The 9th-seeded Spartans led after the first quarter and trailed by just a point at halftime but couldn’t stay with the Lazers in the third and fourth, losing 51-36. The loss ends Cayuga’s season with a record of 11-15.
Coach Jim Alberici said he couldn’t be prouder of his team, who held the Lazers to almost 30 points below their scoring average and outrebounded them by 26.
“We played amazing. We gave so much effort the whole game — to outrebound them like we did, and to play defense like we did,” said Alberici. “We came up short, but this game and this season were a lot of fun to be a part of.”
The Spartans started the game pushing the ball inside to forward Xavia Evener, who responded by scoring six points as Cayuga built a 10-4 lead by the end of the first quarter. Cayuga’s defense continued to hold the Lazers in the second quarter, but Onondaga was able to build a 17-16 lead at halftime.
The Lazers held the advantage for the rest of the game, starting the third quarter on a 12-6 run and eventually leading by 12 going into the final quarter. Cayuga was unable to cut the lead to less than 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Evener finished with 24 points and 21 rebounds, which led players from both teams. Haley Mosch had eight points and seven rebounds, and Sierra Murray had 13 rebounds.
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