madison Smith and a big third quarter from Mackenzie Smith as it defeated Liverpool 77-62 in Sunday’s sectional AA semifinal at SRC Arena.
Then, in the adjacent Allyn Hall at Onondaga Community College, Westhill, the top seed in Class B, won its semifinal by shutting down Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in the second half of a 61-37 decision, before Bishop Ludden, defending its top seed in Class A, fought past Auburn 63-51.
Though West Genesee had won both regular-season meetings with Liverpool, the second of them was a 63-58 thriller in Camillus where the Warriors pushed the Wildcats, who were missing Mackenzie Smith that night.
Both of the 1,000-point scoring Smith sisters were present for this edition, and it was Madison who tried to put Liverpool away early.
WG hit its first four shots, all 3-pointers, and Madison Smith had two of them, but didn’t stop there, adding another 3-pointer plus two other field goals for 11 points in the first quarter.
That helped the Wildcats overcome some early foul trouble, and Madison Smith added eight more points in the second period, giving her 19 for the half to go with Mackenzie Smith’s seven points.
Liverpool didn’t let it get out of hand, mostly staying within single digits, though it hurt itself with a string of missed free throws. Only trailing 38-27 at halftime, the Warriors were one sustained run from making things nervous for WG in the late going.
But it was WG who put together the decisive push early in the third quarter, fueled by Mackenzie Smith, who scored 10 points in a span of less than three minutes to fuel the getaway.
All told, Mackenzie got 15 points in that period, one more than the entire Liverpool roster, creating a 64-43 margin that proved safe, though Madison Smith still resumed her production late in the game to add to the lead.
It ended with Madison Smith earning 28 points and Mackenzie Smith getting 22 points. As a whole, the Wildcats’ defense was most effective in containing Liverpool senior Amanda Barnell, holding her to four points as Victoria Morgan (20 points) and Lexi Emmi (17 points) paced the Warriors.
Moving to the Class B sectional semifinals, Westhill knew that a win over VVS would put them in the sectional final against South Jefferson, who had ousted Syracuse Academy of Science 75-58.
And the Warriors started well, with four 3-pointers from Catherine Dadey in the first quarter, all of which were needed since the Red Devils were hot from the field, too, staying within two, 19-17, at period’s end.
Adjusting its defense, Westhill began to contain VVS during the second period, but the real shutdown came in the third quarter, when the Red Devils were kept off the scoreboard.
By not allowing a single point in that period, the Warriors more than atoned for its own mid-game struggles, and by the time the Red Devils’ drought ended early in the fourth quarter, Westhill was free and clear.
Offensively, the big surprise for the Warriors was seeing junior Mary Gibson step up and pour in a career-high 14 points, aiding Dadey, who finished with 16 points, and Mackenzie Martin, who got 15 points. Jenna Larrabee finished with eight points.
When it came time to start the sectional Class A semifinal, Bishop Ludden would have a similar kind of battle against Auburn, the Gaelic Knights pulling through by diversifying it attack in the face of a strong challenge from the Maroons.
Throughout the first half, Auburn kept up, mostly trading baskets as Ludden could only manage a 30-26 lead at the break. But it slowly got away in the third quarter even though its top player, Aurora Deshaies, ran into foul trouble.
Despite her limited minutes, Deshaies managed 16 points, and fellow forward Amarah Streiff complemented her with 15 points. The Maroons couldn’t pack its players in the paint, either, as Karleigh Leo poured in a team-best 19 points and Kaitlyn Kibling had eight points, six of them from free throws.
Then Ludden watched seven-time defending champion Jamesville-DeWitt fight off CBA 47-37 in the other semifinal, setting up quite a championship tripleheader Friday night at the Dome.
At 4 p.m., Westhill faces South Jefferson. Then, at 6 p.m., it’s Ludden against J-D, a rare instance of two reigning sectional champions going at it for another title. Finally, at 8 p.m., West Genesee battles C-NS again.
