ONONDAGA COUNTY – To finish a wild and exciting regular season, the Bishop Ludden girls basketball team would have a showdown with Westhill on Monday, having roared back to top form last week.
It was capped by Friday’s 56-49 win over Bishop Grimes, a rematch of the memorable Jan. 21 game decided when Elizabeth Gaughan hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to win it for the Gaelic Knights.
No such miracle was required here as, after several lead changes in the first half, Ludden went in front for good late in the second quarter and then withstood all of the Cobras’ attempts to catch up.
Even with Amarah Streiff dealing with foul trouble and held to 10 points, senior Kaitlyn Kibling made up for it, pouring in 27 points. Sophia Chemotti added eight points as she hit on a pair of 3-pointers. Grimes did not make a 3-pointer all night.
A week earlier, the Gaelic Knights put away Syracuse Academy of Science 77-59 on Feb. 6 by erasing a deficit with a 34-6 blitz through the second quarter, from which the Atoms could not recover.
Streiff was particularly strong, getting 29 points and adding 12 rebounds. Kibling filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and seven steals as Bridget Dunham got 10 points and seven rebounds. Chemotti added nine points.
Even more impressive was Ludden’s 81-61 win over Homer a night later where Streiff was unstoppable, tearing up the Trojans’ defenses with a career-best 40 points to go with 10 rebounds and four steals.
Homer was 11-2 going into the game, but the Gaelic Knights uilt a 67-38 lead through three quarters. Gaughan had 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals as Kibling got nine points and seven assists
When Ludden had a rematch with SAS on Tuesday for its third game in as many nights, Streiff remained in supreme form as the Gaelic Knights, even without Kibling in the lineup, again prevailed over the Atoms, this time 64-49.
Again starting fast, Ludden was up 18-11 through one quarter and answered every charge from the Atoms as Streiff’s 30 points gave her 99 for the three-game stretch.
Streiff also had seven rebounds as Gaughan, nearing a triple-double, had 10 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Dunham had eight points and eight rebounds, with Sarah Boyea contributing seven points.
Right after it beat Grimes, Ludden played its fifth game in eight days on Saturday but routed Christian Brothers Academy 78-28 in a game where it led 47-16 by halftime and didn’t let up one bit.
West Genesee was just 2-16 when it hosted Fayetteville-Manlius last Tuesady night, but finally got a league victory when it held off the Hornets 35-34.
Against the same side to which it lost 48-33 on Jan. 11, the Wildcats steadily built a 26-20 lead through three quarters while playing superb defense, then held off a late surge as Molly Benetti finished with 11 points and Erin DiPaola added eight points.
Then WG won again on Thursday, topping Henninger 54-48 as it trailed most of the night, but steadily made its way back until it outscored the Black Knights 18-11 in the fourth quarter.
Mollie James stepped up and poured in 16 points, helped by Benetti and DiPaola, who had 13 points apiece. Henninger lost despite Tayajah Scott and Sanai Lee each earning 15 points.
Solvay, with just one win on its season, fell 57-40 to Syracuse West last Wednesday, the game getting away in the second half despite Margaret Kemp’s 14 points and 15 rebounds. Mackenzie McCarthy added nine points and five rebounds.
