CENTRAL NEW YORK – Two games for the Cazenovia girls basketball team against Vernon-Verona-Sherrill have both resulted in narrow defeats.
The Lakers’ 36-32 loss to the Red Devils last Monday night nearly matched, in terms of its margin, the 41-38 decision VVS claimed when the two sides met on Jan. 11.
A little more than two weeks later at Buckley Gym, these same sides would play strong defense against one another with neither of them able to reach double digits in any of the first three quarters.
VVS held on in the closing minutes partly because it never let any Cazenovia player score other than its main trio, Maria Vacccaro earning 13 points as Claire Vaccaro had 10 points and Ella Baker nine points. By contrast, five different Red Devils players had baskets led by Riley Hodkinson’s 14 points and eight points from Payton Boris.
Back on the court Friday night to face Phoenix, the Lakers lost 59-53 to the Firebirds, a game where Cazenovia led 14-8 through one period, gave up that advantage by halftime and then spent the second half in an energetic but futile chase.
Maria Vaccaro nearly carried her team to victory amassing 26 points plus seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Claire Vaccaro added 13 points, but just five different Lakers got on the board as opposed to seven for Phoenix, who were led by Lyla Duskee’s 17 points and Danielle Sussey’s 15 points.
Chittenango only had three victories on its ledger prior to last Monday night’s game against Homer, where it was effective on defense and did enough on the other end to top the Trojans 41-29.
Both sides were quiet early, but the Bears took charge in the second quarter with the only real scoring burst of the night, not letting up until it had gained a 20-8 halftime lead.
Though Homer did make a second-half push, Chittenango answered it, Abby Scheidelman’s 12 points part of a well-balanced attack as Dominique Brown produced nine points and Persephone Rohrer earned eight points.
A wild game on Friday night saw Chittenango outlast Syracuse West 68-67 in overtime, the Bears able to overcome most of a 32-24 deficit in the third quarter and then tie it 62-62 at the end of regulation.
Syracuse West’s Elise Jackson dazzled with 48 points but got little help from her teammates. By contrast, Scheidelman, with 25 points, was aided by Ella Sylstra’s career-best 22 points along with seven points from Rohrer and six points apiece from Isabelle Damon and Savanah Haley.
Playing again on Saturday against Cortland, the Bears lost 59-45, a game close most of the way before the Bears wore down in the final period and was outscored 14-3 by the Purple Tigers. Still, Scheidelman gained 17 points, with Rohrer earning 12 points and Sylstra getting 10 points.
Three more games awaited Chittenango this week against Tully, Homer and Solvay, while Cazenovia will take on Skaneateles, Jordan-Elbridge and Central Square.