CENTRAL NEW YORK – The winter sports season has turned into one of starts and stops, with area teams battling both various COVID-19 cases and the weather, both of which has caused a slew of postponements and schedule changes.
Handling this about as well as it could, the Bishop Grimes girls basketball team was able to get on the court last Monday against Syracuse Academy of Science and battle to a 49-39 victory over the Atoms.
Defense ruled for long stretches of the first half, as each side exchanged the lead. The Cobras led 11-6 after one period, but by that same score SAS was able to catch up and tie it, 17-17, by halftime.
They stayed even, 28-28, going into the fourth quarter, where state Class B no. 15-ranked Grimes’ pressure finally led to a consistent string of baskets along with some late-game free throws.
Nayweil Ayeil finished with 15 points, with the rest of the production spread around. Natalie Musolino and Rosalie Vincent each had eight points, with Jenna Sloan getting seven points and Althea Simmons five points.
Grimes returned on Friday to face Syracuse West
Fayetteville-Manlius saw that its main hurdle was not playing the games, but winning them. Once 5-1, the Hornets had lost five consecutive games by a combined margin of just 21 points.
Tired of all this, the Hornets finally broke its skid last Tuesday at West Genesee, jumping out to a big first-half lead and cruising past the Wildcats 48-33.
Effective on both ends, F-M jumped out 16-8 in the first quarter, then shut down WG by outscoring the Wildcats 15-4 the rest of the first half.
With that 31-12 halftime margin, the Hornets withstood WG’s late charges, seeing Ava Angello earn 15 points and Ashley Schneider add 12 points. Evie Kawa got eight points and Morgan Goodman earned six points.
Good as that was, F-M ran into more frustration on Friday when it lost, 40-39, to Henninger, the second time this winter it had lost a game by a single point.
The Black Knights used a 14-6 push through the third quarter to build a 33-21 edge -and every bit of it was needed since the Hornets staged a furious late rally.
Kawa, with 12 points, and Schneider, with 10 points, led the rally as Angello and Lydia Davidson both had seven points, but Henninger held on and F-M’s record fell to 6-7.
Gaining its most impressive win so far this season, East Syracuse Minoa faced Central Square last Thursday and, ignoring its own 2-5 record, earned a 59-46 victory over the Redhawks.
ESM steadily built a 31-23 halftime advantage, then withstood all of Central Square’s attempts to catch up as Aniyah Jones hit on four 3-pointers and finished with 23 points overall. Isabelle Chavoustie had 14 points, with Angelina Polcaro getting 12 points and Jaylianna Sabatino adding seven points.
In Saturday’s action, the Spartans lost, 38-26, to Henninger, seeing the Black Knights outscore them 14-5 in the fourth quarter to get away. Chavoustie had 10 points and Jones added nine points.
Christian Brothers Academy could not keep Auburn from its sixth win in a row as the Maroons started the game on a 20-2 run on the way to defeating the Brothers 61-37.
Led again by Chianna Williams, who finished with 23 points, the Brothers closed within 28-20 by halftime, but was outscored 19-6 in the third quarter, Leah Middleton leading the Auburn getaway as she poured in 29 points.
CBA then would drop both of its games during the Juggler Classic over the weekend, falling 76-33 to host Utica-Notre Dame before a 56-46 defeat to Catholic Central (Section II) in the consolation game.
