CENTRAL NEW YORK – Much has changed in area high school girls basketball, and Marcellus is at the center of those changes.
The Mustangs are now led by head coach Delaney Martin, who replaced Lauren Collister after a successful stretch that included the Mustangs’ long Section III Class B playoff runs in 2019 and 2021.
Opening last Tuesday night against Bishop Grimes, Marcellus nearly got a big victory, only to get caught at the end of a 32-31 loss to the Cobras.
A solid first half saw the Mustangs trade baskets until it outscored Grimes 13-6 in the second quarter to grab a 22-17 edge. Then, in the face of Grimes’ defensive pressure, Marcellus went cold the rest of the way.
Held to two points in the third period and little more in the fourth quarter, Marcellus was still tied, 31-31, when it fouled Cobras seventh-grader Aaliyah Zachery on a rebound shot with 4.6 seconds to play.
Zachery made one of the two free throws, and a desperation final shot from half-court went off the backboard.
Before all those late struggles, Bella Mondello and Cece Powell accounted for most of the Marcellus production, Mondello earning 13 points and Powell adding 12 points. Zachery (12 points) and Olivia Bitz (11 points) paced Grimes.
At a weekend tournament in Owego, Marcellus beat the hosts 49-40 in Saturday’s opening round, not allowing a single point in the first quarter while racing to an 11-0 advantage.
To help the Mustangs hold off Oswego’s rally, Powell poured in 26 points, more than half her team’s output, which included a trio of 3-pointers. Gabby Voss had 10 points, with Mondello adding six points.
Both Powell and the Mustangs cooled off in Sunday’s final against Cortland, falling 38-27 as, ahead 23-22 at the break, Marcellus was held without a field goal in the third quarter and managed just a single free throw.
Again, Powell did all she could, earning 16 points, but the Purple Tigers held the rest of the Mustangs to just three total field goals as Valerosa Gambitta had 12 points and four others earned six points apiece.
Skaneateles began last Tuesday with a 55-39 defeat to Henninger, who outscored the Lakers in every quarter.
Maddy Ramsgard had 13 points, with Ayla Pas’cal adding 12 points as no other Skaneateles player had more than one field goal. Kapriece Sigler paced the Black Knights with 19 points.
Then, in Friday’s opening round of the Jessica Beal Memorial Tournament at Homer, Skaneateles handled the host Trojans 57-41, outscoring the Trojans 35-23 in the second and third quarters as Ramsgard earned 21 points and Pas’cal got 19 points. Allie Michel finished with six points.
The Lakers claimed the title on Saturday by topping Moravia 49-36, using a 14-7 push through the second quarter to go in front for good and getting 13 points apiece from Ramsgard and Michel, plus 10 points from Isabella Pietropaoli.
Solvay was close against Cato-Meridian in last Tuesday’s opener, only to fall 38-33 to the Blue Devils, not quite able to overcome getting held to three points in the first quarter.
Neonna Turk still finished with 11 points, while Shay’Eanna Turk and Jayda Coyne had seven points apiece. Kaydence Morrissette, with 17 points, acounted for nearly half of Cato’s production.
Jordan-Elbridge got close to a win in its opener last Wednesday against Onondaga, but fell 44-42 to the Tigers, not quite able to overcome a 15-6 first-quarter deficit.
Abbie Ahern led the Eagles with 14 points. Erin LaVancha had 10 points, with Haley Root adding nine points as OCS got 21 points from Jakiya Hill and 12 points from Sheat Baggett.
Rebounding well, J-E got into the win column Friday, handling Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 56-18 as it led 33-12 by halftime and spread its production around well.
LaVancha led with 14 points, Erin Hildebrant adding 13 points as Ahern got 10 points, Riley Crawford eight points and Makayla Penird six points.
This happened as Solvay met OCS in the Tigers’ own tournament and lost, 49-22, OCS jumping out 22-2 in the first quarter and never got caught, though Turk had nine points and Brielle Burke added seven points. A 51-26 loss to Phoenix followed in Saturday’s consolation game.
West Genesee underwent a coaching change, too, Scott Duda taking over for Stafford Spreyer, and it proved a rough start for the Wildcats last Thursday as it fell 66-30 to Rome Free Academy.
The Black Knights kept WG from earning a field goal until the second quarter, by which time it already trailed 17-1, never able to recover.
Isabella Quinones had eight points and Mia Raymond had six points, but they were both far behind RFA standout Amya McLeod, whose 26 points 10 of which were free throws) nearly matched the entire Wildcats roster.
