CENTRAL NEW YORK – Whatever questions the Westhill girls basketball team may have faced in December while on its way to a 3-3 start have turned into emphatic answers.
The Warriors have won nine in a row, none of them bigger than Thursday’s 55-51 decision at Mexico that put an end to the Tigers’ own 10-game win streak.
Entering the game at 12-1 overall, Mexico immediately ran into trouble against a sharp Westhill offense, who produced baskets and built a 17-10 advantage through one period.
When the Tigers tried to battle back, the Warriors answered, mostly maintaining its advantage and limiting Mexico to a two-player attack consisting of Alyssa Ingersoll and Emma Lawler, who would finish the night with 24 points apiece.
As the second half wore on, the pattern continued. Every time the Tigers tried to catch up, the Warriors turned it back largely because its attack was more diverse.
Janiah Robinson had a double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds. Tess Roesch had 14 points and five assists, with Izzy Young getting 12 points and seven rebounds as Jules Bleskoski got 10 points.
At least based on last week’s state rankings, it was Skaneateles that had the jump on Westhill and Marcellus, the Lakers having the no. 25 spot.
Yet that spot was immediately threatened last Tuesday when, facing Class A East Syracuse Minoa, the Lakers took just its third loss of the season, falling to the Spartans 41-36.
And it was all due to a second quarter where ESM outscored Sknaeateles 19-9, getting most of its production from Angelina Polcaro, who finished with 16 points.
The Lakers could not put together a sustained answer in the second half, even as Maddy Ramsard and Ayla Pas’cal led with 11 points apiece. No other Skaneateles player had more than two field goals.
All of this made the game between Skaneateles and Marcellus on Thursday night carry more meaning, and leaning heavily on its defense, the Lakers were quite impressive in a 45-29 victory over the Mustangs.
What was a modest early advantage grew when Skaneateles nearly blanked Marcellus in the second quarter, limiting it two points and seeing its advantage grow to 23-10.
Up 35-16 by the fourth quarter, the Lakers leaned heavily on Ramsgard, whose 19 points was complemented by 11 points from Pas’cal and six points from Allie Michel.
Again, Marcellus found it difficult to find production outside of Cece Powell, who finished with 14 points as Bella Mondello and Corrine Aldrich got six points apiece, but the only other points came from a Gabby Voss 3-pointer.
