West Seneca West’s best shot in a while at earning a league victory on the girls basketball court came up just short on January 11, as the Lady Indians were tripped up by Williamsville North, 57-53.

West jumped out to a commanding 17-7 lead by the end of the first quarter, but North rallied back to knot the game at 27-27 going into the second half. North’s momentum carried over to the third quarter, as the Lady Spartans built up a six-point lead (45-39) by the end of the third quarter that they would not relinquish.

“They just started shooting the ball better in the second half, and we were outmatched size-wise again, which didn’t help,” coach Lori Potter said. “We missed some shots inside, and we got into a little bit of foul trouble too. We just couldn’t get over the hump in the second half.”

Allie Chavanne led the charge for West with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while

Ryhan Chavanne added nine points. Jen Green chipped in with seven points, while Jen Maguder (12 rebounds) and Morgan Hooley (10 rebounds) each scored six points.

The long break between games didn’t help West when it took on perennial power Jamestown Thursday, unfortunately, as West was upended in blowout fashion, 80-35.

Jamestown coasted to a 24-5 first-quarter advantage and never looked back, pushing its lead to 41-25 going into the second half. The Lady Red Raiders followed the template provided by West’s other opponents this season and used their size advantage to put the game out of reach early.

“We just can’t play with them right now,” Potter said. “They’re a good team that can run, can drive the basket, and can shoot really well. They’re quick, which helps them get their hands on a lot of steals, and they got contributions from all nine of their players. They’re just a really tough matchup for us.”

Maguder led the way for West with nine points and 10 rebounds, while Green and Allie Chavanne (three assists) each added eight points.

West (1-8, 0-7 division) returns to action tonight by taking on Sweet Home, and then squares off with Clarence Tuesday to move closer to the rapidly-approaching end of the regular season.

“We played Sweet Home pretty tough the first time around, and both teams have been playing better since then,” Potter said. “We just need to play good defense and rebound well too to give ourselves a chance.”