By CHRIS BROOKS, photos by TRICIA DAVENPORT
ROCHESTER — Every once in a while during the Sectional hunt, a certain team will begin writing their Cinderella story. A story of true underdog mentality. One that would begin on Saturday.
After a dominant win over No. 10 Romulus to push their way forward into the Class D2 bracket, No. 7 Friendship/Scio was on the search for more, with their next opportunity coming over the road nearly 75 miles to the north at Northstar Christian Academy.
Despite the long road trip, Friendship/Scio made it all worthwhile, as they posted as strong of a first half closure as possible, holding the Lady Knights to just four points along the way to author their latest installment with a 47-30 upset win in the Quarterfinal round.
“We played really well-structured, good team basketball. We had 12 assists on 18 of our baskets, and we came out after a long bus ride and played strong to come away with the upset,” said Friendship/Scio coach Ashleigh Lewis. “My dad and I are still trying to figure out the last time both schools last reached a Semifinal game. The girls worked their tails off to earn this tonight. They’ve really stepped up, they’ve all improved and everyone got some decent minutes and contributions to make this happen.”
A bit of a slow start on both sides would develop through the early-going, with Northstar garnering the one-point lead through the first quarter. But not long after, Friendship/Scio (13-9) would shake it off in the biggest of ways, responding with a tough spell of defense that would be used as fuel for their offense in turn to hold the Lady Knights at bay with a 17-4 half-ending jaunt to take a 24-12 lead.
Lewis said there were some nerves to start out the game, but once the girls settled in, it was go time.
“It all started on defense,” she said. “Nevaeh (Ross) helped force a lot of turnovers, and our pressure really started to frustrate them. Our offense comes from our defense, as we’ve told them all year. Every time we would get the ball from them, it’s a shot that we get. We were pretty nervous to start the game, maybe some jitters had a role in it here and there, but then we realized that we can be, and ultimately were the better team.”
Northstar would get as close as six points to Friendship/Scio during the second half, but the visitors would find their footing one more time in the last eight minutes to create even more separation to remain out front of the Lady Knights for good. A big part of the team’s success was the outstanding performance Nevaeh Ross put together, as she posted a game-high 24 points to pair with 11 rebounds and six steals to put a bow on her double-double.
Not far behind was Kadence Donohue, as she posted 18 points of her own to pair with nine rebounds. Adding more special teams help was Lexi Crossley, who grabbed seven additional rebounds, and six assists from Morghyn Ross, who had the assignment alongside Claire Calhoun to keep one of Northstar’s premier players off the board. The two defenders converged to hold Alayna Garwood to just 13 points across the battle.
The win now sends Friendship/Scio into an unfamiliar realm, but one they now look to provide heavy punctuation for, as they get set to battle Class D perennial Elba in the Class D2 Semifinal round at Mount Morris, beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
“We physically and athletically can match up with them really well, but they have some strong shooters,” said Lewis. “We have to hit our open looks. Elba is always in it. They’re young, but they have a lot of experience in their program. They’ve been playing exceptionally well as of late. But if we can come out and play our game, it will be a good game to be a part of.”
Friendship/Scio 7 17 10 13 – 47
Northstar 8 4 11 7 – 30
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Nevaeh Ross 9 6-7 24, Logan Roberts 1 0-0 3, Lexi Crossley 1 0-0 2, Kadence Donohue 7 2-2 18. Totals: 18 8-9 47.
NORTHSTAR: Solveig Foggia 4 1-2 9. Alysse Wesp 3 0-0 6, Alba Carerra 0 0-2 0, Emma Kelly 1 0-2 2, Alayna Garwood 4 5-7 13. Totals: 12 6-13 30.
3-point goals: F/S 3 (Donohue 2, Roberts).
Total Fouls: F/S 17, Northstar 9. Fouled out: None.
No. 1 Andover/Whitesville 65, No. 9 Houghton Academy 28
WHITESVILLE — Top-seeded Andover/Whitesville officially kicked off their title defense with the biggest of bangs on their home floor in what would be the final time this season, Saturday afternoon, as Vanessa Hall went off with a Sectional-starting explosion from all angles of the floor to set the pace for the team’s 65-28 Quarterfinal victory over No. 9 Houghton Academy, in Whitesville.
“Jess (Prentice) is so tough to defend. We had to work really hard to contain her, but we are so proud of our girls,” Andover/Whitesville co-coach Aaron Rawady said. “Vanessa went off tonight with a double-double, and Kennedy (Bledsoe) and Graci (Lewis-Ellison) played really good defense on the back end. All the girls really gave us something positive.”
Out of her game-high 38 points across all four quarters, Hall made her impact known right from within the first half, as she posted 28 of the team’s 34 points to help create a 34-11 halftime lead of Houghton Academy.
Andover/Whitesville (16-4) would collect additional contributions later on in the second half to help solidify their lead over the Lady Panthers for good, using a 19-point third quarter that saw five different scorers all pitch in to help the cause before finishing the night strong with a 12-2 run in the last eight minutes.
Hall grabbed 11 rebounds to pair with her 38 points to complete a monster double-double performance. Finishing behind her was Kennedy Bledsoe, who had seven points. Graci Lewis-Ellison and Gabby Terhune each recorded six points.
For Houghton Academy, Jess Prentice concluded her incredible high school career for the Lady Panthers with 24 of the team’s 28 points. Jessica Adenuga had the final four points to add in.
“Hats off to Andover/Whitesville. Vanessa is one of the best players in the county for a reason,” said Lady Panthers coach Jeff Prentice. “She can score inside, outside, off the dribble. She had a great game for them, and she’s a super kid. Their coaches do some really great things together. The bigger picture for us is that the program has struggled quite a lot in recent years. There were times where we had just one win, where we had no wins at all. But for a girl like Jess to take this program from obscurity to promising, she’s been a big part of that and because of it, she’s our all-time leading scorer.”
The Lady Panthers finish at 7-15 overall, and they will graduate four seniors at the end of the year in Prentice, Adenuga, Ram Karim and Hajar Ahmedi. Prentice continued on, noting that “The effort that Jess has put in, it’s second to none. My hat goes off to her and Jessica A also had a great season, especially off the boards and down low. She pushed through to have a great final season for us along with Jess. We were a bit worried at first that we wouldn’t be able to have a season, but to get seven wins, I couldn’t be happier.”
Andover/Whitesville heads back into the Class D2 Semifinal round, which will begin Tuesday in Mount Morris by taking on No. 5 Hammondsport for a chance to punch a return ticket back to the Finals next weekend. Tip-off between the two foes is slated for a 7:45 p.m. start.
Houghton Academy 4 7 15 2 – 28
Andover/Whitesville 16 18 19 12 – 65
HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jess Prentice 8 4-6 24, Jessica Adenuga 1 2-4 4. Totals: 9 6-10 28.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Lexy Palmatier 1 0-0 2, Vanessa Hall 17 2-2 38, Graci Lewis-Ellison 3 0-0 6, Gabby Terhune 3 0-0 6, Makaila Brewster 1 0-0 2, Zoe Baert 1 0-0 2, Gabbi Hall 1 0-0 2, Kennedy Bledsoe 3 1-2 7. Totals: 30 3-4 65.
3-point goals: HA 4 (Prentice), A/W 2 (V. Hall).
Total Fouls: HA 11, A/W 9. Fouled out: None.
Friday Sectionals: 2nd half defense by No. 4 GV/Belfast keeps No. 5 Avoca/Prattsburgh at bay to lock in D1 Semis berth; No. 5 B-R boys upset Red Creek, Rebels downed by No. 4 Warsaw in Class C action
BELMONT — Whether it’s good or bad, or even ugly, in common universal sports lore, great teams always find a way to win games. At this stage of the game, teams will take wins in any way, shape or form to keep their season alive.
Simply put: They’ll do what it takes. Whatever the stakes.
Between No. 5 Avoca/Prattsburgh and No. 4 Genesee Valley/Belfast, the two foes battled it out in a fight for their Sectional lives with a spot in next week’s Semifinal round on the line. To do it, both teams would have to navigate through a flurry of trials and tribulations from start to finish, consisting of multiple turnovers and multiple missed opportunities from the field during the early stages. A point where scoring came at a premium.
It wasn’t until the late stages of the second half when sparks began to fly on both. Fortunately enough, Genesee Valley/Belfast’s provided the one that changed the complexion of the game completely.
With Avoca/Prattsburgh hanging around right on their trail, the hosts in white and black started to put the pieces of the puzzle together not only to keep their defense as strong as its been all game, but as well as offense, finding their rhythm at the end of the third quarter and into the last eight minutes by scoring 16 unanswered points to break away from the Lady Titans permanently to claim their spot in the Class D1 Semifinal round after the weekend with a 45-22 win on Friday, in Belmont.
“Make no bones about it, that Avoca/Prattsburgh team is legit. They’re all underclassmen, and they brought their forces with them,” said GV/Belfast coach Jim Schneider. “We were able to knock down those silly baskets, the fast break baskets. We came up with positives and negatives in the game, and our positives were led by our defense. The girls shut them down, and our negatives lay with the offense. They didn’t allow us to get into a half-court offense, so we had to make up the difference with pace, and fortunately enough we were able to outpace them the whole game.”
The first quarter would see just a pair of runs formulate in between each team, with Genesee Valley/Belfast (13-8) starting the defensive battle with seven straight points — five of them off the hand of Anna Drozdowski, which allowed her to pick back up where the team left off from her career-high performance 11 days ago at Cuba-Rushford to close out the regular season.
Avoca/Prattsburgh would then follow suit with five in a row themselves to help close out the frame off a long Emma Carlton three, and later down the line, a Kamryn Edwards dig down low under the breadbasket for the lay-in. In the midst of it all, a bounty of turnovers in between each team that saw possession flip-flop several times over the course of not only the opening frame, but across the entire game.
The Lady Titans would find a way to push their scoreless run out to eight in a row to take their first lead of the game off another three-pointer from down the middle, this time by Edwards to start the second quarter. But it would be the only opportunity that the visitors in black and gold would capitalize upon, as Genesee Valley/Belfast rallied back to finish off the first half with nine straight points, led by back-to-back drives underneath by Mary Hamer to create a 16-8 lead.
For his offense to react the way they did across the first half, and even into the second half, Schneider says that having not played a game in nearly two weeks was difficult to try and regain focus once again.
“We haven’t played a game in 11 days,” he said. “Practicing that length of time is difficult to keep focus. Focus as in trying to keep shape, trying to keep their mindset for basketball. At the end of the third quarter, I was completely pleased with the way they reacted to them, and the shape and the performance that they’re more than capable of.”
In a frame where points became a rarity across the first several minutes, Genesee Valley/Belfast started to assemble one of their best finishes of the season right towards the tail end of the third quarter. After a Meyah Putnam triple, the hosts then took control after their deficit was reduced to six, as a four-point play started by an Abby Sullivan and-one was finished off by a big offensive rebound and score from Hamer underneath. Sullivan would then add a three-pointer a short time later to extend their advantage to 15.
The scoreless run would carry over into the last eight minutes where it would reach as high as 16 unanswered for Genesee Valley/Belfast, pushing their lead out of reach from Avoca/Prattsburgh for good behind Drozdowski and Hamer’s guidance on the fly to break down the floodgates while keeping the Lady Titans silenced on offense.
Schneider sums up the team’s defensive efforts, especially in the second half, in just one simple, and powerful word.
“Amazing,” he said. “It doesn’t matter which one of our players leads, it was a complete effort on defense. I didn’t need my reserves right off the bat, but they would have stepped up the same. We work our hardest to try to get in shape, and we love playing defense. The first quarter and a half, I was a bit skeptical, but they stepped it up after that. It was really fun to watch them put things together.”
Drozdowski would finish as Genesee Valley/Belfast’s leader on the board with a game-high 21 points. Hamer would follow with 14 points of her own, while Abby Sullivan recorded eight points. Adison Grusendorf rounded off the scoring with her two-point basket.
Avoca/Prattsburgh was led by Edwards and her seven team-high points.
Up next, Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to cash in on a massive opportunity to avenge their heartbreaking Class D1 Finals defeat to the hands of Keshequa on the soccer pitch this past fall, as they square off with the top-seeded Lady Indians on the hardwood in LeRoy for a chance to fill in one of two vacancies for next weekend’s Finals at Letchworth.
“They’ve got some wheels, and they have a couple of nice guards that like getting through to the hole,” Schneider said of Keshequa. “With the way we run our defense, we have a chance to try and shut their dribble drive down. If we can keep pace, we’re in the ballgame at the end. We played a solid team in Notre Dame-Batavia last year in the Semis, and our defense completely slowed them down. That’s what I have to hope for again this time around.”
Schneider added on his team’s desire to exact revenge on the Lady Indians after their most recent battle this past fall, saying that “They have a drive about this game. They’ve talked about that loss in soccer this past fall, and to them, it’s been a big bug. We’ll see what happens. We’ve got a shootaround on Sunday and hopefully they will go home tonight, get some rest, eat some spaghetti and take care of themselves, and then take time tomorrow to recover because we will need it.”
Tip-off between Genesee Valley/Belfast and Keshequa is slated for a 7:45 p.m. start immediately following the other Class D1 Semifinal that will take the stage beforehand, between No. 3 Lyndonville and No. 2 Fillmore, which will begin at 6 p.m.
Avoca/Prattsburgh 5 3 5 9 – 22
Genesee Valley/Belfast 7 9 12 17 – 45
AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH: D’Mariannah Hinson-Pike 1 0-0 3, Breanna Jorritsma 0 1-2 1, Emma Carlton 1 0-0 3, Kamryn Edwards 2 2-8 7, Marissa Reid 1 0-3 2, Meyah Putnam 2 0-0 6. Totals: 7 3-13 22.
GV/BELFAST: Anna Drozdowski 6 7-8 21, Abby Sullivan 3 0-1 8, Adison Grusendorf 1 0-0 2, Mary Hamer 7 0-0 14. Totals: 17 7-9 45.
3-point goals: A/P 5 (Putnam 2, Hinson-Pike, Carlton, Edwards), GVB 4 (Drozdowski 2, Sullivan 2).
Total Fouls: A/P 17, GVB 12. Fouled out: None.
No. 2 Fillmore 47, No. 7 Arkport/Canaseraga 27
FILLMORE — Taking the hardwood for the first time to start your hunt for Sectional glory, it can be a bit nerve-racking at times. But as time goes on, the nervousness begins to subside. For the Lady Eagles of Fillmore, that was the case against No. 7 Arkport/Canaseraga on Friday in The Rock for the final time this season.
After battling with the Lady Wolves through a tight first half, the second seeds would find a way to break the game open with a stellar defensive effort on one end of the floor, leading to some big points on the other end in return, as Fillmore collected a big third quarter run of Arkport/Canaseraga to branch their lead out permanently to claim their spot in Monday’s Class D1 Semifinals with a 47-27 home win.
“I think we had some nerves to start out, but once we were able to get a couple easy buckets, our confidence rose and we played a very nice game on both sides of the ball,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “Arkport/Canaseraga has a nice team and they have a couple of six footers that we had to focus on defensively. I thought the girls did an excellent job of taking away the inside and really doing an excellent job on the glass. Most nights, our defense sparks our offense and that was the case in the third quarter. We forced a lot of turnovers and that led to some open layups on the other end.”
The Lady Eagles (16-5) would outscore Arkport/Canaseraga across the first three quarters, starting with a close battle across the first half that saw them take a 20-12 lead going into the break. With the Lady Wolves looking to make a move in the second half, the hosts in white and green would bench that opportunity for a big run to pull ahead even further, scoring a 17-5 run paced by a stand-up defensive effort that saw multiple turnovers from the Lady Wolves.
Capitalizing on the most of the opportunity was Hope Russell, who had an outstanding performance for the Lady Eagles with a game-high 22 points. Following behind was another remarkable outing straight off the bench from Amelia Rose, who chipped in with 10 points. Rachel Hatch had six points.
“Hope had a great game for us, and Amelia giving us 10 points off the bench was huge,” Parks said. “We talked about having to do things together to succeed, and tonight was a nice example of players filling their roles on both sides of the ball. Hopefully, we can stay focused and ready for the Semifinals.”
Fillmore is now off to the Class D1 Semifinals, which will take place on Monday in a 6 p.m. tip-off in LeRoy, as they go up against the No. 3 Lyndonville Lady Tigers for a shot at next weekend’s Finals.
Arkport/Canaseraga 5 7 5 10 – 27
Fillmore 8 12 17 10 – 47
ARKPORT/CANASERAGA: Reese Payne 1 1-2 4, Jacey Payne 1 0-1 2, Payton O’Dell 6 1-2 15, Morgan Gilbert 1 0-0 2, Caitlyn Gilman 2 0-2 4. Totals: 11 2-7 27.
FILLMORE: Hope Russell 9 3-6 22, Grace Russell 2 1-2 5, Rachel Hatch 3 0-0 6, Amelia Rose 3 2-3 10, Preslee Miller 0 2-4 2, Madi Geertman 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 8-15 47.
3-point goals: A/C 3 (O’Dell 2, R. Payne), Fillmore 3 (Rose 2, H. Russell).
Total Fouls: A/C 12, Fillmore 13. Fouled out: McCumiskey (FIL).
BOYS BASKETBALL
Class C2 Quarterfinals
No. 5 Bolivar-Richburg 50, No. 4 Red Creek 39
RED CREEK — It’s safe to say that after this past Fall’s run-in with the Red Creek Mules in the Class C2 Finals during soccer season, a potential meet-up in this year’s Quarterfinal round on the hardwood, was one that the fifth-seeded Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were looking forward to since that very day back at the end of October.
The chance for redemption has never tasted any sweeter than on Friday when the Wolverines saw their wish granted by the Sectional gods during the Class C2 Playoff hunt. But with it being a non-school night, the chance to try and fulfill that destiny wouldn’t come right away however, as they sat idle on the bus ride north for the next three hours and change before officially making landfall just past 6:30 p.m. in Red Creek.
But as time went on, the Wolverines would go on to prove that it would be well worth the wait. Just ask David Baldwin.
Although his performance followed Aydin Sisson and Evan Pinney’s guidance on offense, the Bolivar-Richburg senior ran rampant on the hardwood fulfilling all the little things that became even larger as time went on, especially in the last eight minutes of play where he took complete control of the rebounding department against the fourth-seeded Mules while adding one of the team’s most clutch shots down the stretch to keep their lead intact, securing the team a Class C2 Semifinals berth on Monday with a 50-39 win on their long, long road trip up north.
“It’s not surreal, but it was just a whirlwind of an evening. You sit on the bus for hours and it felt like it took 15 minutes to play a game,” said Wolverines coach Justin Thomas. “That was a testament to the competitiveness of the game. Both teams played so well, and David had the night of his career. He did such a great job against their biggest kid who is 6-6. He had a dagger of a shot from the baseline to extend it far enough from reach. He put us on his back for a little while down the stretch, and he and Evan decided their careers weren’t over in the second half. Everyone else did their part behind them.”
The Wolverines (18-4) would survive an early back-and-forth shootout with Red Creek in the game’s first eight minutes, as both teams wheeled and dealt one basket after another until the Mules found an opening right near the end of the frame to rattle off four straight points to close out the frame with a 17-12 lead to carry forward.
In the second, the scoreless run would reach six straight for Red Creek before Bolivar-Richburg raised the ante themselves a short time later. From the six minute mark and through the next several minutes after, the Wolverines went on a quick jaunt themselves, scoring the next 11 points in a row, led by Baldwin and his six points down low off a couple of key offensive rebounds to give them a 23-19 lead with two minutes remaining.
Red Creek would get no closer than two points, which was their halftime deficit, for the remainder of the game, as Bolivar-Richburg added one more footstep ahead of the Mules across the second half to further distance themselves to the point where they would become out of reach. That scenario would come in the fourth quarter, when their lead would grow to as much as 10 with wide-open runs to the basket by both Aydin Sisson and Evan Pinney paying massive dividends early on.
The Mules would inch closer down the stretch, down 43-37 to the Wolverines with under two minutes remaining. But the visitors in black and red would ultimately put the game on lock with seven of the last nine points going in their favor, including a monster jumper from Baldwin off a spectacular pass from Sisson, knocking it down from just inside the right wing with 1:19 left to branch the advantage back out to eight, where it would remain until the fouling game commenced a short time later to close it out.
Sisson led all scorers on offense for Bolivar-Richburg with a game-high 18 points. Pinney followed behind with 15 points of his own, while Baldwin capped off a career night with his 10 points to go with 12 massive rebounds and a pair of blocks, completing a double-double of epic proportions to help send the Wolverines into the Semifinals, where they will now vie for a chance to win a trip to Blue Cross Arena next weekend for the Finals.
To do it, the Wolverines will have to try and put out a fire that has been burning since the very beginning of the season — a five-alarm fire created by one of the State’s top teams all season long: the top-seeded Pembroke Dragons, winners of 19 straight games since their season-opening loss back in early December against St. Mary’s Lancaster of Section VI.
“This feels great. They wanted this revenge moniker from soccer,” said Thomas. “It’s been a little while since we’ve gone on a run like this and now the boys are presented with a chance to keep it going against one of the best teams in the State with Pembroke. To be the best, you have to beat the best. The boys are definitely looking forward to the challenge this will bring.”
Both teams will meet on Monday at a site and time to be determined.
Bolivar-Richburg 12 11 16 11 – 50
Red Creek 17 4 12 6 – 39
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 7 2-5 18, Landon Barkley 2 0-0 5, David Baldwin 4 2-5 10, Evan Pinney 4 4-5 15, James Margeson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 8-15 50.
RED CREEK: Hunter Hicks 0 1-2 1, Tyler Cooper 5 1-2 14, Jordan Verburg 2 0-0 4, Jace Brown 4 3-10 11, Connor Hopp 4 1-1 9. Totals: 15 6-15 39.
3-point goals: B-R 6 (Pinney 3, Sisson 2, Barkley), RC 3 (Cooper).
Total Fouls: B-R 14, RC 17. Fouled out: Hicks (RC).
Class C3 Quarterfinals
No. 4 Warsaw 82, No. 5 Cuba-Rushford 51
WARSAW — Across the opening eight minutes of the battle, the No. 5 Rebels of Cuba-Rushford locked it in early with No. 4 Warsaw in their Class C3 Quarterfinal battle, where the winner would have to not only face the top seeds in the Class, but perhaps the entire state of New York, in the Lyons Lions after the weekend.
In the midst of a back-and-forth dealing between both squads, it was anyone’s game to assume control of going forward. Down by five to the host Tigers, the Rebels would have to feed off the momentum they had built in the opening frame to use against their opposition going forward. Instead, Warsaw fed off of it themselves to create one of the strongest finishes of the night — a lengthy second quarter run that automatically set the tone to power up what was an 82-51 win over Cuba-Rushford to close up an outstanding season of Rebels basketball.
“I told the guys after the game that we can’t let one game define this season that we had,” said Rebels coach Pat Wight. “We just weren’t our best tonight. Warsaw’s pressure was a struggle to try and handle, along with some early foul trouble. We could never really bounce back from it. Warsaw did a great job of forcing us to turn the ball over.”
After the host Tigers won an offensive shootout with the Rebels (17-5) across the opening eight minutes, led by a pair of threes from Ty Joy and a perfect 7-for-7 outing at the charity stripe along the way. With all the momentum now occupying their wheelhouse, Cuba-Rushford would attempt to climb back into the fight. But as for Warsaw, they posted a massive 25-8 half-ending run, led by five different Tigers, including Bailey Schell and Patrick Klump, as the two shooters combined for 17 of the team’s 25 points from within the frame.
Warsaw would then go on to score a third consecutive 20-point frame in their return to the court for the second half, as they pulled away and out of reach from Cuba-Rushford to send the Rebels back home packing with a massive victory in Quarterfinal play.
Leading the offense for the Rebels was Finn Ricketts, who helped get the team started in the first with nine of their 15 points, finishing with a team-high 12 points. Behind him are Luke Brooks and Jack Frank, as they followed closely behind with 11 and 10 points, respectfully to close up shop.
The season is now over for the Rebels, and although their turnaround campaign came to a close, it was one that Wight is more than proud of after his first season on the sidelines, putting a bow on a 17-5 season after finishing 10-10 overall, a year ago. Cuba-Rushford will graduate four seniors at the end of the school year in Smith, Frank, Scott and Linderman.
“I’d like to thank my seniors, Jacob, Jack, Hunter (Scott) and Jacob (Linderman) for all of their hard work this past season,” said Wight “We wish them nothing but the absolute best in life after school. going forward. My congratulations go out to Warsaw for a great game. We wish them nothing but luck going forward.”
Cuba-Rushford 15 8 13 15 – 51
Warsaw 21 25 23 14 – 82
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Braeden Wight 1 4-8 7, Jacob Smith 2 0-0 4, Kaden Bell 1 1-2 3, Luke Brooks 5 1-2 11, Jack Frank 5 0-0 10, Hunter Scott 0 0-1 0, Finn Ricketts 5 0-0 12, Peyton Joy 2 0-0 4. Totals: 21 6-13 51.
WARSAW: Bailey Schell 6 3-4 15, Ty Joy 2 0-0 6, Emmitt Stores 1 0-0 2, Quinton Librock 7 5-5 22, DQ Johnson-Meyers 3 2-3 8, Patrick Klump 5 3-4 15, Jake Sawdey 4 0-0 8, Reese Grisewood 2 0-0 4, Grant Campbell 1 0-0 2. Totals: 31 13-16 82.
3-point goals: C-R 2 (Ricketts), Warsaw 5 (Librock 3, Joy 2).
Total Fouls: C-R 11, Warsaw 18. Fouled out: None.
Class D2 Quarterfinals
No. 3 Andover/Whitesville 60, No. 6 Houghton Academy 36
ANDOVER — What better way to have your most complete performance of the season, than on the first day of Sectionals on Friday.
Led by Brody Vance and one of his best performances of the season, third-seeded Andover/Whitesville was able to get the job done on their home floor in Andover one last time, as they posted a pair of cushioned runs in the first half to set the tone against No. 6 Houghton Academy, keeping their offense frozen with a lead they would never look back from, securing a big 60-36 home win along the way to claim a spot in next week’s Class D2 Semifinal round.
“I am extremely happy with the guys tonight,” said Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce. “I really felt that if we put forth efforts like we did tonight, we can do a lot of damage in Sectionals this year and in years to come. Tip of the cap to Jeff (Prentice) and his Houghton squad. They are extremely classy and they never gave up. This was our most complete performance of the season by our guys.”
Andover/Whitesville (10-11) saw some even balance with their offense propel two lengthy runs of Houghton Academy across the first half, beginning in the first quarter, where they allowed just two shots from the field off the hand of James Adenuga to reach the twine in the midst of their 13-5 lead after the opening minutes.
Later on, the three-point game would begin the flare up from downtown for the hosts in white, as they countered the Panthers (3-17) once again with 12 of their 14 second quarter points coming off four triples to branch their lead out even more going into the break, up by a 27-14 count.
But in the third quarter, the three-point game was just the beginning for Andover/Whitesville, as Brody Vance answered the call with a hot second half collectively, scoring 16 of his game-high 21 points in the last 16 minutes to build up a runaway win for his team with a 20-point third frame.
“From our seniors down to our eighth graders, everyone contributed tonight,” said Joyce. “Brody specifically shined for us. He had been struggling a little bit with his shot the last few weeks, which has been very uncharacteristic of him. He got out of that slump in a big way with his game.”
Following Vance and his 21 points for Andover/Whitesville, is CJ Estep and his 10 points. Jack Belmont and Kohler Niedermaier rounded off the scoring with nine points each, with Belmont knocking down three triples, while Niedermaier dug in down low to deliver some big baskets underneath.
Monday night, Andover/Whitesville will head for a neutral site to square off with No. 2 Mount Morris in the Class D2 Semifinal round. The time and venue for their Semifinal battle has yet to be determined.
Houghton Academy 5 9 11 11 – 36
Andover/Whitesville 13 14 20 13 – 60
HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 3 1-1 7, Josh Davidson 1 0-0 3, James Adenuga 7 3-4 19, Marco Zanini 2 0-0 4, Pedro Rebello 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 4-5 36.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Brody Vance 7 2-3 21, Jack Belmont 3 0-0 9, Colton Calladine 3 0-0 7, CJ Estep 4 1-1 10, Will Kent 1 0-0 2, Gage Hall 1 0-0 2, Kohler Niedermaier 4 1-3 9. Totals: 23 4-7 60.
3-point goals: HA 3 (Adenuga 2, Davidson), A/W 10 (Vance 5, Belmont 3, Calladine, Estep).
Total Fouls: HA 10, A/W 8. Fouled out: None.
No. 4 Elba 66, No. 5 Friendship/Scio 47
ELBA — Despite being outscored across all four quarters on the road Friday night, fifth-seeded Friendship/Scio did not make it easy whatsoever for No. 4 Elba from start to finish.
The Lancers would see Friendship/Scio follow in their footsteps going into the last eight minutes of battle, where one final chance to try and escape their grasp was presented. With it, the hosts in white and maroon capitalized on it in full force with one final card left to play — a massive 26-point frame to help close out the night, breaking away towards a 66-47 home win to end Friendship/Scio’s season on the hardwood.
For much of the first half, both Friendship/Scio (7-13) and Elba battled with dead even exchanges on the offensive side, which would allow them to remain in reach going into the break with a 22-16 narrow deficit to make up upon their return to the court. The visitors in purple once more attempted to close the gap on Elba in the third quarter with their largest frame of the game.
A 17-point offensive outburst led by Brenden Loucks down low with 12 of game-high 24 points all coming from down low and off the glass.
Down by seven going into the fourth quarter however, the Lancers provided one last spark of their own — the biggest quarter the contest would see, as they nearly doubled-up Friendship/Scio by a 26-13 count to pull away towards victory at the end of the night.
Following behind Loucks in the scoring for Friendship/Scio was Ethan Davenport, who had four of the team’s five triples from downtown to further the offensive cause. Taylor Moore chipped in with five points, while Cooper Greenman followed with a pair of points.
Friendship/Scio’s season has officially reached its end, as they wrap up with a record of 7-13 overall. At the end of the school year, the team will part ways with Loucks, Moore and Hunter Hill, as the school’s trio prepares to graduate.
Friendship/Scio 7 9 17 14 – 47
Elba 8 14 18 26 – 66
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Brenden Loucks 9 6-9 24, Taylor Moore 1 2-5 5, Ethan Davenport 5 2-2 16, Cooper Greenman 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 10-16 47.
ELBA: Gage Chamberlain 2 1-4 5, Jake Walczak 2 0-0 5, Ashton Bezon 7 1-2 15, Nicholas Scott 6 0-0 15, Jake Engle 6 0-1 16, Ryan Marsceill 1 0-0 3, Angelo Penna 1 2-2 4, Connor Scott 0 2-4 2. Totals: 25 6-13 66.
3-point goals: F/S 5 (Davenport 4, Moore), Elba 9 (Engle 4, Scott 3, Walczak, Marsceill).
Total Fouls: F/S 13, Elba 15. Fouled out: Penna (Elba).
No. 1 Jasper-Troupsburg 95, No. 8 Hinsdale 27
GREENWOOD — There was simply no stopping the top-seeded Jasper-Troupsburg Wildcats on Friday, as they came close to record triple figures to start their Sectional journey in the Class D2 Quarterfinal round, strolling their way towards the Semifinals on Monday with a 95-27 rout over No. 8 Hinsdale, in Greenwood.
Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report upon publication.
The Bobcats finish up their 2022-23 campaign with a record of 1-20 overall. The team will graduate three seniors in Xander Pascucci, Damion Brown and Joe Neubert at the end of the school year.
