Thursday Roundup: Off 5-set win at Portville previously, GV/Belfast spoils Wellsville’s Senior Night with tough straight-set triumph; GV/Belfast boys and girls, Fillmore ladies amongst hoops winners
Photo gallery and stories by Chris Brooks, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
WELLSVILLE — There are always positives and negatives to playing back-to-back nights, no matter what sport it is.
This was the case for Genesee Valley/Belfast on Thursday, when the opportunity to build off an enormous victory of redeeming quality against Portville came with another bus ride. On this next occasion, it was a Senior Night visit into the Lion’s Den to face Wellsville for the first time since the very beginning of the season in early December.
Volleyball can become a game of runs, and for the most part in their final battle in the regular season, Genesee Valley/Belfast and Wellsville manufactured a bundle of them to trade back-and-forth. It was a straight-set decision that went in the favor of the Lions the first time around, as they took care of business over the road in the Jungle.
This time? Genesee Valley/Belfast sought redemption once again, with one of their own.
It was not easy by any means, but when it was all said and done, the visitors in black remained in stride right alongside Wellsville across all three sets of action, with the middle frame witnessing extra serves. But the end result would remain constant, as Genesee Valley/Belfast did just enough in the last two sets of play after a strong first set finish to lay claim on another redeeming victory in straight sets, taking down the Lions by a 25-19, 28-26, 25-23 decision.
“I definitely felt like our two middles played very well tonight, and I was really happy to see the team push to come from behind in a couple of the games to show some great resilience. Our next S.A.T. word is complacency and we will keep pushing for more continued improvement to bring about more success.” said GV/Belfast coach Darren Bradt.
The back-and-forth pace settled in across the early stages of the opening set to kick off the festivities on the court, exchanging points until a 10-10 deadlock was reached. From that point, Genesee Valley/Belfast (6-6) was able to navigate a smooth groove on the floor with six straight points to construct the set’s largest lead, but it was one that the Lions responded to with a run of their own, scoring seven of the next eight points to bring the action to another tie at 17-all.
After what was the final tie, at 19-19, shared between Genesee Valley/Belfast and Wellsville (6-4), the visitors in black collected a strong finish behind solid service from the back line, as they posted the next six points straight to claim the early advantage.
In the second set and going forward, it was anyone’s game. Looking to maintain the momentum they created after the first set finish, there was no lead bigger than six points, which was held by the Lions at one point down the homestretch in the frame. But a similar response from Genesee Valley/Belfast erupted once more, as they scored six unanswered points again to tie the match at 23.
The set would ultimately require extra serves to complete, and on three straight occasions, Genesee Valley/Belfast would garner the game-point advantage. After two responses by Wellsville to keep their match-tying hopes alive, the visitors were able to cash in on the last chance to ensure the hard-fought 28-26 victory to push the Lions to the brink going into the third set.
In that final set, both teams would settle in for one last back-and-forth race to the finish, as they battled down to the wire right next to one another. With a 23-23 tie waiting to be broken, Genesee Valley/Belfast would make sure no more extra serves were needed to end the night, as they gathered the two biggest points of the battle to proclaim victory to split their season series with Wellsville.
“GV/Belfast showed up and gave us a fight,” Lions coach Adam Kellogg said. “We just couldn’t hang on to clinch the win. My kids played well up at the net and stayed aggressive throughout the matches. Brody (Heaney) was very strong at the net and the service line, and even though he hasn’t gotten a lot of playing time, I still thought Connor (Otero) did a great job moving into the right spots and helping where he could at the net. Those two seniors have played some of the best volleyball they’ve played so far this year. Even though we didn’t win, I am very proud of all of them.”
Genesee Valley/Belfast was led by an offensive presence provided by Brayden Cooper at the front of the net, scoring eight kills to go with four aces and a pair of blocks. Jackson Stout chipped in with seven more kills, coupling them with four blocks and an ace, while Sean Mahon added five kills and an ace.
Wellsville saw Lucius Griggs captain the attack behind his game-high 10 kills, pairing them with two aces from the back line. Terrence Benz provided six more kills and three blocks. Brody Heaney finished with four kills, three aces and a denial.
Both teams are back on the court Tuesday night in a pair of 6 p.m. first serves, with Genesee Valley/Belfast heading back home to host Fillmore, while the Lions hit the road to visit Bolivar-Richburg.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Genesee Valley/Belfast 73, Friendship/Scio 35
FRIENDSHIP — Genesee Valley/Belfast’s main objective entering Thursday night right before they make their appearance at this year’s Barkley Showcase, was to leave their latest defeat to the hands of Perry in the rearview mirror.
Back on the road with a visit to Friendship/Scio, the first quarter provided an opportunity right from the starting gate to do just that. As a result, they would not squander it, as they posted a massive 20-point stand of offense to set the tone to build a full head of steam heading into the weekend, rebounding with a 73-35 victory in Friendship.
Three different scorers for Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-4) all piloted the offense towards a successful night on the floor, with Kadin Logue taking the lead with his game-high 17 points. Following behind was Ian McKenzie, who chipped in with a 14-point performance while Lannden Tilton had 10 points to help round off.
From the start, Genesee Valley/Belfast did not lose a beat, as they strung together a 20-point frame on the attack while the defense in transition kept Friendship/Scio (3-9) held still, allowing just six point back the other way to garner the room they needed to stay out in front in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the contest.
On the other side of the floor, Connor Blouvet collected a team-leading 15 points to aid Friendship/Scio’s attack, pairing them with four steals. Charlie Taylor and Jerimiah Brown each chipped in with five points to further the cause. Next Thursday, Friendship/Scio will hit the road for a 7:30 p.m. contest at Bolivar-Richburg.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will now head into Saturday’s eighth annual Dan Barkley Showcase at Alfred State, where they will help cap off the winter event with the final battle of the five-game slate, taking on the Arkport-Canaseraga Wolves in an 8 p.m. tip-off.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 20 17 22 14 – 73
Friendship/Scio 6 8 11 10 – 35
GV/BELFAST: Kyle McCumiskey 2 0-0 4, Kadin Logue 8 0-0 17, Lannden Tilton 4 0-0 10, Matt Cater 1 1-1 3, Ian McKenzie 5 2-2 14, Thayne Cobb 1 0-0 2, Owen Heaney 1 0-0 2, Jacob Borden 3 0-2 6, Kenton Schulz 3 2-2 8, Fisher Herdman 1 0-0 2, Ryan Daciw 2 1-2 5. Totals: 31 6-9 73.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Jerome Harmon 2 0-0 4, Connor Blouvet 7 0-5 15, Charlie Taylor 1 2-2 5, Jerimiah Brown 2 0-0 5, Cooper Greenman 2 0-0 4, Deacon Brown 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 2-7 35.
3-point goals: GVB 5 (Tilton 2, McKenzie 2, Logue), F/S 3 (Blouvet, Taylor, Brown).
Total Fouls: GVB 7, F/S 7. Fouled out: None.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Fillmore 78, Cuba-Rushford 30
FILLMORE — To say that the Lady Eagles of Fillmore were in complete harmony on both ends of the floor Thursday night would be a massive understatement, with Mattie McCumiskey and Preslee Miller serving as the team’s dynamic duo down low against visiting Cuba-Rushford to formulate what was a 78-30 win inside The Rock to record their seventh win in their first eight games.
“Tonight was one of those nights where everything just clicked,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “Mattie and Preslee had a monster of a game for us inside. Grace Russell was fantastic as well tonight, and handed out some big assists without a turnover. Cuba-Rushford is in the middle of a little rebuild, but they have some really nice young players. (Brynn) Lavery and (Aubrey) Williams both had a nice game, especially from the three-point line. Hopefully we can pick up where we left off here and take it on the road with us tomorrow.”
In the midst of an all-balanced attack on offense, the inside game for the Lady Eagles (7-1) helped pave the way for a hot start against the Lady Rebels, as they came together to construct a fiery 22-8 run to bring the hammer down almost immediately with an advantage they never relinquished.
Leading the charge was a dominant performance from Mattie McCumiskey, who posted a game-high 19 points to pair with nine rebounds. Not far behind, Preslee Miller chipped in with 17 points of her own. Grace Russell nearly posted a triple-double performance with 10 points, nine assists and eight steals. Adding more special teams help was Rachel Hatch, who grabbed nine more rebounds off the glass.
For Cuba-Rushford (3-8), Aubrey Williams and Brynn Lavery paved the way with eight team-high points each. Lilly Farwell had seven points to pitch in. The Lady Rebels are back in action over the road once again Wednesday night with a 7:30 p.m. visit to Wellsville.
A quick turnaround for the Lady Eagles will be had this evening when they hit the road for a 6:30 p.m. contest in Hammondsport.
Cuba-Rushford 8 10 5 7 – 30
Fillmore 22 17 22 17 – 78
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Aubrey Williams 2 2-2 8, Kendall Tompkins 1 0-0 2, Lily Tompkins 1 1-2 3, Brynn Lavery 3 0-0 8, Lilly Farwell 3 1-4 7, Raegan Poore 1 0-2 2. Totals: 11 4-10 30.
FILLMORE: Hope Russell 4 1-1 9, Grace Russell 5 0-2 10, Rachel Hatch 3 2-4 8, Amelia Rose 3 2-2 9, Mattie McCumiskey 9 1-1 19, Preslee Miller 8 1-3 17, Emalyn Mucher 2 2-2 6. Totals: 34 9-15 78.
3-point goals: C-R 4 (Williams 2, Lavery 2), Fillmore 1 (Rose).
Total Fouls: C-R 14, Fillmore 10. Fouled out: None.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 46, Bolivar-Richburg 32
BOLIVAR — The Genesee Valley/Belfast ladies have been red hot as the season begins to cross the midway threshold. On Thursday, it was no different, as they rode the bus over the road to Bolivar-Richburg and picked up their sixth win in their last seven games behind a well-oiled machine across the board on offense in their 46-32 victory against the Lady Wolverines.
The opening eight minutes for Genesee Valley/Belfast (8-2) was used in full on both ends of the floor, starting the battle off with the first 19 points behind five different scorers all finding their way to the basket to give them the distance they required to remain out front for good. Helping pace the balanced offense for the visitors in black was Abby Sullivan, who recorded 11 team-high points. Ava Aaronson followed with 10 points, while Kendra Bigelow had seven.
For the Lady Wolverines (2-8), Caitlyn Steiner powered the inside game with her game-high 12 points. Raegan Giardini chipped in with 10 points. Up next for Bolivar-Richburg is a 7:30 p.m. visit to Campbell-Savona on Wednesday.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to remain on fire with another road trip, this time to Jasper-Troupsburg to face the Lady Wildcats in a 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon matinee.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 19 8 10 9 – 46
Bolivar-Richburg 0 8 4 20 – 32
GV/BELFAST: Keanna Sands 0 1-2 1, Abby Sullivan 5 0-2 11, Sophie Zillgitt 3 0-0 6, Kendra Bigelow 3 1-2 7, Morgan Bentley 1 0-0 2, Whitney Young 1 1-6 3, Mary Hamer 2 0-0 4, Morgan Yackeren 0 2-6 2, Ava Aaronson 4 2-10 10. Totals: 19 7-28 46.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Jadyn Kinnicutt 1 0-0 2, Raegan Giardini 4 2-6 10, Sydney Faulkner 1 0-1 2, Rylee Whiting 1 0-2 2, Aaliyah DeGroff 1 0-0 2, Carmen Crowley 1 0-2 2, Caitlyn Steiner 5 2-3 12. Totals: 14 4-14 32.
3-point goals: GVB 1 (Sullivan).
Total Fouls: GVB 15, B-R 24. Fouled out: Baldwin (B-R), Kinnicutt (B-R), Faulkner (B-R).
WRESTLING
Wellsville at Campbell-Savona – No report.
Bolivar-Richburg 36, Addison 30
ADDISON — It was anyone’s match to claim all throughout the night, but when it was all said and done, the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines prevailed with a victory in close fashion over the road on Thursday, as they edged out host Addison with a 36-30 victory.
Complete results of the match were not made available to report upon publication.
Bolivar-Richburg will return to the mat after the weekend, when they host both Campbell-Savona and Fillmore/Keshequa on Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m.
Canisteo-Greenwood 54, Fillmore/Keshequa 15
NUNDA — Four straight victories at the start, and five straight wins down the homestretch for the Chargers of Canisteo-Greenwood gave them the boost they needed to ascend towards victory over the road, as they took down host Fillmore/Keshequa with their nine total victories to assemble a gigantic 54-15 win in Nunda.
Beginning at the 190 weight class, the Chargers scored four straight victories to open the battle with Fillmore/Keshequa, two of them featuring pinfall wins by Carson Turner and Dominic Dennis at 215 pounds, with Turner scoring the night’s first win with 22 seconds left in the first period over Gage Hartman, while Dennis needed just over a minute into the second period to claim his win over Caleb Green.
Garrett Hall continued Canisteo-Greenwood’s early shift of momentum at the start of the lightweight battles, as he came in through the clutch with five seconds remaining the opening period to claim the team’s third pinfall win over Connor McCumiskey at 101 pounds. But it would be the last victory the Chargers would claim outright for the next four matches, with the hosts claiming wins in three of the next four matches.
Leading off with a forfeit win for Jules Cotton at 108 pounds, Alivia Cartwright garnered Fillmore/Keshequa their first victory in competition at 124 pounds in a battle with Canisteo-Greenwood’s Ziah Sharp that resulted in a pinfall win nearly a minute into the second period. In the very next match, Ryan Vedder grabbed what would be the final win for the hosts at 131 pounds, battling tooth and nail with Triston Williamson for a huge 4-0 decision win to keep closing the gap behind the Chargers.
But in the remaining five matches, the visitors would remain on top, scoring wins in each of them to pull away. Three of those wins by forfeit, and two in back-to-back pinfall fashion from Mathias Sharp (138 pounds) and Colton Havens (145 pounds), as they defeated Graham Howe and Kalen Beardsley respectively in the first period.
Fillmore/Keshequa will hit the road for a visit to the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Results (* indicates starting weight)
101 – Garrett Hall (C-G) def. Connor McCumiskey (F/K) by pin, 1:55.
108 – Jules Cotton (F/K) by for.
116 – Double for.
124 – Alivia Cartwright (F/K) def. Ziah Sharp (C-G) by pin, 2:58.
131 – Ryan Vedder (F/K) def. Triston Williamson (C-G) by dec, 4-0.
138 – Mathias Sharp (C-G) def. Graham Howe (F/K) by pin, 1:31.
145 – Colton Havens (C-G) def. Kalen Beardsley (F/K) by pin, 1:55.
152 – Lucas Mason (C-G) by for.
160 – Carter Woodworth (C-G) by for.
170 – Bryan Deebs (C-G) by for.
*190 – Carson Turner (C-G) def. Gage Hartman (F/K) by pin, 1:38.
215 – Dominic Dennis (C-G) def. Caleb Green (F/K) by pin, 3:12.
285 – Skyler Miles (C-G) by for.
BOYS SWIMMING
Addison 150, Wellsville 120
ADDISON — There have been many shining moments for the Wellsville Lions in the water this winter. With a fine season in the works, the team has continued to get better and better, inching ever closer towards maximizing their fullest potential in time for Sectionals. In their latest trip to Addison on Thursday, they were tested.
But despite a 150-120 loss to the host Knights, there was something reminiscent of that continuous hard work each night out in the water. For Ben Jordan, it was history.
In the penultimate event of the evening, Jordan took out a pen and rewrote the Wellsville Boys Swimming record books himself, as he became the newest leader in the 100 breaststroke, smashing a record that was held for over 30 years by the great Erik Stein back during the 1990 season — a time when Stein shared the pool with current head coach Steve Hand.
To see the history unravel back then as teammates with Stein, leading up to now as Jordan’s coach, Hand said it was a moment that was purely breathtaking.
“The swim of the night goes to Ben, he broke a record that’s been up on our board since 1990. Erik and I were teammates back then. To see him get the record was awesome, and to see Ben break it tonight as his coach, it was even more awesome,” Hand said. “Addison got us in the rematch, and being in an eight-lane pool gives the advantage to the larger team. They swam well and got the win. The boys put up a good fight and turned in a lot of personal records. Being down a swimmer and half the size of the opponent, the boys knew they would have to swim fast and they did.”
Jordan’s record-breaking performance was one of two wins he would aid Wellsville (6-3) with, as he posted a time of 1:04.22 to become the new leader in the 100 breaststroke. Before his final victory, Jordan claimed his first win back in the 50 freestyle right before halftime, as he scored a winning 24.07 time to earn gold.
Four more Lions swimmers all had a first place finish to chip in along the way with Ethan Crandell (200 freestyle, 2:08.84), Sean Driscoll (100 freestyle, 59.35), Tyler Rahr (100 backstroke, 1:14.62) and Eli Brophy (100 butterfly, 1:07.00) all turning in winning performances. In the relay department, the team of Rahr, Jordan, Brophy and Brayden Ketcher collaborated to help start the meet strong with a winning 2:01.61 time in the 200 medley relay.
Wellsville is back in the water Tuesday night back over the road, visiting the Canisteo-Greenwood Chargers in a 5:30 p.m. first swim.
