CENTRAL NEW YORK – Each of the area’s high school basketball teams hoped to squeeze in some more game action before they headed to their respective holiday breaks.
In girls basketball Cazenovia offered up a challenge to 6-1 Bishop Grimes, but found it quite difficult to generate many baskets against an airtight Cobras defense in a 48-30 defeat.
Hot at the outset, Grimes built a 20-10 advantage by the end of the first quarter. Then it spent the rest of the game cultivating that margin largely through containing the Cazenovia attack for long stretches.
For the Lakers, only Ella Baker, with 14 points, hit double figures, while Claire Vaccaro and Maria Vaccaro finished with six points apiece.
Nearly all the Grimes offense came from three players. Aaliyah Zachery led with17 points and Sicily Shaffer had 15 points, Kierra Baxter adding nine points.
Chittenango played a night later against Westhill and lost, 65-43, held to just four points in the first quarter to fall behind and having a 19-8 third quarter decide matters.
For Westhill, Eva Tarolli led the way amassing 19 rebounds, three assists and three steals to go with her 14 points. Sydney Medeiros had 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists, with Aaliyah Colon also earning 14 points and Kara Rosenberger notching 13 points, six assists and six steals.
In boys basketball it was Chittenango going up against Christian Brothers Academy on Dec. 20 and getting overwhelmed in a 67-34 defeat to the Brothers.
The Bears had difficulty producing baskets against a consistent Brothers defense which never let it score more than 10 points in any single period and no one with more than two field goals besides Jacob Bell, who had 17 points.
On the other end, CBA had 12 different players get on the scoresheet taking pressure off Tavin Penix, who still led with 18 points as Drew Britton got 11 points.
Cazenovia met up with Syracuse Academy of Science that same evening, and while it would produce on a relatively consistent basis, it didn’t come close in a 78-56 defeat to the Atoms.
SAS led 25-15 after one period and kept adding to the margin thanks to Thon Chol’s 32 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks and help from Dewitt Walker getting 18 points.
Edmond Richardson’s fine season for Cazenovia continued as he notched 22 points, with Bobby Livingston adding 18 points and Ben Bianco getting 11 points, mostly from three 3-pointers.
