CENTRAL NEW YORK – Once more, the Bishop Grimes girls basketball team had a chance to upend Bishop Ludden, something denied them by Elizabeth Gaughan’s half-court shot at the buzzer when they first met in January.
A packed crowd on Senior Night at Tony Smarelli Court witnessed another all-out battle between the Catholic school rivals – and another Cobras defeat to the Gaelic Knights, this one by a score of 56-49.
From the outset, the intensity was cranked up, leading to wild possessions and shots well off target, and the lead changed hands several times in the first half.
Ludden took the lead for good late in the second quarter and, for the rest of the night, seemed to answer every time Grimes tried to make it close.
Doing their best on Senior Night, Jenna Sloan poured in 22 points and Naywel Ayeil had 16 points, and the Cobras were effective on defense against Gaelic Knights star Amarah Sreiff, holding her to 10 points.
But the Cobras struggled at the free-throw line and did not make a single 3-pointer. Ludden converted seven times beyond the arc as senior Kaitlyn Kibling was sensational, earning 27 points
Just before this, Grimes first had to upend another main rival last Wednesday, getting to a 36-12 halftime lead on Christian Brothers Academy on the way to topping the Brothers 59-31.
Kierra Baxter stepped up to score 15 points, part of a balanced effort as Rosalie Vincent and Aaliyah Dodd both had nine points, Jenna Sloan eight points and Naywel Ayeil seven points. Carmella Fairbanks (nine points) and Sydney Vaughn (seven points) were CBA’s top scorers.
Jamesville-DeWitt had a great opportunity last Friday to put an end to Auburn’s 15-game win streak and deny the Maroons a perfect run through the SCAC Empire division – and almost pulled it off.
Trailing 35-26 at halftime, the Red Rams chipped away at the Maroons’ lead throughout the second half led by Aniyah Neal, who finished with 23 points, and Macy Durkin, whose 16 points included four 3-pointers.
J-D tied it, 52-52, and forced ovetime, but managed just two points in the four-minute extra period. The Maroons prevailed 58-54 as Leah Middleton earned 26 points and Kylie Guarino got 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Before this, J-D found itself taking on Oswego last Tuesday night and held the Bucaneers to just five points in the fist half on the way to a 41-18 victory.
It was a 13-2 scoring run in the second quarter that gave the Red Rams a comfortable cushion, Neal pacing the offense with 12 points, Victoria Payne managed eight points, with Grace Hobika and Sadie Withers adding six points apiece.
And after the loss to Auburn, J-D rebounded Saturday to beat East Syracuse Minoa 59-37, with a quick start and a closing 21-9 quick to offset the Spartans’ modest gains in the game’s middle stages.
Neal finished with 15 points, while Ava Sandroni had nine points, Durkin eight points and Catherine DeForest seven points. For ESM, Aniyah Jones led the way with 11 points.
Meanwhile, the frustrations of Fayetteville-Manlius continued last Tuesday at West Genesee with a 35-34 defeat that was the team’s third one-point loss and 10th by single digits.
All game long, it proved close. Trailing 26-20 going to the fourth quarter, F-M nearly made up all the ground on the Wildcats, but its rally fell just short.
Evie Kawa had nine points to lead the Hornets, Ava Angello adding eight points. On WG’s side, Molly Benetti led with 11 points and Erin DiPaola was close behind, getting eight points.
ESM ran into Central Square last Tuesday and lost, 48-25, to the Redhawks, who dominated the second and fourth quarters to account for most of it margin as Samantha Haley (15 points) and Gabrielle Basile (13 points) led them.
Then ESM fell to Cortland 46-19 on Friday night as CBA lost 66-41 to Syracuse Academy of Science despite Bonacci’s 11 points and Chianna Williams’ 10 points.
