Most of the area’s high school girls basketball teams would engage in some form of holiday activity, highlighted by undefeated, state Class B no. 11-ranked Jordan-Elbridge making two local conquests in the Marcellus Tournament to stay unbeaten. The final Wednesday night in Marcellus pitted the Eagles against West Genesee – and in this rare meeting of neighbors, J-E just had enough to secure a 52-46 victory over the Wildcats. No single run really decided this contest. All through the first half, the Eagles and Wildcats traded baskets and stayed in close touch, J-E going to the break clinging to a 25-24 lead. But the Eagles proceeded to shut WG down in the third quarter, holding them to four points and extending its own lead to 35-28 without any prolonged burst. And it withstood all of the Wildcats’ late comeback attempts, too. Molly Hourigan’s big senior season continued as she poured in 22 points to lead both sides, with Kali Davis adding 12 points. On WG’s side, Melissa Fumano and Marie Temara each had 12 points, with Katie Kolinski adding seven points and Kara Datellas contributing six points. Before this, J-E toyed with Marcellus in the opening round, not letting up until it had put together a 67-38 victory. Playing at a fast pace, J-E was strong on the offensive end in the first half, working its way to a 42-25 lead. As if that wasn’t enough, the Eagles held Marcellus to two points in the third quarter, all but putting the game away. Hourigan earned 19 points, adding 11 blocks and 16 rebounds. In five games this season, she has earned three triple-doubles. And Hourigan didn’t work alone, as Kali Davis finished with 13 points and Natalie Andrianos had a season-best 10 points. Kelsey Richardson had nine points and Grace Dungey contributed eight points. Marcellus saw Emily Brissette earn 12 points and Melissa Lee add 10 points. West Genesee beat Fulton 53-41 in the other part of the opening round. A 15-7 first quarter set the tone as WG eventually gained a 46-30 lead through three periods. Fumano continued to impress in her freshman campaign, earning 22 points as Temara added 10 points. Marcellus recovered from the J-E loss to beat Fulton 60-47 in the consolation game. Two big runs – a 17-6 tear through the first quarter, then a 21-11 opening to the second half – made the difference as Lee gained 19 points and Brissette added 14 points and Jessie Nye picked up seven points. Westhill, who entered the week no. 12 in the state Class B poll, played in the Oswego Tournament – and suffered its first defeat of the season Tuesday night, falling to Class AA power Fayetteville-Manlius 50-45. A high-scoring first quarter saw the Warriors move in front 18-16. But it managed just 15 points in the next two periods against an inspired F-M defense as the Hornets worked its way to a 40-33 lead, then held on down the stretch. Again, the Warriors got little offense beyond Ashley Cianfriglia, who had 20 points (including three 3-pointers), and Anna Ross, who got 16 points. F-M had a bit more depth, with Charlotte Beers (16 points) and Ali Pliszka (14 points) in front and two others, Alexis Rios (eight points) and Kiley Shoemaker (six points), close behind. Bouncing back on Wednesday, Westhill beat Oswego 61-48 – and finally got major production outside of its vaunted backcourt as it used a 19-10 surge through the second quarter to move ahead for good. Sam Peebles hit on a trio of 3-pointers, accounting for most of her 15 points as she took pressure off Cianfriglia, who earned 20 points, and Ross, who got 15 points of her own. Solvay did not have any tournament – but when it made up its snowed-out Dec. 7 opener against Phoenix, it struggled in a 44-34 loss. Without Abbey Jones in the lineup, the Bearcats could only watch as the Firebirds kept adding to its margin over the course of the game – this despite Tessa Pucello dropping in 20 points. Outside of Pucello, Solvay managed just six field goals. Phoenix, meanwhile, spread things out as Sarah Bregg (10 points), Kaylee May (nine points), Meghan Barry and Alyssa Cassano (eight points each) all made solid contributions.