Tuesday Basketball: Lady Lions evade slow beginning, amass massive 2nd quarter rebound to wrap regular season with 59-31 win over Haverling; Fillmore, And/Whi, C-G girls capture wins; volleyball and other weekend action
Photos and stories by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
WELLSVILLE — The weather forecast outdoors might have been blustery and absolutely frigid, but on the hardwood for their 20th and final game of the regular season on Tuesday.
In the Lion’s Den, the Wellsville Lady Lions produced a five-alarm fire in the second quarter, as they overcame a sluggish first quarter start alongside visiting Bath-Haverling to break down the floodgates, raging towards what ultimately became a 59-31 home victory.
There was a back-and-forth trade of baskets that started the action between the two foes early on, with the Lady Lions (14-6) springboarding ahead of the Lady Rams off a silky smooth triple from the hand of Natalie Adams with less than three minutes remaining in the frame.
After the scoring remained frozen in place leading up to the last minute, each team found the basket one more time, which allowed the hosts to stay ahead with a 9-8 lead.
Then, the gate was busted down by the Lady Lions, who went on a massive tear from all over the floor, finding their rhythm and then some behind an incredible 25-6 jaunt of the visitors in blue and white.
Of those points, the hosts in white and orange accumulated the quarter’s first nine points in consecutive fashion to lay the concrete down onto their second quarter foundation with a 34-14 halftime lead they never lost across the second half.
In the midst of a stabilized offensive registration, Makenna Dunbar paced the Lady Lions with a game-high 12 points. Caelyn Stevens pitched in 11 points to go with three boards, while Natalie Adams had 10 points.
On special teams, Alexa Hennessy furthered the team’s cause with five rebounds and five big helpers, while Jaden Dunbar collected a trio of rebounds off the glass.
Wellsville has now officially closed the book on their regular season, as they now await Sectional play beginning next week.
Bath-Haverling 8 6 10 7 — 31
Wellsville 9 25 11 14 — 59
BATH-HAVERLING: Aleah Binkowski 1 0-0 2, Leah Krelie 4 0-0 8, Natalie Williams 1 1-2 4, Sierra Haight 1 0-0 2, Allison Elmore 2 0-2 4, Lola Coots 3 4-8 11. Totals: 12 5-12 31.
WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 4 2-3 11, Reegan Perkins 0 3-4 3, Natalie Adams 4 0-0 10, Alexa Hennessy 2 2-2 6, Emily Stuck 1 0-0 3, Ayla Faulkner 2 0-0 5, Lydia Kaye 1 0-0 2, Makenna Dunbar 5 2-3 12, Jaden Dunbar 3 1-1 7. Totals: 22 10-13 59.
3-point goals: B-H 2 (Williams, Coots), Wellsville 5 (Adams 2, Stevens, Stuck, Faulkner).
Total Fouls: B-H 14, Wellsville 15. Fouled out: None.
More stories after Chris Brooks photo gallery:
Fillmore 67, Bolivar-Richburg 31
BOLIVAR — There was no better way for the Lady Eagles of Fillmore to finish off the capturing of one of Class D’s top seeds for Sectionals than with one more victory over the road on Tuesday, as they witnessed an amassment of scoring from many different Lady Eagles from the field to help produce a regular season-concluding 67-31 victory over host Bolivar-Richburg.
The Lady Eagles (19-1) set the bar right away behind Emalyn Mucher, who put together an enormous first quarter and even more so, a bigger game from the field.
Out of the team’s 18 points in the frame, the Fillmore freshman got her inside game going in a hurry with 11 of those points while the defense in turn held Bolivar-Richburg to just three made shots from the field — two of them from long range by Jaelyn Kinnicutt and Raegan Giardini.
The visitors in gray and green kept on riding the momentum all the way to the end, where they put an exclamation point on the victory with a 20-2 fourth quarter finish over the Lady Wolverines (8-12).
Mucher finished leading the Lady Eagles on the attack with a game-high 24 points. Mattie McCumiskey added an electric inside presence of her own, bolstering the attack with 13 points of her own. Lily Sisson chipped in with 10 points.
For Bolivar-Richburg, Nadia Baldwin knocked down three of the team’s six triples from outside to set up a nine-point team-leading performance. Faulkner followed with eight points, while Giardini had five.
Both teams have concluded their regular seasons, as they now await Sectional play beginning next week.
Fillmore 18 16 13 20 — 67
Bolivar-Richburg 8 11 10 2 — 31
FILLMORE: Mylee Miller 3 1-2 7, Tenlee Miller 3 0-0 6, Lily Sisson 4 2-2 10, Emalyn Mucher 9 4-5 24, Mattie McCumiskey 5 3-5 13, Rylie France 1 0-0 2, Ella Decker 2 1-2 5. Totals: 27 11-16 67.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 3 0-2 9, Jaelyn Kinnicutt 1 0-0 3, Raegan Giardini 2 0-0 5, Sydney Faulkner 3 1-2 8, Kelsey Hogan 1 0-2 2, Carmen Crowley 2 0-0 4. Totals: 12 1-6 31.
3-point goals: Fillmore 2 (Mucher), B-R 6 (Baldwin 3, Kinnicutt, Giardini, Faulkner).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 12, B-R 17. Fouled out: T. Miller (FIL), Crowley (B-R).
Lima Christian 58, Friendship/Scio 25
LIMA — Alyssa Marsh provided a massive haymaker for the Lady Saints of Lima Christian, as she assembled a magnificent 28-point performance to get the offense rolling in the first half against visiting Friendship/Scio, using all of the momentum to set up a dominant 58-25 home victory on Tuesday.
Marsh helped set the tone for the Lady Saints in the midst of a first half battle alongside Friendship/Scio (3-16). After a 10-5 lead in the first eight minutes, the Lady Saints sophomore exploded onto the scene with a big finish in the second quarter, posting 10 of the team’s 16 points to branch their advantage into double-digit territory going into the locker room.
With the momentum in their possession, the hosts in white and light blue used all of it for a big opening in the second half, running off on an 18-7 jaunt of Friendship/Scio to pull away for good.
The Friendship/Scio ladies were led by a team-high 10-point performance from Alexiss Herring. Avery Lamberson had four points, while Emily Lamberson and Mandi Hale each had three points.
The regular season is now over for Friendship/Scio, as they now await Sectional play beginning next week.
Friendship/Scio 5 10 7 3 — 25
Lima Christian 10 16 18 14 — 58
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Ella Perry 1 0-0 2, Emily Lamberson 1 1-1 3, Kaydence Sadler 1 0-0 2, Avery Lamberson 2 0-0 4, Alexiss Herring 4 2-2 10, Mandi Hale 1 1-2 3, Emma Bolzan 0 1-2 1. Totals: 10 5-7 25.
LIMA CHRISTIAN: Molly Teitsworth 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Marsh 13 1-5 28, Sophy Britton 3 0-0 8, Abby Dils 2 0-2 4, Lily Swan 6 0-2 12, Sophie Moses 1 0-2 2. Totals: 26 1-11 58.
3-point goals: LC 3 (Britton 2, Marsh).
Total Fouls: F/S 8, LC 7. Fouled out: None.
Andover/Whitesville 47, Hinsdale 6
WHITESVILLE — Graci Lewis-Ellison and Olivia Waters came together to help provide a first quarter eruption for the Andover/Whitesville ladies to start the evening on the highest of notes on Tuesday, as their strong start resonated across all four frames of play against visiting Hinsdale to officially put a bow on their regular season with a 47-6 home win in Whitesville.
The two scorers for Andover/Whitesville (14-5) helped set up shop right away from within the first eight minutes, as they congealed together 13 of the team’s 16 total points amidst a 16-2 advantage against the Lady Bobcats to set the tone for the remainder of the evening.
Lewis-Ellison, alongside Braelyn Palmatier, helped set the pace for the hosts on the attack in the midst of a balanced effort across the board, as they each garnered nine points. Ahead of them was Makenna Vance, who led all scorers with a team-high 11 points. Waters finished with eight points of her own.
For the Lady Bobcats (1-19), Karissa Keller, Charlee Briggs and Marissa Palumbo each scored two points.
Both teams will now await Sectional play, which is set to begin next week.
Hinsdale 2 0 2 2 — 6
Andover/Whitesville 16 14 7 10 — 47
HINSDALE: Karissa Keller 1 0-2 2, Charlee Briggs 1 0-0 2, Marissa Palumbo 1 0-0 2, Kaleigh Buckles 0 0-2 0. Totals: 3 0-4 6.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Braelyn Palmatier 4 0-0 9, Makenna Vance 4 3-5 11, Stella Bledsoe 1 1-2 3, Graci Lewis-Ellison 3 3-3 9, Lilly Harrington 1 1-2 3, Olivia Waters 3 1-2 8, Katrina Lewis 0 1-1 1, Reece Winters 1 0-0 3. Totals: 17 10-15 47.
3-point goals: A/W 3 (Palmatier, Waters, Winters).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 17, A/W 6. Fouled out: None.
Steuben County Tournament
Canisteo-Greenwood 71, Campbell-Savona 26
CAMPBELL — A strong finish to the regular season was scooped up by the Lady Chargers of Canisteo-Greenwood to close out their annual term in the Steuben County Tournament on Tuesday, as they posted two rambunctious stands of offense in the first half to push towards a 45-14 halftime lead they never lost going forward, finishing off what formed into a 71-26 victory over “visiting” Campbell-Savona, in Campbell.
Canisteo-Greenwood (10-10) used an outstanding offensive balance across both the first and second quarters of play to lay down their foundation against the Lady Panthers out of the gate, as they witnessed at least five different scorers register at least a two-point bucket in both frames, with six different scorers navigating into the scorebook in the midst of their game-opening 22-7 run of Campbell-Savona to start the game.
The defense on the opposite end of the floor held the Lady Panthers in check across the board along the way, relinquishing no more than seven points in each of the four frames of play to help seal their regular season-ending triumph.
Among the scorers for the Lady Chargers was a team-leading performance from Paris May, as she led all scorers with a game-high 14 points. Bailey Mullen and Adalyn Andrus each chipped in with 12 points of their own, while Anna Mitchell furthered the offense’s cause with nine points.
The Lady Chargers are now off from action until the postseason, as they await Sectional seeding before play begins next week.
Campbell-Savona 7 7 6 6 — 26
Canisteo-Greenwood 22 21 14 14 — 71
CAMPBELL-SAVONA: Willow Koperczak 3 2-2 8, Ashlynn Stratton 2 2-2 8, Olivia Zimar 1 0-2 3, Kennedi Harris 1 0-0 2, Maggie Hawken 2 1-4 5. Totals: 9 5-10 26.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 2 0-0 4, Bailey Mullen 4 3-4 12, MacKenna Mullen 2 2-4 6, McKenna Ferris 2 1-2 5, Raegan Freeland 0 3-4 3, Paris May 5 3-3 14, Anna Mitchell 4 0-0 9, Harlie McCaffery 2 2-2 6, Adalyn Andrus 6 0-0 12. Totals: 27 14-19 71.
3-point goals: C-S 3 (Stratton 2, Zimar), C-G 3 (B. Mullen, May, Mitchell).
Total Fouls: C-S 15, C-G 6. Fouled out: None.
Friday Roundup: Keshequa bolts away from Lady Lions, sprint towards series sweep with strong 59-42 home win; Fillmore boys edged out by Finney in OT, Wellsville volleyball swept in County Title match
NUNDA — Time and time again, it has been proven why the Keshequa Lady Wildcats are one of Section V’s golden standards on the hardwood.
Their offensive scoring prowess, their defensive tenacity. When you mix those two hallmarking ingredients together, it perfumes success — something that one of the all-time greats on the sidelines, Pete Piraino, knows a thing or two about.
Sectionals are fast approaching and the end of the regular season is well within sight, and for the Lady Wildcats, they are on the cusp of locking up Class C3’s top seed for help set up for another potentially deep run through the postseason.
As for the Lady Lions of Wellsville, they looked to slow a little bit of that momentum down with some of their own after a strong victory over the road in Olean on Wednesday.
After the Lady Wildcats caught fire to start the game, the Lady Lions provided a heavy response at the start of the second quarter to bring the contest back to level playing ground.
But they could not keep the momentum tilted in their favor, as Keshequa re-assumed total control of the pace with a strong finish to the first half, applying it to a massive third quarter run that saw them pull away at an instant to help put the finishing touches on a 59-42 season series-sweeping victory on Friday.
Keshequa brought the heat right out of the starting gates to grab the upper-hand on the Lady Lions (13-6), as the Lady Wildcats took advantage of nearly everything they saw against the defense with a big 14-4 run which ultimately transformed into an 18-10 first quarter lead.
Despite falling into an early hole, Wellsville fought back with a tremendous start to the second quarter with a 10-2 run of their own — a jaunt led by Reegan Perkins, who had eight of her team-high 10 points within the frame.
But Keshequa would not allow the Lady Lions to turn the tide, as they springboarded back ahead into the lead off a 7-0 run before the visitors in black and orange found the bucket one more time before the curtain descended on the half.
The momentum was held by the Lady Wildcats, and with it, a second half detonation was applied shortly after, as they insurmountably branched their lead out with a boisterous 10-0 run, leading it into double-digit territory where it would remain for the rest of the contest to allow Keshequa to pull away.
Finishing in the scoring column behind Perkins was Makenna Dunbar, who had nine points to pair with six rebounds. Natalie Adams had eight points.
In the JV team’s final contest of their season, the Lady Lions were downed by Keshequa by a 49-45 decision. Hailey Cowburn led the scoring with a team-high 15 points, as they went on to finish their campaign with a record of 14-5 overall.
Wellsville is back home Tuesday night to put a bow on their regular season, as they now get set to host the Bath-Haverling Lady Rams in a 6 p.m. tip-off.
Wellsville 10 13 7 12 — 42
Keshequa 18 9 18 14 — 59
WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 2 0-2 4, Reegan Perkins 4 0-0 10, Natalie Adams 3 0-0 8, Alexa Hennessy 1 0-0 2, Emily Stuck 1 1-2 3, Makenna Dunbar 2 5-10 9, Jaden Dunbar 2 1-2 5, Alexa Stuck 0 1-2 1. Totals: 15 8-18 42.
KESHEQUA: Ava Thayer 2 2-2 6, Bree Benner 2 0-0 4, Braelyn Isaman 9 0-2 19, Ryley Benner 3 0-0 8, Riley Nageldinger 3 0-0 6, Alicia Wood 7 2-2 16. Totals: 26 4-6 59.
3-point goals: Wellsville 4 (Perkins 2, Adams 2), Keshequa 3 (R. Benner 2, Isaman).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 9, Keshequa 15. Fouled out: None.
Fillmore 51, Andover/Whitesville 29
ANDOVER — There was simply no denying victory for the Lady Eagles of Fillmore on Friday.
After locking up Allegany County’s top honor once more this season just 24 hours ago, they transferred all the momentum into their penultimate road trip of the regular season in Andover, where they established a massive advantage through the opening quarter and never looked back on what was a 51-29 win over host Andover/Whitesville.
Fillmore (18-1) wasted no time bringing the hammer down almost immediately on Andover/Whitesville not only in the first quarter, but in the first half as a whole, as they kicked the tires on a humongous 18-4 lead — 14 of those points coming in consecutive fashion to open the game while keeping Andover/Whitesville at a complete standstill.
The Lady Eagles pushed their advantage even further towards the tail end of the half, as they kept their foot straight down on the gas pedal behind another gigantic jaunt of their opposition, rolling behind a 20-4 second quarter run to claim a 38-8 advantage that they continued to never lose, as they proceeded to go into the break.
The constant for the offense — Mattie McCumiskey, who was unstoppable down low from start to finish, scoring 19 of her game-high 25 points for the visitors in gray and green in the first 16-minute sequence.
Following up behind was Emalyn Mucher, who had 13 points of her own to add in. Tenlee Miller had five points.
For Andover/Whitesville (13-6), Stella Bledsoe paced the offense with six points. Makenna Vance and Graci Lewis-Ellison each posted five points.
Both teams will conclude their regular season on Tuesday in a pair of 6 p.m. contests, with Fillmore heading over the road to visit Bolivar-Richburg, while Andover/Whitesville traveling back over the hill to Whitesville to welcome in Hinsdale.
Fillmore 18 20 10 3 — 51
Andover/Whitesville 4 4 11 10 — 29
FILLMORE: Mylee Miller 1 0-0 2, Tenlee Miller 2 0-0 5, Morghyn Ross 2 0-0 4, Emalyn Mucher 5 2-6 13, Mattie McCumiskey 10 5-6 25, Kelsie Songster 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 7-12 51.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Makenna Vance 2 0-0 5, Stella Bledsoe 3 0-0 6, Graci Lewis-Ellison 2 0-1 5, Lilly Harrington 1 0-0 3, Olivia Waters 2 0-2 4, Katrina Lewis 1 0-0 3, Reece Winters 1 0-0 3. Totals: 12 0-3 29.
3-point goals: Fillmore 2 (T. Miller, Mucher), A/W 5 (Vance, Lewis-Ellison, Harrington, Lewis, Winters).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 6, A/W 10. Fouled out: None.
BOYS BASKETBALL
C.G. Finney 74, Fillmore 70 (F-OT)
ROCHESTER — Whenever C.G. Finney and Fillmore collide on the hardwood, a serious amount of points are almost guaranteed to find their way onto the scoreboard, no matter where they are issued.
For those in attendance Friday night up north, there was simply no mistaking it when the two teams collided again at the tail end of this year’s regular season campaign.
Both teams were in the search of another big boost to aid them towards the postseason dance, beginning in just over a week from now.
Like in their previous meetings, the battle was fierce and the bar was high.
It was a game that saw the Eagles find their groove for much of the opening half, claiming a massive lead before some momentum was siphoned by the Falcons upon entering the locker room for the halftime break.
When the second half came around though, there was one big glaring issue: The Falcons wouldn’t let go of any of it.
The reason? — Braelen Broome became a problem.
Out of his game-high 44 points for the Falcons, Broome assembled a monster second half on the attack to guide C.G. Finney back into the game. After helping ignite his three-point game alongside Ethan Krog to close out the first half, he turned his attention to the inside of the arc, as he went on to post 31 second half points to put the Eagles on pins and needles on defense to force overtime and ultimately the victory at the end of it, as the Falcons edged past Fillmore with a 74-70 home victory.
With balance keying the Eagles (15-3) early on in the opening quarter, they transferred their momentum into a 21-point second quarter where their three-point game sprung to life, as the team combined for five big triples from deep to garner their biggest advantage on C.G. Finney across the entire evening.
But the Falcons battled back to close the frame strong however, as they launched back-to-back missiles from downtown with less than a minute remaining to continue climbing back within reach, knocking the deficit down to 10.
“We got off to a pretty solid start and really had them on their heels. We were actually up 16 with 40 seconds left in the first half before they hit a couple of big contested three-pointers to end the half. That really took some of the momentum away from us,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “They came out much more aggressive and physical in the third and we just didn’t respond. They play well as a team, and Braelen Broom is just a physical problem at the point guard position. He’s big, strong and skilled. We had a chance to win at the buzzer, but we couldn’t execute.”
In the second half, it was the Broome show, as he held the reins all throughout the 16-minute sequence with his 25 regulation points — 11 in the third quarter and 14 clutch points in the last eight minutes, to single-handedly help C.G. Finney overcome an early first half deficit with a game-tying 18-9 fourth quarter run to force overtime at 57-57 all.
In overtime, the Falcons used Broome’s hand from down low one more time, alongside a perfect 6-for-6 outing from Krog at the charity stripe to put the finishing touches on their epic victory over the Eagles in high-scoring fashion.
Guiding the way forward for the Fillmore offense was Cam Mucher and Jonah Bialek, as each scorer posted a team-high 19 points. Jameson Rhett had 10 points to add in, while JD Bialek finished with eight of his own.
The Eagles head back up north this afternoon, weather permitting, for a 1 p.m. visit to the Rochester Academy Charter School.
Fillmore 14 21 13 9 13 — 70
C.G. Finney 10 15 14 18 17 — 74
FILLMORE: Jordan Bialek 1 0-0 3, Carson Sanasith 1 0-0 3, Isaiah Sisson 4 0-0 8, Jonah Bialek 7 0-0 19, Jameson Rhett 3 1-1 10, Cam Mucher 8 0-0 19, JD Bialek 4 0-0 8. Totals: 28 1-1 70.
C.G. FINNEY: Pablo Molleja 1 0-0 3, Ethan Krog 6 6-6 22, Ethan Snavely 1 1-4 3, Braelen Broome 18 3-6 44, Eli Drake 0 2-2 2. Totals: 26 12-18 74.
3-point goals: Fillmore 13 (Jon. Bialek 5, Rhett 3, Mucher 3, Jor. Bialek, Sanasith), Finney 10 (Broome 5, Krog 4, Molleja).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 14, Finney 9. Fouled out: Sisson (FIL), Mucher (FIL).
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
County Championship
Portville 3, Wellsville 0
PORTVILLE — Ever since the start of the season, the Lions of Wellsville have found their winning touch. And it has all led them straight back towards the top of Allegany County, where they now pit themselves just three victorious sets away from glory once again.
The lone obstacle standing in their way from their first Championship since 2021, was the top-seeded Portville Panthers.
Right off the bat in the night’s opening set, the gloves were off, as both Wellsville and Portville delivered back-and-forth haymakers all throughout until the very last pair of points needed to claim victory were collected.
But the momentum was captured by the Panthers, and they used every ounce of it across the next two sets to pull away from the Lions, as they became Allegany County League Champions for the very first time with a straight-set, 25-23, 25-21, 25-11 sweep on Friday.
“Even though we didn’t win tonight, you could tell the kids left everything out there on the court tonight,” said Lions coach Adam Kellogg. “Playing against Portville was a different level of volleyball this season that really made the kids grow and do so well. There is a reason why they were number one. I think as a coach, this was the best group of boys I could have asked for. They kept a cool head and they really did well not letting each other get down on botched plays. Tonight was a hard loss, but the kids pulled through. I couldn’t be more proud of them and the season they were able to have.”
Xavier Scott took charge of the offense for the Lions one final time on the court, as he assembled a team-leading performance consisting of six kills and a pair of digs on defense. Lucius Griggs had five kills, two digs and a block to add in, while Terrence Benz followed with three more kills and a pair of denials at the net.
The 2024-25 season for Wellsville has reached its conclusion, as the No. 2 seeds wrap up with a record of 11-4 overall.
