LIVERPOOL – In terms of girls basketball teams who want to knock Cicero-North Syracuse off the top of the area Class AA ladder, it might be Liverpool in the strongest position to do so.
From last season’s 14-8 side that fell to the Northstars in the sectional semifinal round, just two seniors graduated, and the large returning cast is led by St. John’s University-bound senior Neveah Wingate.
But what might make Liverpool so tough this winter, beyond Wingate’s ability, was evident in Tuesday night’s season opener, when it pulled away to defeat Jamesville-DeWitt 64-34.
This was the same Red Rams side that reached the sectional Class A title game a season ago and had won Baldwinsville’s Bill Middleton Tip-Off Tournament the week before, defeating the host Bees in the Nov. 26 final.
What’s more, J-D achieved part of its strategy when it got Wingate into foul trouble. Forced to sit long stretches, Wingate managed just eight points, this from someone who averaged nearly 19 points a game last winter.
And none of this mattered.
Liverpool took charge with a 10-0 run early in the second quarter, and when the Rams threatened to make it interesting, the Warriors answered with a decisive 13-0 spurt that bridged the third and fourth periods.
A lot of it had to do with a defense that, in a 1-3-1 zone and other looks, frustrated J-D and forced a steady string of rushed shots and turnovers.
Even more important was what junior Kaylyn Sweeney and senior Janea Hamilton-Brown offered off the bench. Sweeney nabbed 11 of her 13 points in that second quarter, while Hamilton-Brown also got 13 points.
Freshman Grace Sleeth stepped up, too, earning 10 points, while Jakeira Stackhouse added seven points amid a well-balanced Liverpool attack.
The Warriors will look to add to this strong start next week in games against Rome Free Academy and Auburn, all before C-NS finally has its opener Dec. 10 against Elmira.
