CENTRAL NEW YORK – Whether it proved simple or stressful, each of the area’s high school girls basketball teams would have to navigate through the opening stages of the Section III playoffs in three different classes.
Bishop Grimes made an inspired run from a no. 13 seed all the way to the sectional championship game in Class B the last time the tournament was held in 2020. Now, the Cobras put itself in a position to do so again.
Getting past the first step required Grimes, a no. 12 seed this time around, to beat no. 21 seed Syracuse Academy of Science on Thursday – a team the Cobras lost to earlier that same week.
But here Grimes came out on top, 53-35, clamping down on defense starting in the second quarter when it held the Atoms to just six points. Then it started hitting baskets during a decisive 19-9 push through the third period.
Natalie Musolino and Rosalie Vincent, with 13 points apiece, led a well-balanced Cobras attack as Jenna Sloan and Nayweil Ayeil earned eight points apiece and Althea Simmons added six points.
Now Grimes went on the road, facing no. 5 seed Homer in Saturday’s second round, and it turned into an all-time classic, spilling into two overtimes before the Cobras put away the Trojans 47-43.
Homer, who won the first league title in the program’s 49-year history, stayed within range throughout a low-scoring first half and tied it by the end of the third quarter.
Then the suspense really started, both sides unable to win it in regulation or, after going to OT at 30-30, in the first four-minute extra period, which ended 37-37.
Only in the waning stages of the second OT did Grimes finally prevail, all but carried there by Sloan, who had 17 points, and Musolino, who got 14 points as they overcame a 21-point effort from the Trojans’ Gracie Patriarco and earned a quarterfinal date with no. 4 seed Westhill.
Two area teams entered the Class AA sectional tournament, but only Fayetteville-Manlius made it out of the opening round, the no. 8 seed Hornets holding off no. 9 seed West Genesee 39-36 to earn a shot at top seed and reigning champion Cicero-North Syracuse in the quarterfinals.
Having split two games with the Wildcats in the regular season, F-M was sharp at the outset, leading 15-6 after one quarter, but then would spend the rest of the game struggling to match that type of production.
Ultimately, the Hornets’ defense would help it stay out in front and then withstand WG’s late charge, led by Erin DiPaola and Molly Benetti, who had 13 points apiece, though only one other Wildcat earned a field goal all night.
More balanced in its attack, F-M saw Ava Angello lead with 11 points, supported by Morgan Goodman, who had nine points, and Evie Kawa, who put in seven ponits.
As that went on, Christian Brothers Academy, the no. 11 seed, saw its season end with a 54-34 defeat to no. 6 seed Henninger, with Chianna Williams scoring 11 points as Carmella Fairbanks earned eight points and Amelia Bonacci got six points. It was John Niland’s final game as the Brothers’ head coach before retiring.
In Class A, Jamesville-DeWitt did not have to worry about going through two rounds just to reach the quarterfinals, and last Friday’s sectional opener proved to be a breeze as the no. 5 seed Red Rams routed no. 12 seed Oswego 59-17.
Sharp on both ends, J-D had an 18-2 edge through one quarter and stayed stingy the rest of the way, going so far as to shut out Oswego in the third quarter.
Eleven of the 12 Rams players that saw action got on the scoreboards, led by Aniyah Neal, who had 12 points. Victoria Payne got 10 points as Ava Sandroni had seven points and Bella Sindoni earned six points.
By contrast, East Syracuse Minoa, the no. 9 seed in Class A, saw a fourth-quarter lead get away in a 27-26 loss to no. 8 seed Camden.
The Spartans held the Blue Devils to just two points in the first period, yet could not pull away. And it stayed close until Camden hit several clutch shots to snatch the victory, negating the 12 points put up by Isabelle Chavoustie and the 11 points earned by Angelina Polcaro.
