The Homer girls basketball team hadn’t defeated Cortland in 1,038 days, but that changed Thursday night at Cortland Jr./Sr. High School. The Trojans rallied from a first half deficit as large as 15 to win 51-43.
The turning point of the night came with Cortland leading 24-9 midway through the second quarter. Homer head coach Brad Sovocool called a timeout and jump started his team to close the half on a 14-0 run. the Trojans never looked back from there.
“We were like, ‘We need to start playing,’” Homer’s Lauren Franco said. “I think we were so stagnant and just needed to loosen up. We started moving the ball more and that really helped opened things up, and people started attacking which is what we needed.”
Franco got the run started, canning a 3-pointer out of the timeout. She’d knock down a long two after an Anya Gofkowski free throw to get the Trojans within nine. Kaylee Darling connected on a jumper and Gofkowski drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to end the half and get Homer within one.
Cortland opened the second half with a 5-0 burst behind an Aubree Larkin layup and a 3-pointer from Kartyr Hubbard. Gofkowski answered with two more from behind the arc to tie the game. Franco followed with a jumper to give Homer its first lead of the game at 31-29. The Trojans didn’t trail the rest of the night.
Freshman Makenna Pym hit a big 3-pointer to extend the lead to five before Cortland’s Katie Harris drilled a three of her own at the third quarter horn to make it a one-point game again.
Homer took over in the fourth quarter, beginning on a 12-3 run. Pym, Franco and Gofkowski combined for all 12 points in the run that ballooned the lead to 10 and all but put the game away. Cortland head coach Janice Meyer was frustrated with her team’s lapses throughout the game that Homer took advantage of.
“We have stuff that we need to work and we’re not committed to working that out and doing the little things that matter, and we’ve been exposed,” Meyer said. “We’ve been battle tested all season. This should’ve been a win for us, but we’re learning how to score and our defense can’t slide. It’s unacceptable. We’re better than this and we’re going to figure it out or we’re not. But it’s up to us to do it and we’ve got a long season. This can’t define us right now.”
Cortland raced out to a fast start behind three Lily Yang 3-pointers and a three from Zee-Anna Sweat, but cooled off the rest of the way. The Purple Tigers made only eight shots from the field the final three quarters and connected on just three 2-point field goals in the game.
For Sovocool, defeating their rivals for the first time in nearly three years meant everything.
“It’s huge for the program, these girls and their confidence, the Homer community,” Sovocool said. “We only see them once, it’s nice to bring it home. After that (last win) we were kind of in a rebuilding phase and we’re starting to really see progress, which is great.”
The trio of Franco (23), Gofkowski (18) and Pym (7) combined for 48 of Homer’s 51 points. Darling chipped in a bucket and Izzy Small added a free throw.
Cortland was led by 15 from Yang, coming on her five 3-pointers. Hubbard finished with 12, Larkin scored seven, Katie Harris had five, Sweat hit a 3-pointer and Gabby Brown had one free throw.
Homer will not be back in action until after the New Year, at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 6 on the road against Westhill. Cortland looks to snap its skid 12:45 p.m. Saturday, when it hosts Indian River.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TULLY 71, PULASKI 35
Anna Congelli made 12 2-pointers for 24 points as Tully took a 23-3 lead through a quarter and cruised to its third straight win.
Sydney Arnott added 12 points with a pair of 3-pointers for the Black Knights, Ella Polak pitched in 10 points, Gabby Flatt recorded six points, Wren Lawton, Kameryn Meaney, Emily Hall and Anna Pierce all had four points and Gwyn Wilbur’s two points rounded out the effort.
BOYS BASKETBALL
OTSELIC VALLEY 59, MCGRAW 48
McGraw lost the first quarter 18-7 and couldn’t pull close enough to make a run at it the rest of the way.
GROTON 51, ODESSA-MONTOUR 48
Conor Eldred scored seven of his team-high 17 points in a pivotal third quarter that Groton won 14-5 to take a lead that ended up holding. Eldred scored 12 points in the middle quarters that the Red Hawks won 30-20.
Colson Slade went for nine points behind Eldred, Jerome Turner, Jaiden Mitchell and Carmelo Riley-Israel all contributed eight points and Judson Holl scored one point.
DERUYTER 46, CINCINNATUS 38
Dan Holl notched 10 of his game-high 18 points for DeRuyter in the second half to help the Rockets hold off Cincinnatus to pick up a road win and move to 5-0. DeRuyter closed out the game with a 13-7 fourth quarter to seal the deal.
Dylan Foster and Devens Whalen each added 11 points for DeRuyter, Jackson Millett scored four first-quarter points and Jonah Baxter recorded two points.
Zack Streichert continued his breakout season for Cincinnatus with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and four steals. TJ Walker went for 12 points, nine boards, a steal and two blocks and Jack Stafford was held to six points, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals. John Schuyler (four points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, one block) and Trevor Shevalier (eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block) also contributed for the Lions.
HOCKEY
CORTLAND/HOMER 4, AUBURN 1
Finn Thomas scored Cortland/Homer’s final two goals as the Golden Eagles earned their first win of the season on the road. Both of Thomas’ tallies came in the second period.
Martin Petri opened the scoring for Cortland/Homer, Brendan Andrews scored the second goal and Rori Roach, Cooper Swartz, Max Totman and Bodey McGrath all picked up an assist. Jack Medeiros made 27 saves in the winning effort.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
CBA 3, TULLY 0
Tully dropped its second match of the season despite 12 kills and 15 digs from Kaylynne Bennett and 11 kills and 14 digs from Rowan Usherwood. The Black Knights fell 22-25, 18-25, 25-27.
Anna Lund added 28 assists, seven digs, two kills, two aces and a block, Maddy Lund recorded 16 digs and an ace and Karissa Olender had six digs. Elaina Iozzo (five digs), Ella Lund (three kills, one block, one dig) and Molly Verbanic (two kills, two blocks) also aided the Black Knights’ effort.
MANLIUS PEBBLE HILL 3, DERUYTER 0
Chelsey Prince paced DeRuyter with five kills and five digs as the Rockets lost 21-25, 14-25, 14-25.
Annabelle Stanton added nine assists, a kill and two aces, Molly Amidon pitched in nine digs and Graycie Barber notched three kills, an ace, three digs and two assists. Selena Rodriguez (three kills), Erin Bragg (one dig) and Rebecca Amidon (one dig) all assisted DeRuyter as well.
BOWLING
HOMER BOYS 7, BISHOP GRIMES 0
HOMER GIRLS 7, BISHOP GRIMES 0
John Holcomb rolled two games over a 200, with his best being a 253 to close the show, for a 653 series to lead the Homer boys. Addison Platt yet again led the girls’ effort with a 188 high game and a 463 series.
Ivan Eaton also ripped off two games over 200 behind Holcomb, with a high of 231 and a 586 series. Chris McMullin (235 game, 582 series), Caleb Hamilton (184 game, 532 series), John Bishop (181 game, 493 series), Tanner Vogel (118 game, 137 game) and Tyler Seymour (149 game) all aided the boys’ match.
Jaden Bush (159 game, 443 series), Lucy Goodwin (140 game, 376 series), Kristen Combs (131 game, 365 series), Annabelle Watkins (134 game, 344 series), Abigail Biviano (94 game 106 game) and Mikey Pittsley (83 game) all followed up Platt.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
BOYS BASKETBALL
Skaneateles at Cortland, 6:45 p.m. today
Marcellus at Homer, 6:45 p.m. today
Spencer-Van Etten at Marathon, 7 p.m. today
Elmira Notre Dame at Dryden, 7 p.m. today
LaFayette at Tully, 7 p.m. today
Candor at Moravia, 7 p.m. today
Lansing at Groton, 3:30 p.m. Monday
Norwich at Moravia, 6 p.m. Monday
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Marathon at Spencer-Van Etten, 7:30 p.m. today
Otselic Valley at McGraw, 6 p.m. today
Groton at Odessa-Montour, 7:30 p.m. today
Brookfield at Cincinnatus, 6 p.m. today
Dryden at Elmira Notre Dame, 7:15 p.m. today
Moravia at Candor, 5:30 p.m. today
Indian River at Cortland, 12:45 p.m. Saturday
Cooperstown at Tully, 1:30 p.m. Saturday
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Cincinnatus at Faith Heritage, 7 p.m. today
DeRuyter at Port Byron, 11:30 a.m. Saturday
BOYS WRESTLING
Homer at Walton, 9:30 a.m. Saturday
Dryden at Baldwinsville, 9 a.m. Saturday
GIRLS WRESTLING
Groton at Niagara Community College, 10 a.m. Saturday
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Homer, Tully at Onondaga Community College, 4:30 p.m. today
Cortland, DeRuyter at Onondaga Community College, 9 a.m. Saturday
Groton, Dryden at SUNY Cortland, 9 a.m. Saturday
BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING
Dryden at Marcus Whitman, 11 a.m. Saturday
