CENTRAL NEW YORK – Crazy as it might sound, the Jamesville-DeWitt girls basketball team was winning at a clip which may remind fans of the glory of its three-year state title run from 2016 to 2018.
While the Red Rams may not in any way be close to those lofty standards, when it blasted past Syracuse Academy of Sciecne 75-33 last Monday night that made it eight wins in a row and 13 wins in 14 games.
J-D smothered the Atoms on defense while its attack sprang to life and produced a 36-11 halftime margin which kept growing, especially in a 25-point fourth quarter.
Ava Sandroni, with 18 points, and Samantha Wheeler with 14 points led the way. Sadie Withers got eight points, with Maggie Bliss and Lindsay Parker adding seven points apiece and Miyoshi LaClair stepping up with six points.
A tougher game awaited on Wednesday at Oswego, but the Rams beat the Buccaneers again 45-25, overcoming a slow start with a 19-6 second-quarter charge and then blanking Oswego in the third period to prevent any comeback.
Though no J-D player scored in double figures, Sandroni got nine points and Wheeler eight points, with Withers, Parker and LaClair notching six points apiece.
And this led to Friday’s game against Nottingham, two teams both running long win streaks – but it was the Bulldogs who would maintain its form, prevailing by a score of 52-39 for its seventh in a row.
It was decided in the third quarter. Leading throughout the first half, J-D took a 22-19 lead to the break, but then Nottingham cranked up its pressure and dominated on both ends in a stunning 25-2 surge.
Keymora Woods, with 25 points, and Jah’nae Stevens with 15 points led the Bulldogs, each of them ahead of the 10 points put up by Sandroni and Parker to lead the Rams as Withers got nine points.
East Syracuse Minoa had a chance at a confidence-building win against Central Square last Tuesday but could not quite get it in a 51-49 loss to the Redhawks.
All game long it was tight, the two teams tied 28-28 at halftime and not separating from one another in the late going, either.
Aniyah Jones carried the Spartans much of the way, her 30 points equaling her season high as Sonya Benhassen had 10 points. Hannah Waldron led Central Square with 16 points ahead of Olivia Chiaramonte and Payton St. Clair adding 13 points apiece.
A day later ESM did win, 53-41, over Fulton, a game far more lopsided most of the way as the Spartans shut out the Red Dragons until the second quarter and led 43-18 through th ree periods.
It helped to have greater scoring balance as Jones, with 15 points, and Benhassen, with 14 points, were joined in double figures by Leah Chavaoustie earning 11 points.
A 1-2 week for ESM concluded with a 60-52 defeat to New Hartford where it could not hold a 28-27 halftime lead. Jones had 20 points, with Benhassen adding 11 points and Chavoustie 10 points. Kamryn Richards’ 22 points led New Hartford.
Falling from the top spot to no. 4 in the state Class B rankings, Bishop Grimes was off for a week before Saturday’s regular-season finale against Syracuse Academy of Science.
But the rest did the Cobras well as it defeated the Atoms 64-45. Olivia Bitz returned to the starting lineup and earned nine points to help Sicily Shaffer, who got 23 points, and Aaliyah Zachery, who had 13 points. Kierra Baxter and Riley Abernethy had six points apiece.
