Amid the activity in area girls basketball before the holiday break, West Genesee took out some early-season frustrations while welcoming back its alumni.
All of this took place during the Wildcats’ game last Thursday against Corcoran, where after a defeat to Liverpool earlier in the week it came out roaring in a 74-39 win over the Cougars.
Up 20-5 through one quarter, WG didn’t let up until it had established a 60-28 margin by the end of the third quarter, doing so with just a single field goal from Catie Cunningham.
It was Molly Benetti leading the way thanks to her 16 points as Meredith James earned 12 points. Molly Coyne had seven points as Julia Logana, Emma Garvey, Isabella Commesso and Ellen Kearney had six points apiece.
That same night, Westhill continued to go through its own early-season ups and downs, unable to recover from a rough start in a 55-45 defeat to Cazenovia.
The Warriors, who fell to 2-3 on the season, were held to four points in the first quarter, and though it stayed within touch through the game’s middle stages, the Lakers were able to pull clear in the closing minutes.
No one on Westhill could contain Cazenovia’s Harvard-bound senior forward, Lindsey Lawson, who poured in 28 points, more than twice the total of Jenna Larrabee, who had 13 points. Catherine Dadey had nine points, with Erica Gangemi and Jada Doss earning eight points apiece.
Moving to Friday’s action, Marcellus traveled to Homer and was dominant in a 70-34 victory over the Trojans, the Mustangs building a 34-20 edge by halftime and then erupting for 25 points in the third quarter to pull further away.
This was a showcase for Hannah Durand and Katie MacLachlan, both of whom set career marks. Durand poured in 29 points, while MacLachlan gained 23 points.
As that went on, Solvay faced Jordan-Elbridge, and the Bearcats would improve to 4-1 on the season, earning a 47-27 victory over the Eagles.
Defense helped Solvay throughout the game as it held J-E under 10 points in each of the last three quarters.
Ryleigh Bidwell had nine points and 13 rebounds, with Gianna D’Agostino getting 13 points. Isabella Macauley and Kaya Watts had seven points apiece as Haley Muehl had six points.
Then, on Saturday, Bishop Ludden, who with its 5-0 start had risen to no. 6 in the state Class A rankings, went up north to challenge state Class B no. 1-ranked South Jefferson.
It turned out rough for the Gaelic Knights, who fell 60-38 to a Spartans squad who leaned heavily on Jackie Piddock.
Hitting on all kinds of shots, Piddock poured in 35 points, adding six assists and four rebounds. She helped South Jefferson, up 32-19 at halftime, outscore Ludden 20-4 in the third quarter to get away.
