ONONDAGA COUNTY – All season long, the Marcellus, Westhill and Bishop Ludden girls basketball teams had battled one another, each side getting victories against the others and no one able to finish on top.
Now they all sought Section III championships, with the Mustangs and Warriors both seeking the Class B crown and the Gaelic Knights looking for the Class A championship.
Only two of them would make it out of the quarterfinal round, though.
Marcellus, the no. 3 seed, got through by defeating no. 6 seed Utica-Notre Dame 70-57, but Westhill, the no. 4 seed, saw its season conclude at the expense of no. 12 seed Bishop Grimes in a 55-40 defeat.
Coming off its round-of-16 win over reigning champion South Jefferson, the state Class B no. 15-ranked Mustangs wasted no time jumping all over the state no. 21-ranked Jugglers.
Hot shooting and strong defense created a 25-8 advantage by the end of the first quarter, and the margin grew to 37-17 by halftime, allowing Marcellus to absorb Utica-Notre Dame’s strong second-half push without much damage.
Emma MacLachlan, quiet in the South Jefferson game, poured in 22 points to lead the Mustangs as Katie MacLachlan got 17 points. Bella Mondello put in 13 points as Cece Powell had seven points and Hannah Rogalia six points.
As this went on, Westhill was facing a Bishop Grimes side that, just like in 2020, was succeeding in making a long sectional tournament run as a double-digit seed.
Seeking to avenge a 60-39 loss to the Cobras in December, the Warriors seized an early 15-8 lead, only to have Grimes make it all up and go in front, 28-25, by halftime.
They stayed close through the third quarter, but in the final period the Cobras’ relentless defensive pressure led to a series of Westhill turnovers and Grimes closed on a 21-7 run.
All game long, the Cobras contained Catherine Dadey, holding her to eight points. Only Janiah Robinson, with 11 points, hit double figures for Westhill as Julianne Bleskoski also had eight points and Kate Heinrich got six points. For Grimes, Naywel Ayeil led with 18 points as Jenna Sloan and Natalie Musolino had 12 points apiece.
Bishop Ludden had gone first in the quarterfinal round, hosting no. 6 seed Cortland and, after a quiet start, managing to outclass the Purple Tigers in a 67-34 victory.
It was during a 21-11 second-quarter push that the Gaelic Knights began to get away, ultimately dominating on both ends of the floor while, more importantly, showing good diversity in its attack.
Amarah Streiff had 20 points, eight rebounds and seven steals, while Kaitlyn Kibling got 19 points and six rebounds. Bridget Dunham continued to improve as she had 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, with Elizabeth Gaughan getting nine points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
While Ludden waited for its Class semifinal against no. 2 seed Indian River, Marcellus challenged no. 2 seed General Brown in the Class B semifinal Sunday at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall – and lost, 66-50, to the Lions.
Leading almost from the start, GB jumped out to a 21-11 edge by the end of the first quarter and didn’t blink when the Mustangs, thanks to a strong second period, moved within four, 27-23, by halftime.
Instead, the Lions gradually pulled away throughout the second half, with a well-balanced attack as Kori Nichols got 17 points, Ainsley Fuller earned 15 points and Karsyn Fields had 14 points.
By contrast, though Katie MacLachlan had a sensational game, earning 25 points, none of her Marcellus teammates had more than the six points put up by Mondello and Emma MacLachlan.
GB advanced to the sectional title game, where Bishop Grimes would await, the Cobras having followed up its win over Westhill by toppling unbeaten top seed Little Falls in the other semifinal.
