At first glance, it was hard to believe this confident, fast-starting Cicero-North Syracuse girls basketball team was the same squad that stumbled in heartbreak just days ago.
Yet the Northstars delivered a first quarter that bordered on perfection in Tuesday's clash with West Genesee.
C-NS dominated on both ends to lead 21-0 through eight minutes of action — a comfortable cushion that led the Northstars to a commanding 49-19 victory.
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"Everybody knew that we needed to go out and execute the way we did," C-NS coach Rob Siechen said. "That was a great job by us, especially in the first half. We were definitely locked in on both offense and defense."
C-NS certainly seemed to have a point to prove following its buzzer-beating loss to Fayetteville-Manlius on Friday. Senior Leah Benedict and sophomore Avery Rumble drilled back-to-back 3-pointers in the Northstars' first two possessions. The momentum only snowballed from there, as the duo combined for five 3-pointers made in the first quarter.
C-NS's defensive effort also stood out in the opening period. The Northstars shut out the Wildcats in the first quarter, a feat they hadn't accomplished since last year's sectional semifinals against Baldwinsville.
"I think they were more focused," Siechen said. "You get a little more attention when you don't win a game, especially when you lose the game the way we did on Friday. They've been locked in on what we want to do, and they were able to execute it tonight. That's kudos to them." Benedict's game-high 20 points and Meadow Werts' season-best 15 points lit up the stat sheet, but Siechen credited the entire Northstars squad for their team defense. The historic defensive effort held West Genesee to its lowest point total in at least 18 seasons. The top-to-bottom effort can be traced back to an oft-repeated mantra from the head coach.
"We have a saying: 'Do you, and don't do anything more or anything less,'" Siechen said. "If we do that, then we're pretty good defensively."
The win could not have come at a better time for C-NS (5-3). The Northstars' upcoming stretch features a gauntlet of top-ranked Baldwinsville, reigning sectional champions Liverpool and multiple tough out-of-section opponents. Luckily for C-NS, its matchup against the Bees on Thursday at least kicks off a three-game home stand.
"We have a pretty good four-game stretch right here where we'll see where we are relative to everybody else," Siechen said.
