For much of the last two decades, the balance of power in area Class B girls basketball hinged on games between Westhill and South Jefferson.
A season ago, it was the Spartans beating the Warriors in the sectional final. And they met again last Friday night as part of the More Than A Game Foundation tournament at SRC Arena.
It turned into a thriller, Westhill fighting its way back from a double-digit deficit and catching up near the end of regulation, only to have South Jefferson pull it out 55-53.
South Jefferson entered the game atop the state Class B rankings. Westhill was 3-3, having gone up and down throughout December.
The first half reflected the season’s pattern, with the Spartans’ Jackie Piddock torching the Warriors with five 3-pointers on her way to 17 points before intermission, nearly matching Westhill’s total.
Down 32-19 at the break, the Warriors clamped down on defense and, led by Jenna Larrabee and Erica Gangemi, cut into the deficit all through the second half.
By the time they reached the final minute, a basket pushed Westhill even, 53-53, but with six seconds left the Warriors fouled Piddock, who hit both free throws. Then Emma Schafer forced a Warriors turnover on the final possession.
Piddock finished with 24 points, just ahead of Larrabee, who paced Westhill with 20 points. Gangemi had 13 points as Emily Masterpole got seven points and Mary Gibson got six points.
In the first round on Thursday South Jefferson needed to rally late and get 35 points from Piddock to beat Owego 64-61, while Westhill had a far easier time of it handling Canton 50-26.
West Genesee, like Westhill, was part of the More Than A Game Tournaent, and got going Friday at SRC Arena with a 59-46 victory over Section V’s Fairport.
The game was close until the Wildcats outscored the Red Raiders 17-7 in the fourth quarter. Meredith James earned 12 of her career-high 20 points at the free-throw line as Catie Cunningham had 15 points, with Molly Coyne getting seven points and Ellen Kearney six points.
Far more important, in the long-term, was WG’s 53-40 victory over Rome Free Academy in Saturday night’s final, since it matched up two area Class AA sides and featured the Wildcats recovering well from a slow start.
A low-scoring first half saw the Wildcats gradually overcome the Black Knights’ early 14-8 lead. Then WG decided matters by dominating on both ends in the third quarter, stunning RFA with a 20-4 push.
Cunningham led this time, pouring in 20 points as Molly Benetti stepped up with 13 points. Julia Logana added eight points as Tailyn Frost paced RFA with 14 points.
Not far away from this, Solvay took a 4-1 record into its own holiday tournament and continued to show its vast improvement by claiming the title.
In the first round, the Bearcats made a big comeback to top Cato-Meridian 50-40, completely turning things around after allowing the Blue Devils to build a 29-18 halftime advantage.
Solvay’s defense clamped down and, by the fourth quarter, the Bearcats were in front, led by Haley Muehl, who earned 12 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
Kiki Watts and Gianna D’Agostino each got 10 points, while Ryleigh Bidwell had eight points and 10 rebounds. Myah Platler contributed nine rebounds.
In the final, Solvay faced Mexico, who had topped Henninger 46-38. It turned into a tense, low-scoring affair, but the Bearcats did enough to edge the Tigers 32-30.
Olivia Petralito led Solvay with 11 points. Muehl got six points to go with her eight rebounds as Watts earned five assists, with Bidwell and Platler each gaining 10 rebounds.
Skaneateles played in the Chittenango Holiday Tournament and, after falling 66-51 to the host Bears in the opening round, recovered to beat Auburn 45-35 in the consolation game.
Maddy Ramsgard (13 points), Kate Aberi (10 points), Tatumn Pas’cal (nine points), Lexi Cotttrill (eight points) and Maeve Canty (seven points) all scored well against Chittenango, but no one broke out the way Sarah Lanphear did for the Bears as she earned a game-high 18 points.
Defense was the story against Auburn, with the Lakers limiting the Maroons to four points in the fourth quarter to gradually draw clear. Canty, with 18 points, and Ramsgard, with 12 points, accounted for most of the Skaneateles attack as Cottrill added eight points.
