CENTRAL NEW YORK – A turbulent and, at times uncertain, regular season for area high school girls basketball has led to the Section III playoffs and key roles in three different classes.
Bishop Grimes could be a dangerous foe again in the sectional Class B tournament despite its youth, as the Cobras demonstrated last Monday by going on the road and beating West Genesee 54-48 in overtime.
They went back and forth throughout regulation, starting slow and then trading baskets through mid-game spurts until, at the end of regulation, the two sides were even at 45-45.
Grimes showed its poise, though, by outscoring the Wildcats 9-3 in the four-minute OT period, with Aaliyah Zachery getting 11 of her 18 points at the free-throw line and Sicily Shaffer stepping up with 16 points. Bella Quinones and Mia Raymond led WG with 14 points apiece.
When the sectional bracket was released, Grimes had the no. 6 seed, paired up with no. 11 seed Lowville in a round-of-16 game with a possible quarterfinal against no. 3 seed Marcellus looming.
Jamesville-DeWitt is in Class A, where Indian River is the defending champions and, at 19-1 and no. 4 in the state rankings, is the clear team to beat – as it proved again last Monday when it beat the Red Rams 45-28.
IR jumped out 14-3 in the opening period and never got caught thanks to a defense that never let J-D get settled, though Ava Sandroni had 10 points and Samantha Wheeler added nine points.
On IR’s side, Michaela Delles had 12 points, six rebounds and five steals, with Allison LaMora earning 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks as Keera LaLonde had 13 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds. Isabella Davis tacked on 10 rebounds.
A day later, J-D played again and edged past Nottingham 39-36, the difference a third quarter where the Rams held the Bulldogs to three points while gaining a 33-24 edge, enough to fend off a late scoring drought. Sandroni had 12 points, with Lindsay Parker and Sadie Withers earning nine points apiece.
These wins helped the Rams get the no. 6 seed in Class A, where a first-round game with no. 11 seed Homer awaited, the winner to challenge no. 3 seed Oneida in Friday’s quarterrfinals.
Two Class AA sides both had narrow defeats last week, including Christian Brothers Academy taking a 39-36 loss to Westhill.
Defenses both stood out as the Brothers led 29-27 through three quarters, but could not hold on to it. Chiana Williams had 14 points and Sydney Vaughn got nine points as Izzy Young, with 12 points, and Eva Tarolli, with 15 rebounds, paced the Warriors.
Far less narrow was Friday’s 74-34 defeat to Class AAA power Cicero-North Syracuse, but that game proved celebratory when, in the second half, Williams reached eight points for the night and, by doing so, surpassed 1,000 points for her career.
East Syracuse Minoa met Fulton last Tuesday night and, limiting the Red Dragons to two points in the second quarter, found itself, found itself leading 18-14 going into halftime.
Fulton battled back, though, and in the final seconds was able to edge the Spartans 30-29, negating ESM’s fine defensive effort and holding top scorer Aniyah Jones to 11 points as Lydia Butterfield had eight points and Sonya Benhassen six points.
In the opening round of the sectional tournament, no. 9 seed ESM would visit no. 8 seed Oswego as CBA, the no. 3 seed, is at home Thursday night for its quarterfinal against no. 6 seed Auburn or no. 11 seed Watertown.
Joining them is Fayetteville-Manlius, who will be well-rested as the no. 5 seed Hornets clash with no. 4 seed West Genesee in Friday night’s quarterfinal round at 5 p.m.
