BALDIWNSVILLE – A great opportunity to climb to the top of the area Class AA ranks stands right in front of the Baldwinsville girls basketball team.
The Bees went 7-3 last winter, second only to unbeaten Cicero-North Syracuse in the Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division, and the Northstars had many of its top players, including Jessica Cook, graduate.
Meanwhile, B’ville brings back a proven core of experienced stars like Sydney Huhtala, Kyrah Wilbur and Alexandra Bednarczyk, all of whom were on the Bees squad that reached the Section III final the last time it was held, in 2020.
For its season opener on Nov. 27, B’ville hosted Shaker, from Section II, and the duo of Huhtala and Wilbur did most of the damage as the Bees edge the Blue Bison 60-56.
It didn’t help B’ville that starting point guard Gretchen Perrine went to the bench early in the first quarter, forcing Huhtala, typically a forward, to run the point.
But out of an early 17-7 tie, the Bees outscored Shaker 33-21 over the course of the next two periods, largely with Huhtala and Wilbur earning a series of baskets.
Hanging on late, B’ville saw Huhtala finish with 24 points and Wilbur pour in 16 points, helped in a small way by Bednarczyk, who earned eight points. The Bees won despite not hitting a single 3-pointer all afternoon.
Back in the Section III ranks last Tuesday, B’ville faced Utica Proctor last Tuesday night, and this proved far more lopsided as the Bees, improving to 2-0, routed the Raiders 64-27.
Ten different players got on the scoreboard and four 3-pointers were part of the production, one each by Huhtala, Bednarczyk, Ava Graham and Elizabeth Voorhees.
Overall, Huhtala led with 16 points, with Jayda Pyle chiming in as she got 11 points. Graham gained nine points, with Bednarczyk (seven points), Carlie Young (six points) and Margaret Soloman (five points) close behind.
B’ville now will get a lot more practice in as, over a span of 17 days, it will play just once, a game this Thursday against visiting Syracuse Academy of Science.
