CENTRAL NEW YORK – As part of the way it made up for not traveling to Long Island in December, the Bishop Ludden girls basketball team would find itself facing the newly-established Class AA favorites from Liverpool twice in as many weeks.
Along with their scheduled meeting Tuesday night last Monday, the Gaeilc Knights would go last Monday to face the Warriors, whose recent hot streak included a key win over defending sectional champion Cicero-North Syracuse.
And here very little went right for Ludden, who suffered from cold shooting but struggled even more against a ruthless Warriors defense in a 58-35 defeat.
All of it got decided early. In a long stretch spanning the first and second quarters, the Gaelic Knights were on the wrong end of a 24-2 run on Liverpool’s part.
Heavy defensive pressure led to frequent turnovers, and even when Ludden did have the shots, it only managed a pair of 3-pointers, rarely able to get second or third chances.
Amarah Streiff was held to 10 points, which Bridget Dunham matched, Warriors standout Neveah Wingate led with 18 points as A’briyah Cunningham got 14 points and Grace Sleeth had 10 points.
Angry at all of this, Ludden took it out in a big way on Bishop Grimes Friday night with a tremendous first-quarter performance that defined a 70-40 win over the Cobras.
A flurry of stops, turnovers and baskets resulted in the Gaelic Knights getting 35 points in the first eight minutes and surrendering just a single free throw.
Breezing from there, Ludden saw Streiff return to form with 25 points, with Ava Carpenter adding 10 points, Dunham nine points, Abby Reynolds seven points and Elizabeth Gaughan six points.
Jordan-Elbridge, meanwhile, came into the week having won in a six row, and that streak would reach seven last Tuesday night as the Eagles again got the best of LaFayette in a 39-27 decision.
Having routed the Lancers 63-34 less than a week earlier, J-E found the rematch more difficult, LaFayette getting a 14-9 lead before the Eagles found its way in front by halftime.
It was still close, though, before a fourth quarter where the Eagles blanked the Lancers, having seeen Abbie Ahern get 14 points and 12 rebounds. Ava Hildebrant had 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals, with Erin LaVancha amassing 11 rebounds and Riley Crawford getting nine rebounds, plus five steals.
At Tully two nights later, J-E made it eight in a row, handling the Black Knights 55-27 with an all-around effort that produced a 49-18 lead capped by a 17-4 domination of the third quarter.
Hildebrant, for a time, had more than the entire Tully roster and finished with 19 points. Ahern gained 11 points, with LaVancha adding nine points as Crawford and Makayla Penird had six points apiece.
West Genesee was on the brink of perhaps its best win of the season so far when Henninger caught them in the closing stretch last Wednesday night and prevailed 47-46 over the Wildcats.
Trailing 16-6 through one quarter, WG spent the rest of the game chipping away at that deficit, and eventually took a 46-45 lead into the waning seconds.
Henninger got the ball and Ta’Kai Baker worked it to Iyanna Kyles, who hit the go-ahead layup. Then the Black Knights’ defense kept the Wildcats from a final shot.
Isabella Quinones led WG with 15 points, helped by Hannah Sparks (10 points) and Alaina Dudzinski (nine points). Kyles and Sanai Lee paced Henninger with 15 points apiece.
