A lot of special things are happening for the Marcellus girls basketball team, from a long win streak to a no. 13 state Class B ranking and an Onondaga High School League Liberty National division regular-season title already locked up.
Even without the services of Mei LaMarre for a month, the Mustangs have swept through all of its opposition, running its win streak to 10 games last Tuesday night by defeating the Cazenovia Lakers 68-46.
Marcellus was heading into a challenging regular-season homestretch, with games still ahead against Christian Brothers and Oneida, but it could not overlook a Cazenovia side that was 10-3, second in the OHSL Liberty National standings and led by Harvard-bound senior forward Lindsey Lawson.
But after the Lakers scored the game’s first five points, Marcellus junior Hannah Durand took over.
In a span of less than two minutes, Durand connected on three consecutive 3-pointers and then hit back-to-back layups, amassing 14 consecutive points to push the Mustangs ahead for good.
Cazenovia didn’t immediately go away, cutting a double-digit Marcellus lead to four in the second quarter and staying within sight until the fourth quarter, when the Mustangs’ relentless pressure on both ends, along with its scoring depth, allowed it to get away.
Durand cooled off a bit after her first-quarter tear, but still had 24 points. The help arrived as Katie MacLachlan and Emma MacLachlan both earned 10 points, with Hannah Rogalia and Sam Wynne getting nine points apiece.
Lawson had to work hard for her 22 points, Marcellus able to contain her for long stretches with double and triple teams.
And now the Mustangs would go to CBA, who had its own high-scoring forward in Brooke Jarvis, but was surrounded by a capable supporting cast that had the potential to produce plenty of 3-pointers.
Sure enough, it was outside shooting that helped cause the end of the win streak, Marcellus falling 64-49 as it got run over in the first quarters, CBA bursting out to a 41-24 advantage.
Durand, with 14 points, and Katie MacLachlan, with 13 points, kept it within range as Sarah Fallon had nine points, Shannon Kellar seven points and Emma Maclachlan six points.
Yet the Brothers kept answering every Marcellus surge, with Brooke Jarvis pouring in 26 points and Leana Hetimann finishing with 21 points.
The showdown with Oneida looms for the Mustangs on Saturday after trips to Altmar-Parish-Williamstown and Jordan-Elbridge.
Up in Class AA, the big focal point for West Genesee, was last Friday’s trip to 14-1 Baldwinsville, where the Wildcats looked to avenge a 52-40 defeat to the Bees in early December.
But B’ville prevailed again, 54-37, this time making the decisive move in the second quarter when it outscored WG 16-7. Catie Cunningham still had 21 points, but the rest of the Wildcats were held to just five total field goals.
Before that, WG had handled Corcoran 64-41 last Tuesday as Cunningham put in 17 points, while Emma Garvey stepped up for 13 points. Erin Dipaola got eight points as Molly Cooyne earned seven points, Mollie James and Molly Benetti getting six points apiece.
