With a five-game win streak, the Westhill girls basketball team drew enough notice so that it entered the state Class B rankings for the first time this winter in the no. 25 spot.
Even more attention followed when senior forward Jenna Larrabee reached the 1,000-point mark during last Thursday’s 71-26 romp over the Mexico Tigers.
What made Larrabee’s feat all the more impressive was that she battled two different types of pneumonia throughout December and January, yet has not missed a single game thanks to taking a trio of antibiotics.
It was late in the third quarter against Mexico that Larrabee hit the basket that put her past 1,000 points, all part of a night where she scored 25 to go with 12 rebounds.
Five Warriors hit double figures as Erica Gangemi put in 12 points, while Catherine Dadey, Mary Gibson and Jada Doss each got 10 points.
All this took place two nights after Westhill handled Phoenix 63-28, Larrabee getting 26 points and 12 rebounds. Dadey poured in 15 points, with Gangemi earning 12 points and Tess Roesch picking up 11 points.
Then, on Saturday at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall, Westhill knocked off defending sectional Class C champion Cooperstown 58-51 to make it eight wins in a row.
A 14-0 run in the third quarter proved the difference, the Warriors holding off the Hawkeyes’ late charge as Larrabee gained 19 points, Dadey was close behind with 16 points and Gangemi had 11 points.
Skaneateles faced off with Jordan-Elbridge on Wednesday night and the Lakers kept the Eagles winless while improving its own post-season chances in a 63-32 decision.
Bolting to a 26-8 lead through one period, Skaneateles added to that margin as Kate Aberi had 14 points, with Maddy Ramsgard getting 12 points and Maeve Canty earning 11 points. Tatumn Pas’cal contributed nine points.
Kasey Jackson led J-E with 11 points as Mollie Yard got nine points, Ashlee Eaton and Kyler Langhorn finishing with six points apiece.
Now, though, the Lakers had to go face Bishop Ludden on Friday night, and the Gaelic Knights, recovering from a loss to CBA earlier in the week, prevailed 55-40 over the Lakers.
An opening 17-7 run sustained itself as Ludden saw Amarah Streiff pour in 23 points, helped by 11 points from Ke’iara Odume, nine points from Kaitlyn Kibling and seven points from Lauren Petrie. Canty paced the Lakers with 15 points.
A day later, Ludden beat Indian River 60-48, helped mostly by a 23-9 second-quarter surge as, once again, Streiff set the pace, earning 21 points.
Far more important, though, was the production around Streiff as Odume got 14 points, with Petrie and Kibling each contributing 11 points.
On that same day, Solvay won 48-25 over Mexico to clinch a sectional playoff berth.
Outscoring the Tigers 29-16 in the second half, the Bearcats had Tazz Pitts earn 16 points and six rebounds, while Ryleigh Bidwell got a triple-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds.
In last Tuesday’s 61-41 loss to Homer, a 25-9 third-quarter push put the Trojans in charge, despite Pitts’ 20 points and 10 rebounds as Myah Platler had 12 rebounds.
In Thursday’s 38-31 loss to Phoenix, Solvay was victimized by a 17-9 third-quarter push by the Firebirds. Pitts had 12 points and 10 rebounds, with Bidwell and Haley Muehl also earning 10 rebounds
J-E lost 62-26 to Bishop Grimes on Friday night, with Jackson and Smart each getting nine points for the Eagles.
