CENTRAL NEW YORK – Less than a week after it won a key late-season game at Baldwinsville, the Fayetteville-Manlilus girls basketball team had to go there again, this time in the opening round of the Section III Class AA playoffs.
Somehow, the Hornets were able, mostly through the strength of its defense, to defeat the Bees again, the 40-32 decision earning a berth in Tuesday’s quarterfinals against top seed Auburn.
With newfound confidence from that 42-40 decision Feb. 11, F-M would shut down B’ville through much of the first quarter, limiting the hosts to just two points.
It was nearly the same in the third period, the Bees again cold and seeing the Hornets, up 19-15 at the break, stretched its margin to 29-22, which proved too much for B’ville to overcome.
Evie Kawa, with 12 points, led an F-M attack where Lauren Hoffman (eight points), Lydia Davidson (seven points) and Julianna Cogliandro (six points) helped.
Combined, Kyrah Wilbur and Carlie Young, B’ville’s top two scorers, were held to four points, something others could not make up though Madison Polky had 13 points and Natalie Hollingshead 10 points.
Off a tough closing stretch, East Syracuse Minoa led the local contingent into the sectional Class A tournament– right into a quarterfinal next Tuesday against its neighbors from Jamesville-DeWitt.
They split two regular-season meeting, but it was the Spartans prevailing Feb. 11 amid a busy stretch that included a loss to Cortland the night before and a competitive 59-54 defeat to Auburn last Monday night.
Trailing early, ESM’s 19-8 push through the second quarter created a 29-27 advantage at halftime, and it stayed tight until the Maroons outscored the Spartans 15-8 in the final period.
Auburn superstar Leah Middleton amassed 34 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. That obscured a great effort by Aniyah Jones, who led ESM with 23 points helped by 13 points from Leah Chavoustie and 12 points from Angelina Polcaro.
ESM and J-D were joined in the Class A bracket by Christian Brothers Academy, who was 11-9 going into the playoffs despite last Monday’s 47-36 loss to Westhill. Chianna Williams, with 10 points, was contained most of the way. Janiah Robinson led the Warriors, amassing 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Given the no. 6 seed in the 10-team bracket, CBA, like ESM and J-D, will also go straight into the quarterfinals and a match-up with no. 3 seed New Hartford on Tuesday.
Bishop Grimes, which has authored surprising runs to the sectional Class B finals each of the last two times it was held (2020 and 2022), would again start at a low seed and, this time around, never make it out of the first round.
The no. 20 seed Cobras met no. 13 seed Adirondack in Boonville Thursday night, a game that would stretch into overtime before the Wildcats pulled it out 54-53.
For a long while, it seemed that Grimes would pull off another dramatic post-season win, having overcome a 16-7 first-quarter deficit over the course of the next two periods.
They went to the fourth quarter 39-39, and did not separate for the rest of regulation nor for much of OT, either. But Adirondack inched in front and hung on thanks to Rebeckah Tittle’s 19 points and 16 rebounds, plus 17 points and seven rebounds from Ireland Payne.
Though defeated, Grimes got great performances from Olivia Chiaramonte, who hit a career-best six 3-pointers on her way to 20 points, and Kierra Baxter, who got 16 points. Aaliyah Zachery had eight points.
Grimes had lost its regular-season finale 56-29 to New Hartford last Monday night, the Spartans using a 15-2 run through the third quarter to get away, Kierra Baxter had nine points, with Aaliyah Zachery adding eight points.
