CENTRAL NEW YORK – Going into 2025 the Cazenovia girls basketball team was eager to do something more than practice and wait for games. The Lakers only played three times in December, going 1-2, and had gone more than two weeks since its last game on Dec. 19, a loss to state Class B no. 2-ranked Bishop Grimes. Finally that inactivity ended on Jan. 3 when Cazenovia faced Canastota at Buckley Gym on Jan. 3, and leaning heavily on its defense the Lakers won big, stopping the Raiders 38-16. What was the key to the outcome was that shots fell early, enough of them that, combined with limiting Canastota to a single field goal, created a 16-2 margin by the end of the first quarter. It was 27-7 by halftime and the Lakers cruised from there, with Maria Vaccaro outscoring the Raiders by herself landing 18 points plus three assists. Ella Baker managed 11 points, with Hayden Bubble contributing three assists. Another tough test loomed last Tuesday night when state Class C no. 12-ranked Hamilton was supposed to come to Buckley Gym, but winter snows forced a postponement. In fact, all the basketball in the area was pushed back until Friday, when in boys basketball two reigning Section III champions arrived in the neighborhood and both won big. Cazenovia’s boys welcomed reigning sectional Class A champion Westhill, who handled the Lakers 87-54. Only trailing 16-13 through one period, the Lakers could only watch as Westhill outscored them 53-28 over the course of the next two periods, with Eli Prince working his way to 23 points and seven total 3-pointers from Jack Hayes (19 points) and Jackson Goodness (16 points). Unable to keep up with this, the Lakers still had Ben Bianco nearly match Prince as he finished with 22 points, while Edmond Richardson managed 17 points. Bobby Livingston contributed eight points. Contrasting this was the way Chittenango was shut down 66-24 by Marcellus, the reigning sectional Class B champions who went to the state title game in 2024. A 10-point first quarter proved the peak for the Bears, who were ultimately shut out in the fourth quarter. Jacob Bell had eight points as six Mustangs players had at least seven points but none more than Connor Ciota’s 11 points. Back on the girls side Saturday Cazenovia returned to action and dropped a tight 41-38 decision to Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, while Chittenango lost 46-30 to Oneida as Dominique Brown had 10 points, Ella Sylstra eight points and Abby Scheidelman seven points for the Bears.