Five area high school girls basketball teams would make their way to three separate Section III playoff brackets, all of them hoping to stay around until the titles get decided in March.
In Class B, Bishop Grimes was part of a massive field, but had newfound momentum after it knocked off Westhill 60-56 last Monday night, putting an end to the Warriors’ 10-game win streak.
A 19-10 third-quarter push helped the Cobras overcome Westhill’s 32-21 halftime lead and it held on late as Lora Marial got 24 points, mostly from five 3-pointers, as Jenna Sloan and Rhonee Shea Pal helped with 12 points apiece.
Given the no. 13 seed in Class B, Grimes hosted no. 20 seed Clinton in the opening round and bashed the Warriors 54-19, giving up just two points in the first quarter to take control and staying stingy the rest of the way.
An 18-4 push through the third quarter sealed it as Lora Marial led with 13 points. Jenna Sloan had nine points, with Naywel Ayeil adding eight points. Rhonee Shea Pal got seven points and Natalie Musolino had six points.
Then, going after no. 4 seed Adirondack in Saturday’s second-round game in Boonville, Grimes proved successful again, the Cobras defeating the Wildcats 42-31.
From the outset, Adirondack had all kind of trouble with Grimes’ pressure, only managing a couple of baskets in the first quarter as the Cobras jumped out to a 15-6 advantage.
For the rest of the game, that Grimes defense remained stingy, protecting its advantage and answering every time the Wildcats tried to make it close. Marial, with 14 points, again led the way as Sloan got 10 points and Mackenna Squier gained seven points.
This win put Grimes into the quarterfinals against no. 5 seed Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, with another upset setting up a trip to the semifinals Sunday against Oneida or Lowville.
Jamesville-DeWitt is after a ninth consecutive sectional Class A championship, but is expected to get challenged by Christian Brothers Academy.
And when the playoff brackets came out, it was CBA holding the top seed and J-D the no. 2 seed, and each would wait until Saturday to find our their quarterfinal opponents.
For the Brothers, it was no. 8 seed Indian River, who took out Fulton 64-37, while the Red Rams would draw no. 7 seed Bishop Ludden, the same team it beat in the 2019 sectional final, after the Gaelic Knights knocked out Oswego 66-47.
It didn’t help J-D that, in last Monday’s regular-season finale, it lost a tough 56-53 decision to defending sectional Class B champion South Jefferson in Adams Center.
Through three quarters, the Rams led 44-38, led in no small part by the hot shooting of Paige Keeler, who sank six 3-pointers on her way to a career-best 30 points as Momo LaClair added 14 points.
But South Jefferson contained J-D late and outscored them 18-9 in the fourth quarter to pull it out, Jackie Piddock getting 23 points with help from Emma Schafer (13 points) and Abby Piddock (10 points).
East Syracuse Minoa is also in the Class A sectional tournament, this despite dropping its regular-season finale 55-36 to Central Square last Tuesday night.
At 8-12, ESM drew the no. 11 seed and would try to knock off no. 6 seed New Hartford in Saturday’s opening round, but it was the other Spartans side that proved too difficult to contain in an 82-53 defeat.
It was already 48-22 by halftime, New Hartford not depending as heavily on its all-time leading scorer, Kaia Henderson, whose 21 points was supported by 13 points from Sophia Murray and 12 points from Jamie Seals.
Battling to the end, ESM was led by Angelina Thomason, who managed 21 points, with Raychel Underwood setting a career mark by earning 17 points.
Still, Central Square advanced, and if it won Tuesday against New Hartford it would meet CBA or Indian River in one semifinal Sunday as J-D looked to advance to the other semifinal against Cortland or Whitesboro.
While all this was going on, Fayetteville-Manlius rested as the no. 6 seed in Class AA, knowing that, in Tuesday’s sectional quarterfinal, it would try to avenge two regular-season defeats to no. 3 seed West Genesee and advance to a semifinal Sunday against Cicero-North Syracuse or Auburn.
