By CHRIS BROOKS, photos by JC’s Photography
CANISTEO — Right in the middle of the Class B2 Field sits Wellsville and Canisteo-Greenwood, occupying the fifth and sixth seeds of Sectionals. The Lady Lions knew, with the big dance right around the corner, they had to put together one of their most offensively captivating games of the season.
In Wednesday night’s trip into the Canisteo Valley, the Lady Lions made the very most of the opportunity presented in front of them and delivered that very performance in dominant fashion, as they used a strong end to the first half and propelled the momentous energy into the next where they officially branched the lead out of reach of the Lady Chargers to secure the 63-40 road win.
“This is the best we’ve played this season,” said Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord. “I’ve really been stressing with the kids about our big three with Nat (Adams), Makenna (Dunbar) and Averee (Palmatier), but we need the others to step up behind them. We’ve talked about being aggressive on offense and knowing what your move, and what your shot is. Every kid played in every quarter, and not to take anything away from Les (York) and their group, but they’re starting to gel together.”
To aid in their victorious efforts, every single Lady Lion (9-5) navigated their way onto the scoreboard, as the team scored an early four-point lead after the opening quarter. With the advantage in hand, Wellsville would build on it with five different scorers fueling a 16-8 run of the Lady Chargers to close out the first half with a 31-19 lead.
The momentum continued to build for Wellsville during the second half, as the complete team effort was sealed completely with a 22-9 third quarter run that cemented the advantage permanently. Leading the charge for the visitors in black and orange was Averee Palmatier, who exploded for a game-high 19 points, adding seven rebounds and four assists along the way.
Adding more help was Makenna Dunbar and her completion of a 14-point, 12-board double-double. Caelyn Stevens recorded 11 points and five rebounds, while Natalie Adams had 10 points to go with five rebounds and four steals. On special teams, Jaden Dunbar grabbed six rebounds.
For Canisteo-Greenwood (8-6), Bailey Mullen totaled 11 team-high points. Peyton Peters had the hot hand from downtown, sinking three triples for nine points. The Lady Chargers are back on the floor Friday night at Arkport-Canaseraga in a 6 p.m. tip-off.
Before the Varsity contest took the stage, the Lady Chargers recorded a narrow 37-33 victory over Wellsville. Leading the Lady Lions was Reegan Perkins and her 14 team-leading points. Raegan Vogel had 10 points.
The Lady Lions will return home to welcome in Bolivar-Richburg for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Monday.
Wellsville 15 16 22 10 – 63
Canisteo-Greenwood 11 8 9 12 – 40
WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 5 0-0 11, Natalie Adams 3 3-3 10, Alexa Hennessy 2 0-1 4, Emily Stuck 1 0-0 3, Averee Palmatier 8 0-0 19, Makenna Dunbar 4 6-7 14, Jaden Dunbar 1 0-0 2, Alexa Stuck 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 9-11 63.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 1 1-2 3, Bailey Mullen 4 1-2 11, McKenna Ferris 1 0-2 2, Harlie McCaffery 3 1-2 7, Paris May 3 0-0 8, Peyton Peters 3 0-0 9. Totals: 15 3-8 40.
3-point goals: Wellsville 6 (Palmatier 3, Stevens, Adams, E. Stuck), C-G 7 (Peters 3, Mullen 2, May 2).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 6, C-G 10. Fouled out: None.
Wednesday Roundup: Fillmore evades late 4th quarter push by B-R to win 10th straight, 3rd straight County title in 78-69 road win
BOLIVAR — Sitting at the top of the Allegany County mountain sat the red hot Fillmore Eagles. Winners of nine straight games, a chance to add one more would grant them a League championship for a third consecutive season. As for their opposition, the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines, a chance to remain alive for at least a share and a split of their season series.
To say that a chance to capture County glory was hanging in the balance, would be a massive understatement. After the Eagles claimed a 76-56 win on their home floor the first time around, it was a much different story this time on Wednesday.
The Eagles fired on all cylinders across the opening half to grab the upper hand on the Wolverines to start the night, using a first quarter jaunt to their utmost advantage before Bolivar-Richburg climbed their way back to within reach to close out the half. The momentum the hosts created, would carry over into a second half that was filled with electricity.
At some points, a little too close for comfort.
With the degree of separation eclipsing no more than two points during any point in the last 16 minutes, it would all boil down to the game’s waning minutes. Bolivar-Richburg was within a stone’s throw of turning the tide completely, but for Fillmore, they looked towards a department they’ve continued to perfect all season long.
Downtown. Things will be great when there.
Just like the hit Petula Clark song back in the 1960’s, the Eagles of Fillmore were able to use that three-point shot in the most clutch of ways, landing their 10th and final shot before a wide variety of free throws down the stretch helped cement their place in the driver’s seat until the time ticked down to its final seconds, as they became Allegany County Champions for a third consecutive season with their 10th straight victory on the campaign by completing the season sweep of the Wolverines with a 78-69 win.
“We’re routinely getting off to the slow starts, and that all falls on me,” said Wolverines coach Justin Thomas. “The players take it from there when they wake up, but we have to find a way to play a complete game. We’re going to make some adjustments and fix it. The kids deserve better. I’m so proud of their ability to respond in the fourth by trying to flip the script. We had some lapses on defense to begin with, but we played very even with them all the way to the end. The second chance three is always going to hurt, and that’s what happened tonight.”
The Eagles (12-2) made their presence known right away in the opening eight minutes with their biggest frame of offense in the battle, setting the tone against the Wolverines by the aid of Zach Sisson, who recorded all six of their points before dishing off a few nifty helpers, including a no-look pass to the hands of Cam Mucher for a long triple, to produce a 16-8 lead. Fillmore would wind up closing the frame with the quarter’s last seven points in a row courtesy of their three-point game once more.
But the Wolverines (9-4) would not allow it to turn the tide completely, as they fired right back their largest frame of offense in the game. In what was a 25-point second quarter, the hosts found their rhythm by bucketing eight of the first 11 points in the early-going. But they would come no closer than 10 points across it, as Fillmore maintained a 43-33 lead at the break.
In the second half, a completely different story.
Across multiple back-and-forth exchanges that shrouded the third quarter, it was the final eight minutes that saw the Wolverines continuous chipping at their deficit come to fruition, closing the gap to as little as three off a Kingston Loucks breakaway lay-in with under two minutes remaining.
But at the most crucial of times, the three-point shot proved to be immensely beneficial for the Eagles to close out the game, as Eben Schilke put the game away with his lone shot of the game — a long triple from the top of the key that branched the team’s lead to two possessions past 60 seconds remaining.
That would allow the foul game to commence for the Wolverines, sending the Eagles to the charity stripe where they ultimately sealed the season-sweeping victory for good.
Fronting Fillmore’s efforts was another sublime performance from Zach Sisson, as he posted a game-high 31 points. Cam Mucher followed with his best game of the season, finishing with 25 points. Jonah Bialek had 12 points to chip in.
For the Wolverines, Landon Barkley led the way with a team-high 22 points. Following behind were Aydin Sisson and Kingston Loucks, as they recorded 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Both teams will mark their return to the hardwood Friday night in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, as Fillmore heads back home where they will host the Geneseo Blue Devils, while Bolivar-Richburg looks to right the ship with a visit from Andover/Whitesville.
Fillmore 23 20 19 16 – 78
Bolivar-Richburg 8 25 15 17 – 69
FILLMORE: Eben Schilke 1 0-0 3, Cam Mucher 8 5-5 25, Marcus Wolfer 1 0-0 3, Layton Sanasith 1 0-0 2, Zach Sisson 7 11-12 31, Jonah Bialek 5 0-0 12, JD Bialek 1 0-0 2. Totals: 26 16-17 78.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 6 4-7 16, Landon Barkley 6 7-9 22, David Abdo 1 0-0 2, Waide Karnuth 2 0-0 4, Trevor Pforter 0 1-2 1, Reiss Gaines 4 0-1 9, James Margeson 1 0-0 2, Kingston Loucks 5 0-0 13. Totals: 25 12-19 69.
3-point goals: Fillmore 10 (Mucher 4, Sisson 2, Jo. Bialek 2, Schilke, Wolfer), B-R 7 (Barkley 3, Loucks 3, Gaines).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 18, B-R 17. Fouled out: None.
Cuba-Rushford 60, Genesee Valley/Belfast 40
CUBA — Four different Rebels all managed to eclipse the 10-point plateau to assist in a battle they had to outlast visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast in across the first half, as they ended the stanza on a strong note with a long run to give them a double-digit advantage to hold until the very end, climbing back above .500 on the season with a 60-40 victory in the Wighthouse on Wednesday.
“We put together a very good performance from start to finish,” Rebels coach Pat Wight said. “We executed our offense well and our ball movement was great all night. We did a great job rebounding as well with Luke Brooks and Eli Sleggs carrying the load. GV/Belfast fought all night and we were fortunate to make a few more shots than they were. I’m very proud of our guys and their effort. This was a nice win for us heading towards Sectionals.”
The Rebels (8-7) were able to come out after a competitive first quarter with a 13-8 lead in hand, with Genesee Valley/Belfast riding behind their coattails with a run that allowed them to springboard ahead with an 18-17 lead in the second quarter. Just past the midway mark, the hosts in white and maroon countered with a run that allowed them to run the table — a 10-0 run, and a 22-point frame altogether from an offense that saw five different contributors help the cause.
The run would give Cuba-Rushford a 35-22 lead at the break, never losing sight of it from that point forward to further secure their lead of Genesee Valley/Belfast (6-8). Paving the way for the offense was Braeden Wight and Luke Brooks, as both shooters recorded 14 points. Finn Ricketts chipped in with 12 points, while Kaden Bell had 11 points.
Ian McKenzie bucketed a team-leading 14 points to lead Genesee Valley/Belfast. Kadin Logue added in 10 points, while Kenton Shultz had eight.
Both teams are back on the hardwood on Friday in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, with Cuba-Rushford hitting the road for a visit to Friendship/Scio in Scio, while Genesee Valley/Belfast pays a visit to Houghton Academy.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 8 14 10 8 – 40
Cuba-Rushford 13 22 11 14 – 60
GV/BELFAST: Kadin Logue 3 3-4 10, Ian McKenzie 5 0-0 14, Owen Heaney 2 0-0 4, Jacob Borden 1 2-4 4, Kenton Shultz 4 0-0 8. Totals: 15 5-8 40.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Braeden Wight 5 0-0 14, Kaden Bell 3 5-6 11, Luke Brooks 5 2-3 14, Zach Deck 1 0-0 3, Finn Ricketts 6 0-0 12, Tristan Clayson 3 0-0 6. Totals: 23 7-9 60.
3-point goals: GVB 5 (McKenzie 4, Logue), C-R 7 (Wight 4, Brooks 2, Deck).
Total Fouls: GVB 12, C-R 11. Fouled out: None.
Friendship/Scio 32, Cuba-Rushford 29
FRIENDSHIP — A heavily-active defensive battle ensued on a Senior Night celebration in Friendship that came down to the last minute of play, Wednesday evening. With host Friendship/Scio hanging onto a lead they held all game long by the slimmest of margins, the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford started to knock on the door.
With a last-second opportunity to tie the game, the Friendship/Scio defense was able to hold its ground until the final buzzer sounded, as they hung on for dear life to rebound from their Monday defeat to Genesee Valley/Belfast and score a close 32-29 win over the Lady Rebels to send their seniors out on a high note.
“We got a lot of shots and none of them could find their way down. Senior Night was tonight, and I think the nerves kind of threw us off a bit,” said Friendship/Scio coach Ashleigh Lewis. “We played great defense against them, holding them under 30. Morghyn (Ross) had the bulk of that guarding (Brynn) Lavery, she only had four points. Despite that, it was a great bounce back and hopefully this helps us start a run to get us going for Sectionals. It was a great send-off for our three seniors Nevaeh (Ross), Grace (Drumm) and Sophie (Bolzan).”
Aside from an 8-4 lead that the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford were able to establish in the first quarter, Friendship/Scio (8-3) assumed control of the game from the second quarter on, as they wrapped up the first half with a strong finish to take command of a 15-12 lead, courtesy of an 11-4 jaunt.
Both teams would trade constant exchanges all throughout the second half leading up to one final opportunity for Cuba-Rushford (4-10) to strike from outside. But the Friendship/Scio defense would remain intact in its entirety to claim the victory in the end.
Leading the way for Friendship/Scio was Morghyn Ross, who provided a game-high 14 points, pairing them with seven rebounds and five steals. Nevaeh Ross added in 11 points to couple 15 rebounds to complete a double-double, along with seven blocks, while Emily Lamberson and Sophie Bolzan aided the special teams cause with five rebounds each.
Cuba-Rushford was led by Aubrey Williams, as she posted a team-leading seven points in their all-balanced attack. Cloey Larabee had five points. The Lady Rebels will hit the road Monday night for Belfast to take on host Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
Friendship/Scio will look to continue their winning ways with a 6 p.m. road trip to Hammondsport on Tuesday.
Cuba-Rushford 8 4 12 5 – 29
Friendship/Scio 4 11 11 6 – 32
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Aubrey Williams 2 2-4 7, Cloey Larabee 2 0-0 5, Shae Maples 1 0-0 3, Lily Tompkins 1 0-0 3, Brynn Lavery 2 0-0 4, Mireya Rutkowski 1 0-0 3, Lilly Farwell 2 0-0 4. Totals: 11 2-4 29.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Emily Lamberson 1 2-2 5, Nevaeh Ross 4 3-6 11, Morghyn Ross 6 1-2 14, Sophie Bolzan 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 6-10 32.
3-point goals: C-R 5 (Williams, Larabee, Maples, Tompkins, Rutkowski), F/S 2 (N. Ross, M. Ross).
Total Fouls: C-R 16, F/S 12. Fouled out: N. Ross (F/S).
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Wellsville 3, Fillmore 1
FILLMORE — After falling behind to Fillmore across the first set of play, the Lions of Wellsville had to work their way back from an early hole. On Wednesday, they would advance forward and do exactly that with three straight victories to finish the night off in style within the confines of The Rock, as they scored a 15-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-17 victory to spoil Senior Night for the Eagles.
Leading the offense towards great success for the Lions (9-3) was Lucius Griggs, who was dominant at the front of the net and from the service line, providing eight kills to pair with six aces. Brody Heaney chipped in with eight more kills, denying a pair of Fillmore kills along the way, while Nolan Kozlowski handed out 16 helpers, coupling them alongside three aces and a pair of kills.
On the opposite side of the net, the Eagles (8-6) were led by Reid Cockle, who celebrated Senior Night in style with 17 service points, eight kills, two aces and a block. Dashiell Sharpe scored eight service points, while Jacob Collopy and Patrick Gorman (two kills) had six and four service points, respectively.
Both teams are back in action at 6 p.m. on Friday, as Wellsville heads back home to welcome in Portville, while Fillmore aims to bounce back with a road trip to Bolivar-Richburg.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 3, Friendship/Scio 1
BELMONT — The end of the regular season has been reached for Genesee Valley/Belfast on the volleyball court. On Wednesday, they would ensure it concluded on a high note entering the County Playoffs right around the corner, as they survived a tough challenge presented by visiting Friendship/Scio in the Jungle to come away winners in four sets by a 25-20, 25-20, 15-25, 25-17 decision on Senior Night.
“It was a battle,” said GV/Belfast coach Darren Bradt. “Friendship/Scio played very well just keeping the ball alive and keeping pressure on us, but overall I thought we did really good with staying focused on a mission to defend our Senior Night. Lawson Ector from Scio was all over the court for them, and I felt like we just couldn’t get the ball away from him. He was a magnet drawing in everything we put at them. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how we’ve turned things around and continue to work and grow to balance out a .500 regular season.”
Leading the way was Brayden Cooper, as he piloted a Genesee Valley/Belfast (8-8) offense with his 12 game-high kills to go with four blocks and a pair of aces. Ty Willard provided four digs to keep the ball off the floor, pairing them with three kills and three aces. Setter Sean Mahon dished out nine helpers to go with three kills and a block.
For Friendship/Scio (1-11), Lawson Ector paved the attack with his 10 kills. Nate Griffiths chipped in with 16 service points, five digs and four kills. Cass Scholla had five digs.
“Brayden Cooper was amazing on the net. He has such long arms, great timing and a great reach and it never hurts to add in the abilities to leap like a gazelle,” Bradt said. “I would definitely like to recognize Ty Willard. Although the stats don’t show it, he has come off the bench to replace an injured player and he has played stellar volleyball, making some great diving saves and clutch serving.”
Friendship/Scio will look to bounce back on the road with a 6 p.m. visit to Cuba-Rushford, while Genesee Valley/Belfast awaits the County Playoffs with an 8-8 record overall.
Arkport-Canaseraga 3, Cuba-Rushford 0
ARKPORT — Senior Night success was on the minds of the Arkport-Canaseraga Wolves on Wednesday, as they fulfilled a positive sendoff for their senior leaders against visiting Cuba-Rushford and scored another straight-set sweep on the season with a 25-13, 25-21, 25-17 victory over the Rebels in Arkport.
The Wolves, who posted their 11th win of the season, saw senior Noah Drouin take the lead on the offense behind his game-high 11 kills, three aces and a pair of blocks at the front. Adding more help was his fellow senior teammate Salim Ford, who pitched in 11 big helpers to go with two kills and two aces. Marcos Gutierrez-Navas had five aces, three kills and a block to round off the Arkport-Canaseraga scoring.
Pacing Cuba-Rushford (3-11) was Anderson Siegel, as he posted nine big digs on defense to keep the ball off the floor, pairing them alongside three kills and an ace. Coen Kellogg chipped in with eight more digs while handing out four helpers to go with an ace, while Brock Stadler had six digs and five team-high kills to lead the offense.
The Rebels will look to regroup back home in the Wighthouse on Friday, hosting Cuba-Rushford in a 6 p.m. first serve.
WRESTLING
Addison 42, Fillmore/Keshequa 30
FILLMORE — With a match-opening double forfeit at 285 pounds kicking off festivities on the mat in Fillmore on Wednesday, visiting Addison and host Fillmore/Keshequa delivered back-and-forth exchanges across several matches to stay alongside one another.
As a result, Fillmore/Keshequa looked to close the door on what was a 30-18 victory coming down the homestretch, exiting the middleweight matches and re-entering the heavyweight bouts. But the Knights had other plans in store for the remainder of the match, as they went on to use two straight forfeits to tie the match up, along with two enormous pinfall wins at 190 and 215 pounds to officially swipe away a 42-30 road win.
All six matches in action on the mat were decided by pinfall, with Fillmore/Keshequa acquiring four of those. The first stemming at 116 pounds from Alivia Cartwright, who battled Addison’s Langden Green through and through, coming away victorious off a clutch pin with 40 seconds remaining in the final period of action. After an Addison forfeit win at 124 pounds, the hosts would go back-to-back in the next two matches to reclaim their lead.
It would begin with Ryan Vedder at 131 pounds, as he garnered possession of the night’s quickest pin after taking care of business against Devin Gilliam, scoring the pinfall win in just 29 seconds. Immediately following, Graham Howe posted a win of his own by rolling up Kolby McLean with 15 seconds remaining in the opening period of his bout at 138 pounds.
In between three Addison forfeit wins in the next four matches, Fillmore/Keshequa would contribute their fourth and final win on the mat from Kalen Beardsley, who came up with a pinfall win nearly a minute into the second period at 152 pounds. From the 160 pound bout until the finish, the Knights were able to flip the script and score wins in each of the last four matches to overtake Fillmore/Keshequa once and for all and claim victory.
Fillmore/Keshequa will close out their regular season on the road with a 6 p.m. visit to Arkport-Canaseraga.
Results (* indicates starting weight)
101 – Connor McCumiskey (F/K) by for.
108 – Connor Watson (ADD) by for.
116 – Alivia Cartwright (F/K) def. Langden Green (ADD) by pin, 5:20.
124 – Bryson Long (ADD) by for.
131 – Ryan Vedder (F/K) def. Devin Gilliam (ADD) by pin, :29.
138 – Graham Howe (F/K) def. Kolby McLean (ADD), by pin, 1:45.
145 – Cade Sands (ADD) by for.
152 – Kalen Beardsley (F/K) def. Kamdin Aloi (ADD) by pin, 2:48.
160 – Collin Aumick (ADD) by for.
170 – Spencer Westervelt (ADD) by for.
190 – Brice Combs (ADD) def. Gage Hartman (F/K) by pin, 2:16.
215 – Newt Jones (ADD) def. Caleb Green (F/K) by pin, 1:08.
*285 – Double for.
