After its 10-game win streak was halted by Christian Brothers Academy on Jan. 31, the Marcellus girls basketball team faced one more big regular-season test.
It came last Saturday when the state Class B no. 20-ranked Mustangs faced 16-1, state no. 10-ranked Oneida, and as it turned out, two good players proved too much as the Indians prevailed 64-52.
For most of the afternoon, Marcellus found itself trying to recover from a first quarter where the Indians raced to an 18-6 advantage.
Playing on even terms from there, the Mustangs got 14 points from Katie MacLachlan, but no one else reached double figures as Mei LaMarre had nine points, Hannah Durand and Sarah Fallon getting seven points apiece.
By stark contrast, Oneida was carried by the duo of Sydney Lusher and Ella Rainbow. Nearly earning a triple-double, Lusher got 28 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, four blocks and five steals, with Rainbow adding 28 points of her own.
Two nights earlier, Marcellus had rolled past Jordan-Elbridge 76-25 in a game where LaMarre made her long-awaited return to the lineup.
LaMarre had six points as the Mustangs, outscoring the Eagles 41-8 in the second and third quarters, were led by Durand and Katie MacLachlan, who poured in 22 points apiece. Emma MacLachlan added eight points.
J-E, in defeat, got nine points from Gabby Smart, with Kyler Langhorn adding six points.
Still trying to break into the win column, the Eagles lost 60-37 to Cazenovia last Tuesday as Lakers star forward Lindsey Lawson proved unstoppable, earning 39 points.
Trailing 43-13 at halftime, J-E did improve in the second half, Ashlee Eaton getting 10 points as Langhorn and Mollie Yard both had eight points, Kasey Jackson adding seven points.
Before all this, Westhill, parked at no. 24 in the state Class B rankings, continued its late-season tear, claiming its ninth win in a row last Tuesday when it doubled up Solvay and prevailed 56-28.
Though the Bearcats had an 8-8 record going into the game, the Warriors controlled matters from the outset, stifling Solvay with its defense and working its way to a 35-11 halftime advantage.
Jenna Larrabee amassed 22 points and 13 rebounds, with Mary Gibson getting nine points. Ellie Masterpole and Jada Doss both got seven points off the bench to match Catherine Dadey’s total.
On the Bearcats’ side, Tazz Pitts again led the offense, earning 11 points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Gianna D’Agostino had seven points, with Myah Platler getting six rebounds.
Skaneateles maintained its post-season hopes last Tuesday night, improving to 6-10 overall by going to Hannibal and handling that other group of Warriors 53-41.
Trailing 13-9 after one period, the Lakers outscored Hannibal 28-13 over the course of the next two quarters. Tatumn Pas’cal, with 14 points, led the way, but Maeve Canty (12 points) and Maddy Ramsgard (10 points) were close behind.
Another win followed on Saturday, the Lakers handling Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 67-40 as it went through a 21-2 first-quarter blitz and led 37-10 by halftime, breezing from there.
Canty went to the forefront, earning 19 points, but Tatumn Pas’cal was close behind, getting 15 points as Emma Keady stepped up with 10 points. Ramsgard had eight points and Ayla Pas’cal had six points.
