Cortland Standard .net

Attitude can be a big factor in sports, and the Cortland High girls’ basketball team’s 50-38 win over visiting Syracuse CBA Friday night is a good example.
“We played them really close the first time and the kids felt that they should have won,” Purple Tigers coach Dick Penoyer said, referring to a 52-49 loss at CBA back on Dec. 22. “They had CBA at home this time, and I don’t think there was any doubt in the kids’ minds that they would win.
“The kids have been playing really good defense lately, and we matched up well against CBA. We went man-to-man almost all the way, with a little zone at the end to use up some time. Erin Brown played her best game all year; she played great defense, like always, and also had 11 points. She’s starting to score some, too.”
Senior guard Brown’s points came in handy with junior guard Shea Swartwout fighting an illness, which forced her to miss a stretch in the first half though she still finished with a game-high 21 points. Eleven of Swartwout’s points came in the fourth quarter, when she went 7-for-9 from the foul line.
“If you foul Shea she’s almost automatic from the line,” Penoyer said. “She also did a great job defensively on Paige Nicholson, who’s always hurt us but only had six points. Our big kids did a great job on defense, too, disrupting CBA’s inside game and rebounding well. Chickie Artis didn’t score any points but held their big girl, Natalie Nardella, to three points.”
Junior guard Jackie Phillips also won praise from Penoyer, holding the Brothers’ top scorer, senior guard Julie Cuomo, to 12 points. Sophomore forward Nafysa Williams had 10 points in the losing cause.
Cortland improved to 5-1 atop the Freedom National Division, a game ahead of second-place Marcellus (4-2). The Purple Tigers are 10-5 overall, as is CBA, now 5-2 in the Freedom American.
“This was a great win for the kids,” Penoyer said. “We really needed it to stay in first place.”
Cortland pulled down 32 rebounds on the night, Artis and senior forward Abby Hess with eight boards each while Phillips had six. Artis also had four steals and Brown swiped the ball three times.
CORTLAND JVs lost to CBA 40-22, dropping to 1-5 league and 4-10 overall in the process. Eighth-grade guard Ashley Shortsleeve had a game-high 14 points for the hosts, while the Brothers, who used a 16-4 third-quarter edge to break open a close game, were paced by Olivia Carni’s 10 points.
“It was 17-12 at the half and some key turnovers broke the game open in the third,” Purple Tigers coach John Protheroe said. “Our defensive intensity was outstanding. Our overall decision-making is much improved but we have yet to put a complete game together.”
Cortland’s teams host Fowler on Tuesday and Homer on Thursday, the JV games starting at 5:30 p.m. both nights.