ONONDAGA COUNTY – All season long, the Liverpool girls basketball team envisioned a long-awaited return to the summit in the Section III Class AA ranks, knowing it would have to surpass its rivals from Cicero-North Syracuse.

Even with two regular-season wins over the Northstars, though, the Warriors understood that it still had to take a difficult path through the sectional playoffs, needing to beat three state-ranked foes.

It started Wednesday with a quarterfinal against no. 6 seed Bishop Ludden, whom it beat twice in January but still had the capability of, at its best, putting an end to Liverpool’s season.

And for a moment late in the game, the possibility of a sudden end was quite real – but senior Naveah Wingate made sure that didn’t happen, taking over and helping the Warriors prevail 73-57.

A foul-filled first half saw Liverpool gain a 41-30 edge led mostly by Jakeira Stackhouse, who avoided the foul trouble and hit on 14 of her 17 points.

Then hot 3-point shooting from Amarah Streiff and Bridget Dunham sparked Ludden’s third-quarter comeback. Twice, the Gaelic Knights got within one, 50-49 and then 54-53 early in the fourth quarter.

However, Liverpool cranked up its defense and held Ludden without a field goal for more than seven minutes.

Wingate stepped up her game on the other end, notching 14 of her 28 points in the final period, all during a decisive 19-2 run. Kaylyn Sweeney and A’briyah Cunningham also did well late, each finishing with 12 points.

Streiff, the Gaelic Knights’ all-time leading scorer with more than 2,000 points, had 18 points in what turned out to be the last game of her high school career, with Dunham adding 15 points and Elizabeth Gaughan getting 13 points.

C-NS, slotted into the no. 4 seed, was lined up in its quarterfinal last Tuesday against no. 5 seed Henninger, whose 14-6 turnaround this winter was well-chronicled but included two defeats to the Northstars.

Making it three straight, C-NS played one of its best all-around games of the season and bashed the Black Knights 72-40, quickly getting in front and then making a 19-5 dash through the second quarter.

Up 34-14 at the break, the Northstars didn’t let up, Brianna Weaver leading with 17 points as Kat McRobbie (13 points), Olivia Cook (12 points) and late-season call-up Leah Benedict (11 points) also hit double figures. Only Iyanna Kyles, with 14 points, did so for Henninger.

Now top seed Auburn awaits in Saturday’s semifinals at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall, the Maroons’ 19-2 mark mostly coming against Class A teams but also featuring Le Moyne College-bound senior Leah Middleton, who this season has averaged nearly 27 points per game.

This follows the first semifinal between Liverpool and no. 2 seed Rome Free Academy, whom it beat 68-64 in overtime early in December. That game tips off at noon.