CENTRAL NEW YORK – Even with all of its youth and the turmoil it endured off the court, the Bishop Grimes girls basketball team is finding out how much it can learn and how quickly it can learn it.
Routed by Bishop Ludden on Jan. 26, the Cobras went to Buddy Wleklinski Court last Tuesday night and pulled out a tough 48-45 victory over Christian Brothers Academy, whose late-January struggles continued.
Having dropped four straight following a 7-2 start, the Brothers’ skid nearly ended here, with CBA fighting its way back after a cold first half where Grimes, despite its own struggles, built a 20-14 advantage.
Chianna Williams, with 16 points, led all scorers, Sydney Vaughn adding 10 points and Liana Thomas eight points. But Grimes held on late as eighth-grader Aaliyah Zachery and seventh-grader Gia Kinsey led with 14 points apiece and Olivia Bitz, with 10 points, also hit double figures.
Grimes followed up with another hard-fought victory on Friday where it beat Syracuse Academy of Science 49-44, jumping out 20-9 in the first quarter and then leaning on its defense the rest of the way.
Kinsey continued to impress, working her total to 21 points, while Zachery gained 11 points. Bitz added six points as Daniella McLean (12 points) and Shayla Baker (11 poi nts) led the Atoms.
CBA, meanwhile, battled Bishop Ludden and, similar to their encounter in mid-January, the Brothers stayed close for a while but could not quite catch the Gaelic Knights in a 58-49 defeat.
They traded baskets until the second quarter, when the Gaelic Knights went on an 18-7 run. CBA battled back, closing the gap to 47-40 by the end of the third period, but it could not get closer.
Lilah Kirch, with 13 points, paced the Brothers, ahead of Williams’ total of 11 points. Vaughn and Thomas each had eight points as Ludden got 23 points from Bridget Dunham, Ava Carpenter adding 11 points and six assists.
Jamesville-DeWitt had taken a tough defeat to Class A favorite Indian River on Jan. 27 and did not get much relief when it hosted Cicero-North Syracuse three nights later.
The Red Rams lost, 53-26, to the Northstars, who led from the outset and gradually picked up its production as the game went along, eventually outscoring J-D 34-12 in the second half.
Savannah Schnorr led the Rams with nine points and Sadie Withers had six points, but top scorer Ava Sandroni was held to four points. Amanda Timmons came off the bench and led C-NS with 12 points and Olivia Cook added 10 points.
Rebounding on Thursday night, J-D defeated Henninger 45-40, the main difference a first quarter where the Rams went out in front and held the Black Knights to just four points.
Despite Henninger fighting back and getting 18 points from Ta’Kai Baker, J-D would stay out in front. Sandroni had 13 points, helped by seven points from Samantha Wheeler as Schnorr and Merris Kessler had six points apiece.
Fayetteville-Manlius met Central Square last Tuesday and saw the Redhawks jump out 19-8 in the first quarter, a move that ultimately proved decisive as the Hornets fell 52-38.
Mia Knuth did get 11 points to lead F-M, with Lydia Land-Steves earning nine points and Taylor Novack getting six points. Most of Central Square’s production came from Natalie Bush’s 20 points and Payton St. Clair’s 19 points.
But F-M beat Oswego 52-36, using a 17-5 push through the third quarter to break the game open. Improving to 5-12 overall, the Hornets got 21 points from Novack that included four 3-pointers as Land-Steves gained 14 points.
East Syracuse Minoa suffered a 56-48 defeat to Oswego last Tuesday night, unable to hold on to a 25-16 halftime lead as the Buccaneers caught up and, in the fourth quarter, outscored the Spartans 19-8.
Aniyah Jones earned 26 points, more than half ESM’s total, but Oswego had four players score in double figures, the Bucs led by Maria Sweet, who had 17 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and two assists. A 64-58 defeat to Baldwinsville followed on Friday night, ESM seeing its record fall to 3-13 overall.
