CENTRAL NEW YORK – A big first week of February awaits the Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool girls basketball teams, from their second head-to-head clash to the Northstars’ Friday-night rematch of its tense January win over Baldwinsville.
Before all this, though, both teams went through a series of interesting tests.
C-NS had pushed state Class A no. 2-ranked Pittsford Mendon to double overtime in a Jan. 22 defeat before it returned to league action.
Then it was off until last Friday, when the Northstars hosted a Fayetteville-Manlius side it barely beat 37-36 late in December, all part of the Griffin’s Guardians doubleheader that raised money for the battle against childhood cancer.
Remembering that close call, C-NS made absolutely sure it didn’t happen again.
First, the Northstars blanked the Hornets in the opening period. And while F-M got on the board in the second quarter, C-NS still outscored them 22-4 to have a 33-4 advantage at the break.
It ended 62-16, a complete domination where the Northstars held the Hornets to eight field goals and F-M did not convert a single free throw all night.
Kathleen Taru had a breakout performance, her 19 points more than the entire Hornets roster. Alexa Kulakowski had 11 points, with Jillian Howell and Samantha Klein getting nine points apiece.
As for Liverpool, it met up with Class A state no. 9-ranked Bishop Ludden last Monday night and could not slow down a red-hot Gaelic Knights squad that prevailed 68-57.
Ludden was playing its fifth game in 10 days and, in its previous outing, won an emotional 51-50 decision over Bishop Grimes on freshman Elizabeth Gaughan’s half-court shot at the buzzer
But the Warriors soon discovered that the Gaelic Knights were not tired and would not have a letdown, either, playing at a brisk pace and taking control when it outscored Liverpool 19-8 in the second quarter.
Trailing 39-25 at the break, the Warriors allowed the deficit to grow bigger before a late surge where Naveah Wingate worked her total to 28 points as Giana Washington had 11 points and Julia Wike nine points.
Kaitlyn Kibling paced Ludden with 25 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals, while star junior forward Amarah Streiff had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Bridget Dunham adding 15 points.
Liverpool recovered Wednesday to defeat Syracuse Academy of Science 62-39, the Warriors limiting the Atoms to two points in the second quarter and, with the game still in doubt, closing with a 19-3 outburst.
Jakeira Stackhouse went to the forefront with 18 points, just ahead of Wingate’s total of 17 points. Wike got to double figures, too, earning 12 points as Washington had nine points.
Up against Henninger on Friday, Liverpool trailed 30-25 at halftime, but played a superb second half on both ends to rally and beat the Black Knights 67-53.
What made it even better was the way the Warriors spread production around, nearly getting five players to score in double figures.
Again Wingate set the pace, earning 24 points, while Washington hit three 3-pointers as she and Stackhouse both got 12 points. Graceanne Sleeth, an eighth-grader called up from the JV ranks, emerged as a threat, getting nine points, while Wike finished with eight points.
Then, in Saturday’s game against Owego (Section IV), Liverpool, playing for the fourth time in six days, won big, 64-27, as a 31-7 first-quarter outburst set the tone.
Wingate produced 22 points, with Sleeth earning 11 points and Stackouse adding 10 points. Washington (eight points) and Janea Hamilton-Brown (nine points) almost got to double figures, too.
C-NS found itself in another tough road game against a top foe, Section IV’s Elmira, and lost a 66-63 decision to the Express, who scored the game’s final five points after trailing 63-61 in the final minute.
