Early next week, the two Section III Class AA girls basketball finalists from 2020, Cicero-North Syracuse and Baldwinsville, met once more, each of them undefeated.
To reach this point, the Northstars had to navigate through some tough competition last week, including rival Liverpool, whom it faced Friday afternoon and, at least for a while, had to worry about an upset.
With its best player, Jessica Cook, facing early foul trouble, C-NS trailed at halftime. Once Cook returned, though, so did the Northstars’ top form as it pulled away to beat the Warriors 67-42.
Any early edge C-NS picked up dissipated when Cook picked up her third foul early in the second quarter. Taking full advantage, Liverpool caught up and, by the time they reached the break, had a 21-20 edge.
The return of Cook in the second half partially accounted for the Northstars’ resurgence. So did an offense that has already shown it has plenty of depth on hand when it’s needed.
To help Cook, who finished with 21 points, Alita Carey-Santangelo poured in 12 points, with Francesca Tortora stepping up to get 11 points, Alexa Kulakowski adding eight points and Kathleen Taru getting seven points.
Liverpool had just five players earn baskets, though three of them hit double figures. Victoria Morgan and Karlyssa Shifflett each had 12 points, with Neveah Wingate adding 11 points.
Prior to this, C-NS hosted 2-0 Nottingham last Wednesday night, and withstood an outstanding effort from Bulldogs senior Amaya Williams to prevail 68-60.
With steady production throughout its lineup, the Northstars gained a 52-35 edge by the end of the third quarter, giving it cushion from what Williams was doing on the other end of the floor.
Picking up her pace as the night went on, Williams did not stop until she had set a career mark with 39 points, the most of any Section III player in a single game this winter. Teammates Nazjae Howard and Tayhaja Scott each had 10 points, with Howard adding 10 rebounds.
And it still wasn’t enough as Cook earned 28 points and Kulokowski stepped up with 18 points. Those two, combined with Carey-Santangelo (12 points), helped C-NS pull it out.
