CENTRAL NEW YORK – So close to a Section III Class B championship a season ago, the Marcellus girls basketball team is determined to get all the way to the top this time.
The Mustangs held the no. 2 seed going into the sectional tournament, and got through a pair of elimination games starting with a round-of-16 matchup against no. 15 seed Hannibal.
In a 67-37 victory all that Hannibal could manage in the first quarter was two points. Though it recovered a bit, Marcellus still built a 33-15 advantage by halftime and then outscored the visitors 23-7 in the third period.
Red-hot from outside, Cece Powell and Tenly Baker both hit on four 3-pointers, with Powell working her way to 26 points and Baker finishing with 18 points. Hannah Knox helped out with eight points.
This led to Thursday night’s sectional quarterfinal against no. 7 seed Cazenovia, who was 13-8 and had won six of its last seven games with its own top-scoring duo of freshman Maria Vaccaro and senior Ella Baker.
Marcellus won again, 54-48, the key sequence coming in the second quarter when the Mustangs outscored the Lakers 21-8 to establish a 34-17 halftime advantage.
And the cushion was needed since Cazenovia, led by Maria Vaccaro (18 points), Baker and Claire Vaccaro (12 points each), reduced the margin to single digits in the third period and pressured throughout the homestretch, too.
The difference was that no one other than those three Lakers got baskets while Marcellus had twice as many players convert, Megan Frost earning seven points to augment Powell’s 20 points and Baker’s 14 points.
Moving on, the Mustangs meet no. 3 seed General Brown in this Tuesday’s semifinal at Sandy Creek as top seed Bishop Grimes met Little Falls, the winners getting to an 11 a.m. final March 9 at SRC Arena.
West Genesee held the top seed in Class AAA because of its tough schedule which negated its 7-13 regular-season mark, and things got even better for the Wildcats after the events of the quarterfinal round.
Meeting no. 8 seed Whitesboro, WG raced out to a 24-7 edge through one period and, after things settled down, outscored the visitors 17-7 in the third quarter which helped to seal a 63-42 victory.
Jordyn Townes, who surpassed 1,000 career points a week earlier against Auburn, got 21 points here, helped by Bella Quinones earning most of her 14 points from four 3-pointers and Brynlee Elkins adding 10 points.
With no. 4 seed Central Square ousted by East Syracuse Minoa, WG faces the Spartans Monday in the semifinals at Phoenix with the winner going to the March 9 title game at SRC Arena against Nottingham or Henninger.
Bishop Ludden, the no. 5 seed in Class AA, visited no. 4 seed Rome Free Academy with a berth against top seed and defending champion Liverpool in the semifinals at stake, and pulled out a 60-58 decision over the Black Knights.
Trailing much of the way, the Gaelic Knights saw RFA put four players in double figures led by Haylee Bostwick (15 points) and Isabella Cunningham (13 points), yet it could not pull away.
Instead, Ludden chipped away at the slim margin, took the lead in the fourth quarter and held on down the stretch as three seniors made sure the season did not end here.
Elizabeth Gaughan had a season-best 20 points closely followed by Sophia Chemotti getting 18 points as the pair combined to hit five 3-pointers and convert nine crucial free throws. Fellow senior Abby Reynolds added eight points as Ava Carpenter fed it to all of them while also earning 11 points.
Jordan-Elbridge saw its season end in the Class B round of 16, the no. 13 seed Eagles falling to no. 4 seed Oriskany/Westmoreland in a 55-36 decision.
After a close first half J-E only trailed 22-18 at the break, but Oriskany/Westmoreland got away with a 21-6 push through the third quarter led by Jackie Downs, who finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five steals.
For the Eagles, who finished at 5-13, Isabella Jay gained 14 points, but none of her teammates reached double figures as Kelsey Brunelle and Brooke Chiaramonte had seven points apiece.
