By CHRIS BROOKS, sports editor, wellsvillesports.com
FILLMORE — The opportunity to take down one of the area’s best twice in one season was an opportunity that the Lady Eagles of Fillmore were presented with to close out the week, Thursday evening. With the action beginning to wind down, and the Sectional pictures, as well as the Allegany County League standings beginning to take shape, something had to give.
It was a battle that saw the Lady Eagles break free from Andover/Whitesville’s grasp early with a scoreless run through the first few minutes. But like they have been all year, the visitors in black and purple bounced back with a strong finish to cut their deficit to a single possession at the end of the half.
Then, a breakthrough. The Lady Eagles went to work.
Fillmore would go on to exchange a three-point lead at the break, for a double-digit lead across the third quarter of play, as the defense struck all chords by holding Andover/Whitesville to just five points in the midst of their game-changing run, garnering all the extra cushioning they needed to secure a season-series sweep with a 46-40 home win in The Rock.
“We got off to a really nice start, but A/W is tough and they ended the first half with a great run to cut the lead to three. We talked at halftime about getting back to playing like us. We got tentative during their run and we just kind of stopped playing,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “We got a balanced third quarter on both sides of the ball, and we were able to hold them off at the end behind another fantastic night from Hope. Grace also scored nine of her 11 points in the second half while running our offense.”
Fillmore (9-4) provided a full sprint right out of the gate in the first quarter, seeing lightning strike with eight points in a row in the game’s first two minutes. The early boost carried into the second quarter where the Lady Eagles would find a way to extend their lead across double-digit territory.
In the late stages of the first half’s conclusion, Andover/Whitesville (10-4) bounced right back and delivered a strong finish of their own, cutting their deficit down to three. Hoping to keep the swing of the game in their favor in the second half, Fillmore responded in a big way.
The Lady Eagles came out swinging, picking up where they left off from the first half and created another big run to use against their opposition, as the defense zeroed in on one end of the floor, while the offense fed off of the energy back the other way with a 15-5 third quarter run in all to pull away with a lead above the 10-point plateau, never losing it in the process.
Hope Russell was a big spark plug behind Fillmore’s success on the offensive front, as she totaled a game-high 19 points. Grace Russell followed behind with 11 points of her own, while Preslee Miller chipped in eight.
On the flip side, Andover/Whitesville saw Vanessa Hall take charge with 18 team-high points. Zoe Baert recorded nine points, while Graci Lewis-Ellison and Kennedy Bledsoe each had four points.
Parks added in on Hall’s performance, the last he witnessed from within The Rock, noting that she has been a special player to coach against over the years.
“Vanessa had a great night tonight. I had to check the program three times to make sure that she is in fact graduating this year,” he said. “Her career has spanned about three different versions of my team, and she made trying to defend her one of our toughest challenges every single year. She is a special player, and I think her and Andover/Whitesville have a shot at another Sectional run this year.”
Both teams return to the floor after the weekend on Monday in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, as Fillmore remains at home to host Genesee Valley/Belfast, while Andover/Whitesville looks to bounce back against Friendship/Scio in a home battle of their own in Whitesville.
Andover/Whitesville 8 13 5 14 – 40
Fillmore 13 11 15 7 – 46
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Vanessa Hall 5 7-9 18, Graci Lewis-Ellison 2 0-0 4, Gabby Terhune 1 0-0 2, Zoe Baert 4 1-3 9, Gabbi Hall 1 0-0 3, Kennedy Bledsoe 2 0-2 4. Totals: 15 8-14 40.
FILLMORE: Hope Russell 7 3-10 19, Grace Russell 4 3-4 11, Rachel Hatch 2 0-0 4, Mattie McCumiskey 1 1-7 3, Preslee Miller 4 0-2 8, Madi Geertman 0 1-2 1. Totals: 18 8-25 46.
3-point goals: A/W 2 (V. Hall, G. Hall), Fillmore 2 (H. Russell).
Total Fouls: A/W 18, Fillmore 12. Fouled out: None.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 41, Friendship/Scio 11
BELMONT — All Genesee Valley/Belfast needed was two brilliant starts in each half to make some noise on Thursday, as they used a pair of runs, including a first quarter jaunt that gave them an insurmountable lead to control up against visiting Friendship/Scio, rolling towards a 41-11 home win in the Jungle, in Belmont.
Both quarters for Genesee Valley/Belfast (9-6) were jet-fueled by Mary Hamer down low, as she found her untouchable rhythm beginning in the opening eight minutes with 10 of the team’s first 17 points to storm off on a 17-4 run of Friendship/Scio. The lead would be pushed a tad farther to close out the first half before the hosts stomped back down on the gas pedal in the second half.
One final run of Friendship/Scio (9-6) would be garnered in the third quarter that would allow Genesee Valley/Belfast to pull away, as they scooted off on an 13-3 run with Hamer leading the balanced attack one more time. Hamer would lead all scorers with a game-high 20 points.
Following behind for the hosts was Anna Drozdowski, who had seven points. Harley Proctor had four points.
Friendship/Scio was led by Nevaeh Ross and Grace Drumm, as the two shooters combined for all 11 points. Ross was at the front with nine points, while Drumm had the remaining pair of points on an inside bucket. The team will head back over the road again on Monday to Whitesville, visiting Andover/Whitesville in a 7:30 p.m. battle.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to eclipse the 10-win mark come Saturday afternoon, as they hit the road themselves for a 12:30 p.m. tip-off at Campbell-Savona.
Friendship/Scio 4 2 3 2 – 11
Genesee Valley/Belfast 17 6 13 2 – 41
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Grace Drumm 1 0-0 2, Nevaeh Ross 4 0-0 9. Totals: 5 0-0 11.
GV/BELFAST: Anna Drozdowski 2 3-4 7, Abby Sullivan 1 0-0 2, Harley Proctor 2 0-0 4, Kendra Bigelow 0 1-2 1, Adison Grusendorf 1 0-0 2, Madison McKenzie 1 0-0 3, Mary Hamer 10 0-0 20, Kate Calanni 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 4-6 41.
3-point goals: F/S 1 (Ross), GVB 1 (McKenzie).
Total Fouls: F/S 9, GVB 10. Fouled out: None.
Bolivar-Richburg 54, Hinsdale 16
BOLIVAR — It was a tight battle early on between both Hinsdale and Bolivar-Richburg on Thursday, but the floodgates were busted down by the time the second came around by the Lady Wolverines, as they delivered a knockout punch in the third quarter to race away towards victory by a 54-16 count on their home floor.
After the Lady Bobcats started the night with a 10-6 first quarter lead, the momentum began to sway in Bolivar-Richburg’s (5-8) direction to close out the first half, as they scored a 9-2 run fueled by the resurgence of Malayna Ayers, who was shut off by the Andover/Whitesville defense back on Tuesday.
The senior would go on to give the Lady Wolverines a massive third quarter spark with the majority of the team’s 31 points from within the frame, as they posted an overpowering, 31-0 scoreless run after a 15-12 halftime lead to pull away from Hinsdale’s (0-15) grasp permanently. Ayers would finish with a game-high 25 points. Carmen Crowley chipped in with 10 points, while Raegan Giardini had nine.
The Lady Bobcats were led by Hannah Sutton and Jaylee Jimerson, each netting five team-high points. Hinsdale will head back home to host the Lady Eagles of Fillmore, Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
Bolivar-Richburg will hit the road after the weekend, as they look to keep the momentum in their favor with a 7:30 p.m. to the Wighthouse to face the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford.
Hinsdale 10 2 0 4 – 16
Bolivar-Richburg 6 9 31 8 – 54
HINSDALE: Hannah Sutton 2 1-2 5, Kaylie Foskit 1 0-0 2, Jaylee Jimerson 2 0-0 5, Mikayla Miller 1 0-0 2, Kaleigh Buckles 1 0-0 2. Totals: 7 1-2 16.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 2 0-2 4, Emma Sisson 2 0-0 4, Raegan Giardini 4 1-2 9, Carmen Crowley 5 0-0 10, Rylee Whiting 1 0-2 2, Malayna Ayers 12 0-0 25. Totals: 26 1-5 54.
3-point goals: Hinsdale 1 (Jimerson), B-R 1 (Ayers).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 8, B-R 9. Fouled out: None.
