ONONDAGA COUNTY – Nearly three years and one pandemic ago, the Christian Brothers Academy girls basketball team ended the reign of Jamesville-DeWitt as Section III Class A champions.
Much has changed since that point – different players, different coaches – but the rivalry between the two remains quite active, and the Brothers added to it just before 2022 ended.
Sydney Vaughn’s stunning half-court shot as time expired helped the Brothers knock off the state Class A no. 11-ranked Red Rams 35-33 on Thursday afternoon.
Only 3-4 going into the game, CBA mostly leaned on its defense, along with the production from Vaughn and Chianna Williams, to stay close before the dramatic ending..
With Vaughn and Williams doing most of the damage, the Brother steadily established a 23-14 margin that it took into halftime.
Macy Durkin brought J-D back. Accounting for a game-high 21 points, Durkin helped the Rams roar back and, by the time they reached the homestretch, the teams were tied, 32-32.
With 5.1 seconds left, Durkin was fouled. With two shots to put J-D in front, Durkin missed the first, but converted the second, so the Brothers trailed by one.
CBA inbounded the ball to Vaughn. None of the Rams’ defenders contested it and Vaughn dribbled to the middle of the CBA logo where she let go – and watched it swish through the net.
Williams finished with 15 points and Vaughn, with the game-winner, had 13 points. Other than Neal, J-D had just three total field goals as Aniyah Neal got six points.
That same day, Fayetteville-Manlius and Bishop Grimes both lost opening-round contests in the More Than A Game Holiday Classic.
F-M fell 50-25 to state Class A no. 23-ranked Indian River. Other than Ashley Schneider, who had 14 points, the Hornets were mostly kept quiet.
The Warriors combined airtight defnese with an attack led by Ravan Marsell, who had 26 points to top the entire F-M roster, adding eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Allison LaMora had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Grimes was in a much closer game against Section IV’s Susquehannna Valley, yet lost to the Sabers 52-49 in a game where it started with a 13-6 advantage and maintained that lead through the game’s middle stages.
But SV outscored Grimes 18-13 in the fourth quarter to pull it out, negating a balanced attack where Olivia Bitz and Loyi Mugushu each netted 15 points and Aaliyah Zachery added 13 points. Kierra Baxter had seven points.
