CENTRAL NEW YORK – Having claimed its Madison County battle with Chittenango at the start of February, the Cazenovia girls basketball team hoped it would translate to a bit more success the rest of the regular season.
During Tuesday night’s game against state Class B no. 12-ranked Phoenix at Buckley Gym, the Lakers were unable to keep face with the Firebirds, taking a 57-35 defeat.
These two sides had played Jan. 10 at Phoenix and Cazenovia had kept it close in a 50-40 loss, but here the Firebirds, led by Lyla Duskee (15 points), Miley Esposito (12 points) and Hannah Caltabiano (11 points), controlled it from the start and built a 46-25 lead through three quarters.
When the Lakers were able to convert, Ella Baker equaled Duskee’s total of 15 points, while Avaya Weismore stepped up with 10 points, but the rest of the team had just four combined field goals.
Cazenovia had a far better showing on Thursday night, hosting Hannibal and leaning on different aspects of its game to earn a 45-30 victory.
Defense carried the Lakers through the first half as it held Hannibal to just nine points in the first two periods. Then, even as the visitors began to convert, Cazenovia answered it in the third quarter and extended its lead.
Baker, for the second game in a row, finished with 15 points. Bess Johnson nearly matched her, getting 14 points for the third time this season as Weismore contributed eight points.
Coming off a Feb. 2 victory over Syracuse West that immediately followed the defeat to Cazenovia, Chittenango managed to give long-time power Westhill a good fight in a 51-42 defeat.
Right from the moment the first quarter ended, the Bears, trailing the Warriors 21-8, did all it could to catch up, its efforts led by Abby Scheidelman, who earned 17 points, and Persephone Rohrer, who got 10 points as Alicia Cavotta added six points.
The Warriors would keep that margin, though, because it had some help for Izzy Young and her game-high 19 points as Rosie Mahoney got nine points and Kara Rosenberger had seven points.
A day later, Chittenango ran into state Class A no. 14-ranked Oneida and lost 62-19, held to just five points in the second half. Scheidelman still finished with seven points as Myah Rainbow led the Express with 20 points, six steals and five assists.
Cazenovia’s trips to LaFayette and Syracuse Academy of Science early next week will finish its regular-season slate as Chittenango goes next Thursday to East Syracuse Minoa.
