CENTRAL NEW YORK – In two different classes a pair of area high school girls basketball teams both kept their Section III championship hopes alive into the semifinal round.
Up in Class AA it was East Syracuse Minoa taking its no. 5 seed north to face no. 4 seed Central Square in Tuesday’s sectional quarterfinals, the Redhawks a team it lost to twice in the regular season though one of them was a tight 51-49 decision two weeks earlier.
When it mattered the most, though, the Spartans came through, stunning the Redhawks 53-47 and showing plenty of poise after seeing a double-digit lead get away.
A big second quarter gave ESM a 27-22 edge going into halftime. They mostly stayed that way until the final period when the Spartans stretched its advantage to 12, but it wasn’t over.
Led by Payton St. Clair who finished with 27 points, Central Square made it all the way back and went in front, only to have ESM’s Sonia Benhassen hit a go-ahead 3-pointer which gave the visitors the lead for good.
Aniyah Jones, with 23 points, could not quite match St. Clair, but with Benhassen adding 15 points ESM earned a spot in the sectional semifinals against top seed West Genesee Monday night at Phoenix.
Meanwhile, in Class A Jamesville-DeWitt and Christian Brothers Academy had quarterfinal tests of their own, the no. 2 seed Red Rams facing no. 10 seed South Jefferson and the no. 4 seed Brothers hosting no. 5 seed and defending champion Indian River.
J-D got through it, prevailing 43-31 in yet another showcase for its team defense, which took over in the game’s middle stages.
Tied 10-10 through one quarter, the Rams proceeded to limit South Jefferson to just nine total points over the course of the second and third periods, more than making up for its own modest production.
Samantha Wheeler stepped up, though, her 16 points a season mark and just her fourth double-digit total of the winter. Ava Sandroni finished with 10 points and Sadie Withers got seven points.
This happened as CBA was doing all it could to knock off Indian River and nearly succeeding before the Wolves prevailed 45-41, ending the Brothers’ season with a 48-44 decision.
tart to finish it proved tight, with CBA inching out in front 15-11 through one period and maintaining a slim edge until the third quarter when IR claimed a 35-34 edge it would have to maintain until the final horn.
Well-balanced, the Brothers got 12 points from Cara Macaluso and eight points apiece from the trio of Liana Thomas, Lilah Kirch and Mari Catherine Giamartino. Carrying the Wolves to victory, Keera LaLonde had 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals, Laylah Whyte adding 18 points and nine rebounds as Allison LaMora got 13 points.
Finally there was Class AAA and Fayetteville-Manlius taking its no. 6 seed to face no. 3 seed Baldwinsville and going into the game with some confidence since it had played the Bees close in both of their regular-season meetings.
All of that changed here, though, with the Hornets not having one of its top scorers, Lydia Land-Steves, in the lineup.
B’ville jumped out 21-2 in the first quarter on a and not letting the Hornets get to double digits on the scoreboard until the third period as F-M eventually lost 68-32.
Late in the game Jane Ryan would work her total to 14 points and Taylor Novack would add 12 points. On B’ville’s side, Olivia Davis had 18 points, while Maddy Polky and Natalie Hollingshead each connected on three 3-pointers, Polky finishing with 16 points and Hollingshead earning 11 points.
