Jordan-Elbridge and Westhill’s girls basketball teams brought contrasting styles into their first of two regular-season meetings on Friday night. The Eagles rely on defense and the awesome inside presence of Molly Hourigan, while the Warriors depend on the high-scoring tandem of Ashley Cianfriglia and Anna Ross. It was clear on this night which style won out.
Hourigan, again dominating the paint, gradually imposed her will on the Warriors, especially taking over in the second half as J-E, on its home court, moved to 6-0 on the season with a 49-37 victory over Westhill. Three previous times this season, Hourigan, a junior, had pulled off the once-rare feat of double-digit points, rebounds and blocked shots in a single game. These “triple-doubles” have made the Eagles one of the best defensive teams in Central New York, and Westhill on Friday found out just how good. For a half, it was close, the two sides both making a fair number of shots, but not putting together any sustained runs as J-E clung to a 25-24 lead going into the break, and still only had a 38-33 edge with one period left. The Eagles would pull clear, though, as it held Westhill to four points in the fourth quarter. Time and again, Hourigan grabbed rebounds or swatted away the Warriors’ shot attempts, not stopping until she had yet another triple-double in the books – 11 blocks, 14 rebounds and 17 points. On the offensive side, just four Eagles scored – but they each hit double digits. Kelsey Richardson and Grace Dungey finished with 11 points apiece, while Kali Davis finished with 10 points. Each of them did better than Ross, who was held to eight points as Cianfriglia finished with 14 points, but just one successful 3-pointer. Maggie Tripodi matched Ross with eight points of her own. It proved quite different in the boys game between Westhill and J-E, as the defending state Class B champion Warriors improved to 3-2 on the season by handling the Eagles 62-39. A 20-4 first-quarter surge gave Westhill immediate control, as turnovers became points on the other end. The Warriors breezed from there, as all 10 players that saw action got at least one field goal. Nathan Nigolian led with 13 points, with Geno Sgroi adding 12 points. Justin Biles had eight points and Vitty Freeman contributed six points as, for J-E, Leland Holmes had 16 points and Tyler Richardson added 10 points. As the Westhill boys head for marquee games next week against Bishop Grimes and Bishop Ludden, the J-E girls are headed for a first-place showdown in the OHSL Liberty division against Cazenovia at Buckley Gym next Thursday night.