Cutline: Cole White drives to the basket during the New Year’s Showcase. Photo by Ella Green, @ella.green_photos on Instagram
By CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
BATH — The Lady Lions were back to business just under 24 hours ago when they opened the 2025 slate with a dominant victory over Olean.
With the clock winding forward to the next day, it was the Wellsville boys’ turn to counter with one of their own when they hit the snowy roads for Bath to partake in the New Year’s Showcase at Haverling on Friday.
With Penn Yan and Section IV powerhouse Corning opening up the festivities first, the Lions then took the stage to battle the host Rams underneath the nightcap’s spotlight, as they looked to lay more brickwork down from where they left off last year, off perhaps their biggest victory of the season over reigning State Final Four finalist Salamanca at the Joe DeCerbo Showcase at Allegany-Limestone.
The momentum was in their favor, and as soon as the calendar made its flip, they went full speed ahead.
Wellsville had to survive a difficult fight initially with the host Rams through the first half and beyond, as they overcame a first quarter deficit to claim the lead at the break. With Haverling right on their tail, something had to give.
How about a fourth quarter eruption?
Led by the red hot hand of Ty Vogel and his 10 fourth quarter points, the Lions scurried away and out of reach of the Rams permanently, roaring up a storm behind a tumultuous earthshaker of a run through the last eight minute frame to claim their spot in the Championship round of the tournament the following day with a 60-42 victory.
The ball was distributed evenly around the floor on both ends of the hardwood by each team through the opening eight minutes, with a three-point game developed by both Austin Durand and Gavin Price, along with an inside presence supplied by Jake Hagadone, helping send the Rams over the top with a narrow two-point advantage on Wellsville (5-4) early on.
The Lions fought back however in the second quarter to ensure a strong end to the first half, with Vogel and Aiden Cowburn tag-teaming to deliver eight of the team’s 10 points from within their 10-5 run of Haverling to lay their stake on an 18-15 halftime advantage.
In the second half, things changed.
After a dead heat across the third quarter between both squads, Wellsville cashed in and hit the jackpot on what was a tremendous delegation of a last eight minute quarter, with six different Lions all pitching in efforts to produce a mammoth 27-point frame to take what was a two-point lead at the quarter’s inception and transform it in insurmountable fashion to finish off a victory that allowed them to eclipse the .500 marker for the season and clinch a spot in this weekend’s Championship round.
Vogel led all scorers for the Lions with a game-high 20 points, including four of the team’s seven three-pointers from long range. Right behind him was Cowburn, who concluded with 12 points of his own. Karson Grover had seven points, while JJ Howard chipped in six.
The Lions will now look to capture the New Year’s Showcase crown this evening right back in Bath, as they square off with the Corning Hawks for the second time this season, in a 7 p.m. tip-off.
The Hawks defeated the Lions early on in December with an 86-76 victory in Corning.
Wellsville 8 10 15 27 – 60
Bath-Haverling 10 5 14 13 – 42
WELLSVILLE: Aiden Cowburn 5 0-0 12, Karson Grover 2 3-4 7, Kai Burke 1 0-0 2, JJ Howard 3 0-1 6, Ty Vogel 8 0-1 20, Nick Germain-Tardieu 2 0-0 5, Trent Green 2 0-4 4, Derek Coleman 2 0-0 4. Totals: 25 3-10 60.
BATH-HAVERLING: Owen Burlingame 1 0-0 2, Austin Durand 4 3-5 14, Lawrence Duncan 1 0-0 2, Michael Binkowski 1 0-0 2, Jake Hagadone 5 5-5 15, Gavin Price 3 0-0 7. Totals: 15 8-10 42.
3-point goals: Wellsville 7 (Vogel 4, Cowburn 2, Germain-Tardieu), B-H 4 (Durand 3, Price).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 14, B-H 15. Fouled out: None.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Andover/Whitesville 38, Campbell-Savona 26
ANDOVER — The Andover/Whitesville girls were one of two teams that entered the holiday recess undefeated on the campaign.
On Friday, they remained perfect to open their 2025 side of the campaign, as they assembled a strong start through the first quarter that ultimately withstood the test of time against Campbell-Savona, moving towards a 5-0 start behind a 38-26 win in Andover.
Four different scorers for Andover/Whitesville (5-0) all cracked through the ice for the offense with a dynamic start against the Lady Panthers, with Stella Bledsoe and Olivia Waters helping guide the path forward with 11 of the team’s 16 total points within the frame to ignite what was a 16-6 run.
To ensure their lead remained fully intact, Andover/Whitesville’s defense went to work and held Campbell-Savona to just a single shot from the field while finishing with an 8-2 advantage to score a 24-8 halftime lead that they never looked back on.
Leading the way forward for Andover/Whitesville was Bledsoe, who finished with a game-high 18 points. Waters followed behind with 11 points, while Lilly Harrington had four points.
Andover/Whitesville will look to garner their sixth straight win come Thursday night in Whitesville, as they host Genesee Valley/Belfast at 7:30 p.m.
Campbell-Savona 6 2 9 9 – 26
Andover/Whitesville 16 8 8 6 – 38
CAMPBELL-SAVONA: Willow Koperczak 0 0-2 0, Meara Mehlenbacher 2 0-2 4, Ashlynn Stratton 2 0-0 5, Olivia Zimar 4 0-0 8, Maggie Hawken 3 3-3 9. Totals: 11 3-7 26.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Stella Bledsoe 9 0-2 18, Graci Lewis-Ellison 1 1-2 3, Lilly Harrington 2 0-1 4, Olivia Waters 5 1-4 11, Katrina Lewis 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 2-9 38.
3-point goals: C-S 1 (Stratton).
Total Fouls: C-S 12, A/W 5. Fouled out: Hawken (C-S).
Bolivar-Richburg 35, Genesee Valley/Belfast 29
BOLIVAR — Through 32 minutes of basketball in their first game back from the holidays, the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg witnessed a little bit of everything.
Despite all the ups and downs against visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast on Friday, they charted their course and navigated their way towards a massive comeback victory to open their 2025 docket on a strong note with a 35-29 victory.
Before the comeback by the Lady Wolverines (3-4) was mounted, they had to find their way through a tough first half against a hot start from Whitney Young, who led the way for Genesee Valley/Belfast and their 8-1 first quarter lead with a pair of big triples to break the ice on the attack.
The momentum carried into the second quarter, where the visitors in black pushed their lead behind the aid of three more contributors — Sophie Zillgitt, Addisyn Ely and Ava Aronson, as they all came together to help push their lead into double digit territory going into the break.
In the second half, Bolivar-Richburg ran the table.
The Lady Wolverines put a 16-5 halftime deficit in the rearview mirror for an outstanding finish to their game, as they clawed their way back beginning in the third quarter behind a 12-9 outscoring before going full throttle to the checkered line with a dominant 18-4 run of Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-3) behind four clutch three-pointers and two big free throws from Carmen Crowley to help finish off their comeback in resounding fashion.
Crowley led the scoring for Bolivar-Richburg with her game-high 11 points — 10 of them all coming in the second half to help ignite the offense’s rebounding efforts. Jaelyn Kinnicutt followed behind with a big finish of her own, concluding with 10 points, with eight stemming in the last eight minute quarter. Sydney Faulkner had five points to add in.
For Genesee Valley/Belfast, Sophie Zillgitt led the scoring with a team-high nine points. Whitney Young and Ava Aronson each had eight points, while Addisyn Ely rounded off the offense with the remaining four points.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to bounce back on the road Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in Fillmore.
Bolivar-Richburg will look to reach the .500 mark of their campaign when they hit the road Monday night for a 7:15 p.m. visit to Campbell-Savona.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 8 8 9 4 – 29
Bolivar-Richburg 1 4 12 18 – 35
GV/BELFAST: Sophie Zillgitt 3 2-4 9, Whitney Young 3 0-0 8, Addisyn Ely 2 0-0 4, Ava Aronson 4 0-0 8. Totals: 12 2-9 29.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 1 0-2 3, Emma Sisson 1 0-2 2, Jaelyn Kinnicutt 4 0-2 10, Raegan Giardini 2 0-0 5, Sydney Faulkner 2 0-2 4, Carmen Crowley 3 5-8 11. Totals: 13 5-16 35.
3-point goals: GVB 3 (Young 2, Zillgitt), B-R 4 (Kinnicutt 2, Baldwin, Giardini).
Total Fouls: GVB 16, B-R 8. Fouled out: None.
Friendship/Scio 35, Hinsdale 14
FRIENDSHIP — The first eight minutes of play were utilized in its entirety by the Friendship/Scio girls in their first game of 2025, Friday night. Right from the start, they found their rhythm to speed ahead of visiting Hinsdale to score a strong 35-14 home victory in Friendship over the Lady Bobcats.
Friendship/Scio (2-5) found their edge right from the opening tip at center court, as they put the gas pedal down to the floor and ran off on a massive 14-4 run that ultimately allowed them to set the tone immediately, as they proceeded to end the first half with a second quarter shutout of Hinsdale.
Emily Lamberson was a massive driving force behind the team’s success on offense, as she bucketed a game-high 18 points — nine of those points off all three of Friendship/Scio’s three-points from the outer arc. Behind her was Alexiss Herring, who was dominant down low with a 12-point performance.
Hinsdale (1-4) was led by Lily Bushnell and her seven team-high points. The Lady Bobcats are back on the floor Wednesday night at 6 p.m. on the road at Cuba-Rushford.
On Monday, Friendship/Scio will head over the hill to Scio to welcome in Arkport-Canaseraga for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
Hinsdale 4 0 5 5 – 14
Friendship/Scio 14 2 10 9 – 35
HINSDALE: Alexa Saunders 0 1-2 1, Jen Tuttle 2 0-0 4, Kaleigh Buckles 1 0-0 2, Lily Bushnell 3 1-2 7. Totals: 6 2-4 14.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Emily Lamberson 5 5-5 18, Kaydence Sadler 2 0-0 4, Huntar Hint 0 1-2 1, Alexiss Herring 5 2-2 12. Totals: 12 8-9 35.
3-point goals: F/S 3 (Lamberson).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 16, F/S 8. Fouled out: Easterly (HIN).
Saturday Basketball: Proudfoot, Corning best Wellsville again at Haverling’s New Year’s Showcase to claim tournament crown; Northern Potter uses balanced scoring to roll past Fri/Scio
BATH — Entering first round action on Friday, there was going to be that slight possibility that the Wellsville Lions could wind up coming face-to-face with the Corning Hawks once again when the night was through in Bath at the New Year’s Showcase.
After the Hawks handled business against Penn Yan, and then a dynamic comeback win for the Lions over the host Rams, the stars would indeed align.The stage was set and the spotlight was bright for one more final showdown between the two basketball stalwarts, this time for the New Year’s Showcase Championship.
Very much like their previous meeting in Corning back in the middle of December, it was tight quarters down the stretch.
The Lions remained in view of the Hawks in front of them across the fourth quarter, but despite their late push, an amassment of free throws at the charity stripe from one of the State’s best in Nolyn Proudfoot soon followed, allowing the team in white and gold to maintain their advantage and capture the tournament championship with a season-sweeping 77-67 victory over Wellsville.
“Corning is a great basketball team. You always want to win these kinds of games, but I’m feeling pretty happy today at how much better we are than the last time we played them,” said Lions coach Tom Muska. “Unfortunately, Corning got even better in the meantime as well. Iron sharpens iron. Sometimes you need a good challenge to point you in the right direction. I feel we’re moving the right way lately, and it’s credit to the team and their hard work each day in practice to make that happen.”
The race was on in the opening stages of battle between the two clubs, as they delivered back and forth blows before Corning wiggled their way free from Wellsville’s (5-5) grasp in the waning minutes of the first quarter to grab a hold of a 20-16 lead marching forward.
In the second quarter, even more room was created by the Hawks behind their most fiery performance on offense — a 21-point stand which saw them push their advantage to as high as 15 over the Lions near the halfway threshold of the frame.
But the Lions, despite the 15-4 run by the Hawks, flipped the table back around in their direction, allowing just six more points while finishing the first half on a bright note of their own with nine of the frame’s last 13 points. That was ushered in with a long three-pointer from Ty Vogel and some inside help from both Aiden Cowburn and Karson Grover along the way to cut Wellsville’s deficit to 41-29 at the break.
The momentum remained in Wellsville’s favor when the third quarter arrived in its entirety, as they closed the gap off their 23-point stanza behind the guidance of JJ Howard, who broke free for the Lions with 10 monstrous points — 14 total in the second half to help keep the Lions within reach of the Hawks across the second half.
But with a 58-52 lead to carry into the fourth quarter, Corning ultimately remained in front despite a furious amount of pressure from Wellsville to try and turn the tide one final time, as the Hawks looked to Proudfoot at the line to finish off the victory with a near-perfect 6-for-7 outing at the charity stripe in the last eight minutes.
Proudfoot finished with a game-high 26 points for Corning.
As for the Lions, four different scorers all eclipsed the double-digit plateau on the attack, with Howard paving the way forward with his 17 team-high points. Aiden Cowburn followed with 15 points, while Ty Vogel and Karson Grover each pitched in 12 and 10 points on a respective basis.
Wellsville will now rest up for the next week and change until they re-emerge for action once again on January 14, as they hit the road for Alfred University to meet the Attica Blue Devils for battle beginning at 7 p.m.
Wellsville 16 13 23 15 – 67
Corning 20 21 17 19 – 77
WELLSVILLE: Aiden Cowburn 7 0-0 15, Karson Grover 3 3-4 10, JJ Howard 6 5-8 17, Ty Vogel 5 0-1 12, Nick Germain-Tardieu 1 1-2 4, Trent Green 2 0-2 4, Derek Coleman 1 3-4 5. Totals: 25 12-21 67.
CORNING: Kohl Hogue 3 2-3 8, Carter Proudfoot 3 0-2 7, Kyler Stevenson 5 0-0 11, Mekai Daniels 4 3-4 13, Teigen Gill 4 1-2 10, Nolyn Proudfoot 10 6-7 26, Spencer Castle 1 0-0 2. Totals: 30 12-18 77.
3-point goals: Wellsville 5 (Vogel 2, Cowburn, Grover, Germain-Tardieu), Corning 5 (Daniels 2, C. Proudfoot, Daniels, Gill).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 18, Corning 18. Fouled out: Grover (WLSV), Stevenson (COR).
Northern Potter 62, Friendship/Scio 27
FRIENDSHIP — Almost every single scorer that reached the floor for visiting Northern Potter accounted for at least a basket to help established an all-out balanced attack against Friendship/Scio on Saturday, using every bit of momentum that was garnered to take a hold of the action early on and roll straight towards a 62-27 victory in Friendship.
Northern Potter’s presence was established right away against Friendship/Scio, elongating all across the first half of play behind two dynamic frames of offense while they kept Friendship/Scio (2-5) at bay, beginning with a massive 18-8 run behind the contributions of five different scorers.
The visitors would go on to close out the half with their best frame on both ends of the floor, holding Friendship/Scio to just three points while cashing in on 19 more points — a game-high, to ensure their advantage remained intact heading into the second half.
Despite the defeat, Connor Blouvet assembled a strong game for Friendship/Scio to lead the offense, as he recorded a team-high 10 points. Deacon Brown followed with eight points.
Friendship/Scio is now off until Friday night right back in Friendship, hosting Houghton Academy at 7:30 p.m.
Northern Potter 18 19 16 9 – 62
Friendship/Scio 8 3 6 10 – 27
NORTHERN POTTER: Malachi Lewis 4 1-3 9, Ty Daniels 3 1-4 8, Gaige Hohenwarter 4 1-2 9, Noah Sherman 1 0-0 2, Conhar Snyder 2 0-0 5, Noah Cady 2 0-2 4, Kameron Martin 3 0-0 6, Wyatt Bliss 0 2-2 2, Kaden Hoopes 2 0-0 6, Devin Kicklighter 1 1-2 3, Owen Daniels 1 0-0 3, Blayk Risser 2 0-0 5. Totals: 25 6-15 62.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Jerome Harmon 1 1-2 3, Connor Blouvet 3 2-2 10, Aiden Golden 1 0-0 3, Matt Donohue 1 0-0 3, Zacoby Holder 0 0-2 0, Deacon Brown 4 0-6 8. Totals: 10 3-12 27.
3-point goals: NP 6 (Hoopes 2, Hohenwarter, Snyder, Daniels, Risser), F/S 4 (Blouvet 2, Golden, Donohue).
Total Fouls: NP 13, F/S 13. Fouled out: None.
