The last time Cicero-North Syracuse and Syracuse West faced off in the Section III Class AAA girls basketball quarterfinal in 2024, the Northstars cruised to an overwhelming victory.

Two years later, history seemed to be repeating itself in the same quarterfinal round. C-NS held Syracuse West to just five first-quarter points with another dominant start.

The high-energy play continued throughout the rest of the game, powering the third-seeded Northstars to a 66-40 victory over sixth-seeded Syracuse West on Friday night.  

"Our energy and ball movement were really good at the beginning of the game," C-NS sophomore Avery Rumble said. "We had a lot of good defensive plays and offensive rebounds."

Senior Meadow Werts (18 points) led C-NS in scoring on the night, while Syracuse West sophomore Narieonna Lucas led her team with 16 points.

C-NS came out hot, pressuring Syracuse West's offense with a full-court press and forcing turnovers. Sloppy passes and inefficient dribbling from Syracuse West in the first quarter allowed C-NS's defense to execute its game plan and take a 24-5 lead heading into the second quarter.

"We try to make teams speed up a little bit," C-NS coach Rob Siechen said. "We'll try to make them uncomfortable and get steals on the back side. It's just trying to make the game go faster too, since we like to play fast."  

C-NS' speed overwhelmed the Syracuse West offense, and the team only scored 11 points in the first half. C-NS juniors Kylah Bednar and Leah Benedict led the Northstars' scoring charge as they combined for 22 of C-NS' 39 points in the first half.

"We definitely locked in on defense and focused on boxing out," junior Elyse Cook said. "Our communication was key to our success tonight."

Although Syracuse West was down by 28 points heading into the second half, coach Antwan Ballinger's message to his team at halftime was never to give up.

"We got the nerves out in the second half," Ballinger said. "Unfortunately, the score was what it was, but I told them to go out fighting. Just make sure that they respect you and know that you're going to work hard and fight for every possession."

And that is what his players did. Consistent fouling by the Northstars, combined with a more aggressive push from Syracuse West, allowed them to chip away at the C-NS lead and outscore them 19-9 in the fourth quarter. The surge still wasn't enough, as C-NS secured a victory and knocked out Syracuse West (10-11).

"We worked hard all season and found a way to win some games," Ballinger said. "Taking a group of girls that didn't win much before, and teaching them that it's hard, but to fight is what I'm most proud of from this season."

The Northstars (13-8) advance to the semifinals and will take on second-seeded Baldwinsville on Tuesday at 5 p.m. C-NS has won both of the teams' previous matchups this season, but Siechen expects a competitive game.  

"Baldwinsville is a really good team," Siechen said. "Last time we played them, they were missing one of their better players, so I'm sure we're going to get their best effort and full strength on Tuesday."

C-NS has advanced to every sectional championship game since the pandemic, and Siechen said the strategy remains the same.

"The goal at this time is just to survive and advance," Siechen said.