ONONDAGA COUNTY – All season long the Baldwinsville girls basketball team kept an eye on Liverpool, knowing its neighbors remained the side it would have to get past at some point if it wanted to climb to the top of the area Class AAA ranks.
They would finally meet last Friday night, the first of two games in a span of 72 hours, and the Bees would discover that it still had plenty to work on if it wanted to solve the reigning sectional champions’ voracious defense.
The 53-32 defeat saw B’ville play strong defense of its own throughout the first half, yet not able to take full advantage of it due to Liverpool clamping down.
It was a matter of B’ville getting worn down as a 21-15 halftime deficit doubled in the third quarter and Liverpool leaned more on A’briyah Cunningham, who poured in 26 points helped by Gracie Sleeth getting 11 points and Gianna Washington adding 10 points.
Only Olivia Davis, with 11 points, hit double figures for the Bees. Beverly Marinelli got seven points, but two key players were held in check, Maddy Polky and Natalie Hollingshead combining for just three field goals.
B’ville returned from its second extended hiatus of the season (11 days in this case) for back-to-back games early in the week to get ready for Liverpool.
Against Fayetteville-Manlius last Monday, the Hornets shot its way out of trouble in the second half, again leaning heavily on 3-pointers to prevail 64-54 and complete a regular-season sweep.
Similar to its 54-47 win over F-M in December, this proved tough, especially in the second quarter when the hot-shooting Hornets outscored B’ville 20-7 and took a 34-28 lead to halftime.
Led again by Polky and Davis, the Bees started to see their outside shots fall in the third quarter and reclaimed the lead, ultimately closing with a 21-12 push through the final period.
Polky had 21 points mostly through five 3-pointers, while Davis got most of her 18 points from four 3-pointers. Marinelli added nine points as Natalie Hollingshead and Capri Hartman had six points apiece. F-M got 21 points from Lydia Land-Steves, 14 points from Macie Davey and 12 points from Jane Ryan.
In boys basketball B’ville had the first of two games against West Genesee in an 11-day span and ultimately paid for a cold first half in a 50-43 defeat to the Wildcats.
Fresh off a big win over Liverpool Jan. 31, WG would take charge when, up 11-9, it limited B’ville to four points in the second quarter.
To its full credit the Bees made up most of that ground in the third period and pulled within two, 34-32, yet saw the Wildcats regroup and put the game away with a two-man attack.
Aidan Phelan poured in 31 points and Kolton Castrello added 17 points, and those two main options were more than B’ville could manage as, other than M.J. Young’s 22 points, no one else had more than Ben Leaton’s six points.
What followed, on Friday night against F-M, could only be described as the Bees’ most comprehensive effort of the season as, on offense and defense, B’ville excelled to romp past the Hornets 61-34.
Six days earlier the Bees prevailed 43-29 over F-M. Here they reached 43 points late in the third quarter, part of a mid-game stretch where it outscored the Hornets 34-15 and pulled clear.
Young got close to F-M’s total production and finished with 26 points, hitting four 3-pointers. Matt Pope contributed 12 points as no Hornets player had more than Reilly Anderson’s six points.
Before the rematch with WG the Beew challenge Cicero-North Syracuse on Tuesday and Auburn on Thursday as the B’ville girls regular season concludes Saturday with its own game against WG at noon.
