BALDWINSVILLE – Multiple times as the Section III Class A championship game was winding down Saturday at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, the Baldwinsville girls lacrosse team faced the scenario it wanted – score one goal, win a title.
But the Bees never got that goal.
Instead, it was Cicero-North Syracuse, in double overtime, prevailing 12-11 over the Bees, freshman Mackenzie Prentice putting in the game-winner only after B’ville was denied its chances to win it both in regulation and in OT.
That it was so close was hardly surprising, given the closeness of the three games played between C-NS and B’ville in the regular season, with the Bees winning two of them.
Other than allowing a goal to Prentice in the game’s opening minute, B’ville controlled the early stages, playing strong defense and getting two goals apiece from Grace Hollenbeck, Emma Gebhardt and Carlie Desimone.
Yet that 6-2 advantage whittled away late in the half as C-NS charged back, led by Molly Molchanoff, who netted three goals in that surge that pulled her side even 7-7 going into the break.
From that point on, neither side would lead by more than one, the tension building especially when, with the game tied 9-9, neither side scored for a nine-minute stretch of the second half.
Fran Tortora would twice put C-NS out in front, 10-9 and 11-10, but both times the Bees would respond, thanks to Desimone, who made it 10-10 with 6:55 to play, but was far from done.
With the Northstars attempting to run out the remaining clock after Tortora converted with 3:32 left, the Bees forced a turnover, charged to the other side to set up a free-position shot where Desimone scored with 45.9 seconds to play.
After Sydney Huhtala gained the ensuing draw, the Bees set up a chance in the closing seconds, again with Desimone – who put it off the post, and the game went to OT.
Again B’ville forced a turnover, again it attacked and, once more, Desimone earned a free-position shot to win the sectional title, only to get stopped by C-NS goalie Nicole O’Neil.
The second OT would have a different ending. Tortora gained the draw, and the Northstars worked it around to Brooke Malchanoff, whose pass found Prentice up front – and Prentice put the game-winner past Samantha Tanguay.
Two nights earlier, as C-NS was on the road ousting West Genesee, B’ville entered the post-season fray and pulled away to beat no. 4 seed Christian Brothers Academy 19-8.
Steady and relentless in its attack, the Bees doubled up the Brothers on the way to a 10-5 halftime advantage and never let up the rest of the way, either.
Gebhardt, with five goals and two assists, led a deep, diverse attack that also saw Desimone score four times and add an assist. Sophia Muscolino and Olivia Muscolino had matching hat tricks, Sophia adding three assists as Tiffany Natoli and Emma Hollenbeck each converted twice. GraceHollenbeck added a pair of assists.
With the defeat to C-NS, the Bees’ season ended with a 15-3 mark, with two of the defeats to C-NS, whose victory was its first sectional championship since 1997.
