CENTRAL NEW YORK – One quite unfamiliar sight in area high school girls basketball is seeing Westhill exit the Section III playoffs in its opening game.
Yet that was what happened in 2025, an up-and-down season ended Saturday when Westhill fell 40-32 to Oneida in the first round of the sectional Class A tournament.
Even with its 11-7 record, Westhill did not get the benefit of a good bracket. Instead, it had the no. 9 seed, which means that, even if it beat no. 8 seed Oneida, top seed and reigning 2024 state Class B champion Utica Notre Dame awaited in the quarterfinals.
Throughout the first three quarters, the two sides stayed close. Strong defense on both ends made sure that there wasn’t any kind of getaway, the tension continuing to build.
Entering the final period Westhill only trailed by one, 27-26, but Oneida was able to break out, the Express closing on a 13-6 push led by Myah Rainbow, who finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals.
Alexis DeGroat added 10 points and Kaylee French equaled Rainbow’s seven steals, Oneida ultimately producing 21 steals to thwart Westhill possessions all game.
Sydney Medeiros led the visitors with 13 points, most of it from a trio of 3-pointers. Ava Tarolli added seven points, while Aaliyah Colon finished with five points.
That same day in the Class B sectional tournament Skaneateles saw its season end as the no. 11 seed Lakers went to no. 6 seed Phoenix and took a 47-35 defeat to the Firebirds.
These sides had met twice in the regular season. Phoenix rolled the first time 50-24 and won the second encounter 36-21, with the playoff clash by far the most competitive of the three.
Just as Westhill did, Skaneateles stayed on close to even terms throughout the first three periods thanks to superb defense only to see it get away in the fourth quarter, Phoenix closing with a 16-7 fourth-quarter surge.
Allie Michel led the Lakers with 13 points and Finn Pas’cal added 12 points, but the Firebirds had a bit more depth as Miley Esposito got 15 points helped by Finley Harwood and Lyla Duskee getting eight points apiece.
As Skaneateles finished with a 7-13 mark Marcellus, with its 15-5 record, holds the no. 2 seed and meets no. 15 seed Hannibal Monday with the winner to face Cazenovia in the quarterfinals, while Jordan-Elbridge, the no. 13 seed, travels Tuesday to face no. 4 seed Oriskany.
Meanwhile, in Class AA despite its own 7-13 regular-season mark West Genesee still has the top seed in an eight-team Class AA sectional bracket, hosting no. 8 seed Whitesboro in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at 5 p.m.
And only six teams were part of the Class AAA sectional tournament where Bishop Ludden is the no. 5 seed, taking its 13-7 mark to no. 4 seed Rome Free Academy Thursday night at 6 p.m. with the winner to face top seed Liverpool in the March 5 semifinals at Nottingham.
