Though it has not quite reached the level of the top Class AA girls sides such as Baldwinsville and Cicero-North Syracuse, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls basketball team remains a dangerous side.
Just how difficult might get determined when the Hornets challenged West Genesee last Friday night, a rematch of their Jan.10 encounter where F-M fell just short in a 57-54 defeat.
F-M brought a lot of momentum into that game after it went to Nottingham last Tuesday night and, arguably, played its best all-around game of the season to take apart the Bulldogs 58-29.
Notitngham entered this game with a 6-4 record, but the Hornets’ defense was strong from the outset, never letting any Bulldog player outside of Amaya Williams (17 points) do much.
Meanwhile, the duo of Lily Fish and Lexie Roe and Lily Fish both proved too tough to stop. Fish gained 25 points and seven rebounds, while Roe had a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds. Ava Angello added seven rebounds.
F-M would rebound on Friday night, jumping out 15-3 on Henninger in the first quarter and essentially protecting that margin the rest of the way to beat the Black Knights 55-43.
Fish finished with 14 points, just ahead of Roe’s total of 11 points. Kendra Broddus got eight points and Halle Daino earned six points as Kayla Worley paced Henninger with 13 points.
Meanwhile, the F-M boys basketball team, whose prospects were quite promising in the wake of a 5-4 start, had taken a pair of setbacks.
A defeat to West Genesee on Jan. 10 was followed last Tuesday by the Hornets falling 66-49 to Nottingham, the game turning when the Bulldogs used an 18-9 push through the second quarter to erase F-M’s early 13-12 edge.
Luke Davidson did put up 16 points, but no one else had more than the six points from Jack Nucerino and Isaac Frechette.
By contrast, four Nottingham players hit double figures as Mazi Jackson earned 20 points, with Jayden Crouch (15 points), Marlen Peters (13 points) and Jaden Ezomo (10 points) close behind.
Things did not turn around on Friday night, F-M falling to Henninger 55-41 largely due to a first half where the Black Knights held them to just a handful of field goals.
Trailing 27-14 at the break, the Hornets did find some late production as Nucerino had 14 points, with Davidson adding eight points and Paul Miller six points.
After resting a week, F-M’s boys would challenge Baldwinsville and its sophomore star, J.J. Starling, this Friday night.
