All through the area, various high school girls basketball teams entered the competitive fray last week, all of them attempting to get close to the ridiculously high standards Jamesville-DeWitt has set in recent years.
The Red Rams followed up three consecutive state Class A titles from 2016 to ’18 with a return to the state final four last winter, and did it all with a lineup full of underclassmen.
They’re all back for 2019-20, but so is much of a Christian Brothers Academy lineup that put a scare into J-D in last February’s sectional Class A semifinals.
To test itself at the outset, J-D would go to the Albany area last weekend, starting with yet another match-up against the Averill Park side it has beaten six straight times in regional playoff games in recent years.
Finally, that string ended here, the Warriors handling the Red Rams 68-40. Most of J-D’s production came from Gabby Stickle and Momo LaClair, who each had 14 points, combining to hit six 3-pointers.
AP’s three-pronged attack included a 26-point effort from Kelsey Wood, and J-D couldn’t key on her since Amelia Wood and Anna Jankovic earned 14 points apiece.
Then, on Sunday, it was J-D against Shenendehowa, who had just beat Cicero-North Syracuse the day before and would win big here, too, handing the Rams a 74-45 defeat.
Before all this, CBA opened its season by hosting Hannibal and jumped all over the Warriors in a 22-4 first-quarter outburst on its way to a 72-39 victory.
Not content with that great start, the Brothers then put together an 18-1 domination of the third quarter after Hannibal had recovered late in the first hafl.
Leana Hetiman, with 17 points, was one of four CBA players to reach double figures. 1,000-point scorer Brooke Jarvis and Kaily Campbell finished with 11 points apiece as Emily Hall added 10 points, Tori Hall had eight points and Maura Clare Clonan got seven points.
A night later, at Auburn, CBA won again, 61-32, starting with a 22-6 first-quarter burst and never getting caught as Jarvis earned 17 points, with Hall and Heitman getting 10 points apiece. Conan was right behind with eight points.
As for Fayetteville-Manlius, it returns most of its lineup, too, eager to try to challenge West Genesee and Cicero-North Syracuse atop the Class AA ranks.
The Hornets were quite impressive in last Tuesday’s season opener, bashing Henninger 71-22. Already with a 17-8 lead, F-M used a 24-5 push through the second quarter to pull clear of the Black Knights.
All 12 players on the Hornets’ roster got on the scoreboard. Lexie Roe finished with 20 points and Lily Fish had 16 points, with Amanda Hibbard adding nine points and Ava Angello getting eight points.
Hosting Rome Free Academy Thursday night, all of this turned around as F-M lost, 43-39, to the Black Knights, who trailed by one at halftime but outscored the Hornets 13-8 in the third quarter to get out in front.
Try as it could, F-M was unable to get the lead back, and was too dependent on Roe. Aside from her 22 points, no other Hornets player had more than one field goal. Amya McLeod (15 points) and Jace Hunzinger (12 points) led RFA.
Bishop Grimes took a tough 49-48 defeat to Indian River in its opener on Saturday, made more frustrating by the fact that the Cobras had a strong first quarter and was up 29-17 at halftime.
Despite 11 points from Lora Marial and 10 points from Jenna Sloan, Grimes could not keep the Warriors from gaining ground and then taking the lead in the final minutes. Adrien LaMora led IR with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
East Syracuse Minoa was supposed to open last Wednesday against visiting Watertown, but bad weather up north kept the Cyclones from traveling.
The Spartans did play Friday, falling to Fulton 44-27 as it was held to three points in the first half. Turning it around, though, ESM won 45-38 over Henninger a day later to improve to 1-1.
