CENTRAL NEW YORK – All season long, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls basketball team has moved right to the brink of a big victory against a main Class AA contender without quite pulling it off.
With another opportunity to get that big win last Friday against visiting Baldwinsville, the Hornets played superb defense throughout the night – and still found itself on the wrong end of a 38-33 decision.
The game mirrored their first meeting in December, when B’ville rallied and prevailed 37-28 as, once again, the two sides set out to shut each other down, and did so with just five points apiece in the first quarter.
Though the pace picked up, the struggles continued, F-M most effective in holding Bees star Sydney Huhtala to just two points.
Any kind of sustained scoring run may have produced a win, but the Hornets could not pull it off, though Lauren Hoffman got 10 points as Ava Angelo and Evie Kawa had nine points apiece.
B’ville got through mostly thanks to Ola Bednarczyk scoring 13 points and Kyrah Wilbur getting 10 points as Jayda Pyle added six points.
Two nights earlier, Jamesville-DeWitt found itself in the position of trying to halt SCAC Empire divison leader Auburn’s six-game win streak, and unable to do so as it lost to the Maroons 66-53.
Much of the game was played on even terms, yet it was all but decided in the first quarter. The Red Rams were cold from the field and Auburn took full advantage, roaring to an 18-5 lead.
Improving from there, the Rams saw Ava Sandroni earn 15 points, with Aniyah Neal getting 10 points, Macy Durkin eight points and Sadie Withers seven points. But the Maroons got another big performance from Leah Middleton, who poured in 24 points with help from Kylie Guarino’s 12 points.
J-D was able to recover Saturday and defeat Central Square 41-23, getting a first-quarter shutout, only to see the Redhawks rally to tie it, 13-13, by halftime.
But once the Rams were done making an 18-4 push through the third quarter, all was settled as Sandroni got 13 points and Neal again had 10 points. Durkin and Victoria Payne had six points apiece.
East Syracuse Minoa was overwhelmed in a 73-33 loss to Cortland last Wednesday night. Only Aniyah Jones, with nine points, produced on a consistent basis for the Spartans as Kristen Merritt (18 points) and Kendall Mack (16 points) led four Purple Tigers in double figures.
On Friday, ESM lost, to Chittenango 37-33, unable to recover from falling behind 13-5 in the first quarter, though Angelina Polcaro had 12 points and Jones got 10 points. Isabelle Chavoustie added nine points.
Christian Brothers Academy struggled again last Tuesday in a 70-28 defeat to Bishop Ludden, the Gaelic Knights seeing Amarah Streiff net 37 points, nine more than the entire Brothers roster. Carmella Fairbanks led CBA with nine points.
During Friday’s 46-35 defeat to Syracuse Academy of Science, Chianna Williams returned to form with 16 points, with Amelia Bonacci and Mary Nolan each getting eight points. Alexius Pierce carried the Atoms’ attack with 23 points.
