When the Cazenovia girls basketball team made the short trip to Chittenango last Friday night, it did so flush with newfound confidence.

Even though the Lakers had dropped its first game of the season to Bishop Grimes earlier in the week, it more than made up for it when it visited Westhill a night before its game with the Bears.

Against an opponent it had struggled with for most of the time they’ve competed together in the OHSL Liberty division, Cazenovia started well and closed strong to beat the Warriors 55-45.

The Lakers held Westhill to four points in the first quarter. Then the game shuffled back and forth, but Cazenovia mostly stayed out in front.

Then, in the fourth quarter, the Lakers outscored the Warriors 20-13, pulling clear as Lindsey Lawson could not be stopped, pouring in 28 points as Julia Bauder earned six of her 11 points at the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, Chittenango eagerly awaited Cazenovia, sporting a 4-0 record. Adding to the color of the game was the fact that Bears head coach Kassie Kleine was a Cazenovia graduate and was always eager to take on her alma mater.

It turned into an exciting contest, the two neighbors trading sustained scoring runs, but Chittenango making the last push to ultimately defeat Cazenovia 53-41

Both sides traded baskets until the second quarter, where the Bears limited the Lakers to five points. But Cazenovia broke out of that slump in the third quarter and made up all the ground.

So it went to the fourth quarter tied, 34-34, but Chittenango regained the lead and got clear thanks to a well-balanced attack anchored by Ally Shoemaker, who amassed 13 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and seven steals.

Emily Moon and Mia McReynolds led the Bears with 14 points apiece, Moon adding five rebounds as Cassidy Kelly recorded nine points and seven rebounds.

Lawson still led all individuals with 21 points, while Bauder got 11 points. Combined, the rest of the Lakers had just three field goals as Carleigh Szalach finished with five points.