ONONDAGA COUNTY – About the only thing, in terms of satisfaction, that could stop achieving an undefeated mark for the Marcellus and Bishop Ludden girls basketball teams is doing so at the expense of their biggest rivals.
Both sides would inch closer to their goals by doing so Tuesday night, the Mustangs by handling Skaneateles 60-29 and the Gaelic Knights by again roaring past Christian Brothers Academy 55-37.
Entering this last week of the season sporting a 9-0 record, Marcellus had already worked past Skaneateles 51-36 back on Feb. 18, and three weeks later it was more lopsided.
With its defense in top form, the Mustangs never let the Lakers get to double digits in any single quarter, all the while getting its entire starting lineup in volved in the attack.
Again, Katie MacLachlan led the way, earning 21 points. Behind her, things were well-balanced as Hannah Rogalia gained 10 points.
Annabella Mondello joined Hannah Durand in getting eight points as Emma MacLachlan had seven points and Sam Wynne added six points. For the Lakers, Tatumn Pas’cal had nine points, with Maddy Ramsgard, Faith Wagner and Jillian Castle each earning six points.
Meanwhile, Ludden renewed the “Holy War” with a CBA side it beat 60-39 on the same Feb. 18 where Marcellus first topped Skaneateles. The rematch was a bit closer, but only after the Gaelic Knights roared out in front again.
With Amarah Streiff again leading the way, Ludden built a 36-17 halftime advantage. Streiff finished with 28 points, nearly matching the Brothers by herself as she connected on four 3-pointers to display her versatility.
Help came from Lauren Petrie, whose 14 points included a pair of 3-pointers, and Ke’iara Odume, who had nine points. On CBA’s side, Emily Ball had 12 points and Kaily Campbell added 10 points.
For Marcellus, all that was left was to handle Westhill Thursday night, the same team it crushed 67-33 late in February – and bashed again in the rematch, this time 65-23, to finish at 11-0.
All game long, Marcellus swarmed on defense, limiting whatever Westhill wanted to do while, at the same time, steadily producing baskets on the other end.
Katie MacLachlan’s 23 points matched the Warriors’ entire output. Durand and Wynne both got 11 points, with Rogalia and Emma MacLachlan each earning eight points.
As for Ludden, one more game remained, against Syracuse Academy of Science on Thursday, and this proved the only time all season where an opponent stayed within single digits of the Gaelic Knights.
And it didn’t matter because Ludden still prevailed 58-50 to finish its 9-0 campaign with the formula which had worked so well throughout the winter.
It involved Streiff’s consistent production as she finished with 24 points, plus the ample support from her veteran teammates, whether it was Odume getting 13 points, Kaitlyn Kibling getting 10 points and Petrie earning all of her nine points from a trio of 3-pointers.
