Stories and photo galleries by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
ROCHESTER — With the calendar quickly honing in on a brand new year on the other side of its final holiday, the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines were idle in the middle of the road.
After a 2024 docket that was filled with plenty of ups and downs, they glared at a 5-4 start directly in the face. Their last clash before the year suddenly became the past, was a trip to the Reilly Center at St. Bonaventure to take on the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford — their archenemy.
It was a contest on that late December night that Cuba-Rushford took supreme control of from the very start, cashing in on a complete performance across the board to capture a decisive 77-56 victory over the Wolverines.
A defeat for Bolivar-Richburg that began to sound some alarms.
Now, with the first week of January waiting in the wings, the Wolverines needed to make a change rapidly. After a split of this year’s Class D Finalists — a double-overtime win over Jasper-Troupsburg and then a defeat to the hands of Fillmore, followed by a strong rebound on the road at Andover/Whitesville, the Wolverines now stood at 7-5 entering the 16th of January.
A day that was pinpointed as the day that changed everything: An all-out defensive victory against the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford from within their home confines.
The rebounds of all rebounds.
How much of one? — How does 10 wins in 11 games sound? Amongst those victories, a trip over the road nearly a week removed from their win over Cuba-Rushford, to visit the Wellsville Lions for another Senior Night spoiler in the Lion’s Den, this time in overtime.
Head coach Justin Thomas credits those two games as the driving force behind their magnificent turnaround.
“2025 was a very kind year to us. We had a rough end to 2024 at Bonaventure when Pat (Wight) and his kids at C-R gave us the business there going into New Year’s. I think that was definitely a wake-up call, especially if we wanted to be respectable,” he said. “We started to do that, and when we did, we built and built. As funny as fate works out, we had the next meeting with C-R right around the corner, and we had that opportunity to play a heck of a game defensively to win that. We rode the momentum into Wellsville of all places and beat them on their Senior Night, and that’s when they finally realized they’re a team that will not scrape by. We’re a team that can do some special things if they could put their minds to it. Boy, did they ever.”
Did they ever is right.
From the middle of the road, straight to the fast lane, Bolivar-Richburg quickly rose from the depths to finish the regular season as one of Section V’s hottest teams, earning a No. 4 seed they proudly wore on their chest going into a Class C2 field that saw them continue rattling off win after win after win.
Their journey amidst the second season has seen them coast past both Harley Allendale-Columbia and Red Jacket in the first two rounds before surviving a defensive donnybrook with top-seeded Dundee/Bradford in Dansville back on Monday to officially punch their golden tickets to the madhouse at 1 War Memorial Square.
For just the second time in the school’s post-merger era — the first since 2007, Bolivar-Richburg was going back to win it all at Blue Cross Arena.
It was set in stone. But as for their opposition, they were a Cinderella in the making: The No. 7 York Golden Knights, who originally entered the postseason sub-.500 for the campaign. Despite that, they still very much remained a juggernaut, as they commenced the search for the program’s second championship in a four-year span.
What exactly was it going to take? — The ultimate fight for their basketball lives.
Through much of the fierce fight on Blue Cross Arena’s prestigious hardwood, the Golden Knights and Wolverines gave it everything they possibly had in a back-and-forth affair. In a game of this caliber, there was absolutely no wiggle room and absolutely no leeway for error.
With an agglomeration of lead changes being facilitated between the two clubs, it was only a matter of time until the edge was granted. It would eventually come in the last eight minutes, the most important time of the night.
After initially providing a spark to open the second half, it flickered and flickered until it erratically caught fire. Then, the Golden Knights proceeded to burn down the house.
Following one final back-and-forth exchange with Bolivar-Richburg in the early stages of the fourth quarter, York went all-in on a marathon sprint to the finish line with the help of a three-point bucket by Ryan Brady, a wide-open finish by Mason Parsons and a 29-point MVP performance from Parker Bonefede, all helping jumpstart a late jaunt that turned the game upside down in their favor, as the Golden Knights marched straight towards their second Section V Championship in four years with a 64-56 victory to end a memorable season for the Wolverines.
“The old Dennis Green line comes into play here: They are who we thought they were. They take care of business and they know how to win games. Coach Ed (Orman) knows how to win games. We tip our cap off to them, they had the better hand that was played tonight,” Thomas said. “It’s unfortunate that someone has to win, someone has to lose. Both teams laid it all out on the floor, and it just couldn’t go our way. There were two big runs that sting a bit. We had a seven-point lead evaporate somewhere in the third quarter, and then it was who was going to be the next team to make a run. Unfortunately, it was York.”
In the midst of the teeter-totter goose chase through the first quarter, the Wolverines dug in and worked their way free from York’s grasp after a 6-6 tie that was provided by back-to-back triples from Maddox Davison and Braden Zilker to open their end of the scoring.
Momentum shifted through the continuous level playing surface, causing a disruption with 30 seconds remaining in the frame with the aid of Landon Barkley and his go-ahead bucket on the run to grant a 14-12 Bolivar-Richburg lead.
As time went on in the second quarter, the advantage for the No. 4 seeds in white blossomed to at its largest of seven points over the Golden Knights, with the guidance of Kingston Loucks and Waide Karnuth paying heavy dividends during their latest jaunt. But like the pace of the game witnessed already before, the Golden Knights fired right back with six straight points of their own after a 24-17 Bolivar-Richburg lead.
The run extended even more for York, morphing into a 10-1 jaunt altogether, led by their MVP in Bonefede, who assembled an outstanding 15-point first half for the No. 7 seeds in gold and purple, claiming a razor-thin 29-28 halftime edge along the way.
In the second half, the pendulum began to shift in York’s favor following yet another back-and-forth exchange of pleasantries, as they unearthed their stroke behind the lead of Yeriel Diaz-Pena and his eight consecutive points on the attack — a three-pointer, a steal-and-finish and a three-point play at the charity stripe all in one foul swoop to grant the Golden Knights a 44-39 lead of the Wolverines.
Despite the third quarter complication, the Wolverines weaved their way back into the game, with a much-needed triple from the hand of Barkley finding its way through the twine to finish a run that brought them back to within a possession of the Golden Knights entering the fourth quarter.
With a 48-45 advantage for York displaying on the scoreboard, the last eight minutes told the rest of the story.
After one final trade with Bolivar-Richburg to open the fourth quarter, the Golden Knights delivered a masterful finish behind a 9-2 run just past midway that ultimately gave them all the cushioning they needed to remain out in front, using the foul game down the stretch as icing on the championship-winning cake to claim their second title in four years.
“It’s a game of runs and they got the last and the best one unfortunately. There are a lot of broken hearts in that locker room right now, and it’s tough to see that disappointment on all of their faces,” Thomas said. “You work so hard for something and it’s within reach, and to have it not bounce your way, is tough to swallow. I told them that it will be tough to see the forest through the trees, but there’s going to be a day where you sit down and you realize that you put together something special, especially the kids that have been here for three years and have been on some of the more successful B-R teams in history, up there with the greats. Individually and as a team, a lot of accolades, a lot of accomplishments, good times, lots of memories that we hopefully carry forward forever.”
Kingston Loucks led all scorers for Bolivar-Richburg with a game-high 21 points. Right behind him was Barkley, who concluded with 13 points of his own — 11 of which coming in the second half. Braden Zilker finished with 10 points. At game’s end, Loucks and Barkley were both selected to the tournament’s All-Tournament team, while Zilker earned Section V’s Sportsmanship award.
Despite the loss, it will remain a proud and memorable 2024-25 campaign for the Wolverines, as the team puts a wrap on a season that saw them provide a breakthrough 17-7 finish. The team will graduate three seniors that have made a major impact in the program’s growing success in recent years under Thomas, as they bid farewell to Barkley, Waide Karnuth and Maddox Davison.
As for the head coach, he says it was a tremendous honor to have been the one to guide them. Especially the two formers, who he’s been right alongside since his time on the JV level.
“It was awesome to have Maddox back first and foremost. We didn’t have him in the back end of our year last year, but it was really great to get him back this year to put forth a lot of heart and effort into everything he has done,” he said. “He was a great add to keep us moving, and then there’s Landon and Waide. We grew up together. My first year back on JV, they were with me there and then made the jump to Varsity when I did, and we’ve been together for four years since then. Those are kids of high character that I can’t say enough about. It’s tough now, but when you look back at the big picture, we did some special stuff. I’m really proud to have been their coach.”
As for No. 3, his departing leader that will more than likely go down in history as one of the greatest Wolverines to do it, Thomas says Barkley is truly a one-of-a-kind player.
“Landon Barkley, that’s a kid that puts his nose down and goes after what he wants,” he said of his senior star. “He has so much heart and dedication to his craft, and it doesn’t matter what he does. He does it on the soccer field, the baseball diamond, he sure as heck gets it done on the basketball court. The classroom, personally, he’s a phenomenal human being. I hurt for him, because he and the rest of his teammates deserve to have a celebration and have it end in a much different way than tonight.”
York 12 17 17 16 — 64
Bolivar-Richburg 14 14 17 11 — 56
YORK: Yeriel Diaz-Pena 7 3-3 18, Parker Bonefede 13 3-6 29, Ryan Brady 2 3-4 8, Mason Parsons 1 2-2 4, Zachary Bauer 1 2-2 4, Aiden Koblanski 0 1-2 1. Totals: 24 14-19 64.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Maddox Davison 1 0-0 3, Landon Barkley 5 1-2 13, Braden Zilker 3 1-2 10, Waide Karnuth 1 4-6 6, Mason Baldwin 1 0-0 3, Kingston Loucks 8 2-4 21. Totals: 19 10-12 56.
3-point goals: York 2 (Diaz-Pena, Brady), B-R 10 (Zilker 3, Loucks 3, Barkley 2, Davison, Baldwin).
Total Fouls: York 12, B-R 19. Fouled out: None.
Fillmore story after photo gallery:
No. 2 Fillmore hangs tight with No.1 State-ranked Elba, but Lady Lancers break free down stretch to secure back-to-back titles, ending fabulous season by Lady Eagles with 54-36 win
CANANDAIGUA — At the start of this season, there were plenty of questions surrounding the future for the Lady Eagles of Fillmore.
Perhaps the biggest one of them all to answer was how exactly they would overcome the loss of all five of their senior starters, as the program was presented with a fresh new canvas to paint a brand new chapter.
Their artists, a brand new starting five — Emalyn Mucher, Morghyn Ross, Mylee Miller, Tenlee Miller and Mattie McCumiskey, was a rotation unlike any other they have had, let alone their entire team as a whole.
In short: There isn’t a single Lady Eagles senior occupying the floor or the bench.
When it came to initializing their outline for what the team wanted to accomplish in the 2024-25 season, the first thing that came to mind was to compete for a third Allegany County League Championship in four years.
That was square one.
In their five-game sequence at the very top of their docket, battles against Avoca-Prattsburgh, Arkport-Canaseraga and twice against Allegany-Limestone — three of those games being decided by no more than four points, all of which receiving the same result: victory.
Right as they got a taste of it, the seven-letter designation soon became a common trend for the Lady Eagles.
A harmonious rhythm that nearly went uninterrupted throughout the entire regular season.
Aside from a 71-54 defeat to the hands of Arkport-Canaseraga in late January, the Lady Eagles eventually went on to cross “Allegany County Champions” off their list of goals. And with it, came so many more unearthings of hidden gems they never even thought was possible this season — a 19-1 record to enter the postseason, resulting in the claiming of one of Class D’s top seeds along the way being one of them.
Through it all, head coach Tom Parks says that despite not knowing what the eventual future would hold, he believed the program remained in exceptional hands.
“I hate to beat the dead horse over and over, but this team doesn’t have any seniors. We lost all of our starters a year ago,” he said. “Coach (Alicia) Mucher said it best originally: We didn’t know how good we could be at the beginning of the season, and now we know how good we are. That was a discovery throughout this season. We didn’t know where this was going to take us, and in a perceived rebuilding year, nothing surprised me with them as we went through this year.”
With the Lady Eagles assembling yet another magnificent season filled with victories they have won in many different fashions, they would now step onto the proving grounds of the Class D Tournament to see what they are really made of.
With a dominant start to Sectionals against Mount Morris, along with a transcendent triumph over C.G. Finney earlier this week in the Semifinals, Fillmore had become the little team that could.
All of a sudden, one single victory separated them from finishing a storybook Sectional run. One that dreams were made of.
Waiting for them in the Class D Finals on Saturday at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, was no slouch — a perennial powerhouse in Section V, the Elba Lady Lancers, who are ranked No. 1 in New York State in the midst of a perfect season.
If the Lady Eagles were going to accomplish one of the biggest feats in the program’s history, they were going to need to fight like their lives depended on it. Across the opening stages of combat, the No. 2 seeds did just that, going toe-to-toe while withstanding several different blows, dealing some of their own in return to deadlock the Lady Lancers at the end of it.
But when an opportunity to tilt the balance came, Sydney Reilly did not hesitate for the Lady Lancers.
The Elba senior made the very most of the opportunity that lay ahead during the second quarter, where her converted three-point play allowed the State’s top-ranked team to turn the tide behind a monstrous run, using the momentum to ward off Fillmore’s final push down the stretch off some clutch assistance at the charity stripe, as they advanced towards the capture of back-to-back Section V championships behind Reilly’s 25-point MVP performance in a 54-36 victory over the Lady Eagles, ending their remarkable campaign in the process.
Before Reilly spearheaded the Elba offense towards eventual glory, the Lady Lancers had to overcome a tough challenge posed by the young guns of the Lady Eagles immediately out of the gate, with a back-and-forth exchange harnessing every bit of spotlight through the first eight minutes until both teams basked in its illumination at the end of the frame with a 10-10 tie on the scoreboard.
Parks said the team’s start was an element to the game they absolutely needed to have.
“We knew that we had to come out guns blazing with high energy,” the longtime Lady Eagles coach said. “We said it was going to be a physical fight out there. We couldn’t be pushovers. We deserved to be here and we had to let Elba know that. I couldn’t be more proud of our start. They came out with all of that intensity that we talked about, and the thing about good teams like Elba is that they make you play like that for every second. If you can’t, they will get you. In little spurts, the girls were resilient getting it back down to single digits. Towards the end, we couldn’t string enough stops together to hold them.”
In the second quarter, the three-point play by Reilly seemingly tilted the balance of power in Elba’s favor for the duration of the frame, as the defense limited Fillmore and their looks on offense with a half-ending 14-5 run that ultimately allowed them to set the tone going into the second half.
Despite the disadvantage, the Lady Eagles kept fighting, as they found a new way to attack — the charity stripe, especially behind the guidance of Mattie McCumiskey down low, who did everything in her power to emerge as an inside presence.
Although Fillmore was also at the brunt of some severe foul trouble in the third quarter, the Lady Eagles junior turned the tables on the attack and drew several fouls against the Lady Lancers in return to reach the charity stripe a total of 13 times, making 10 shots — including an 8-for-9 outing across the back 16 minutes of play.
McCumiskey finished as Fillmore’s leading scorer with a team-high 16 points.
“We had to be aggressive,” Parks said. “I didn’t think we were always doing a great job of putting pressure on their defense by working up to the rim. So the girls picked up that aspect a little bit, Mattie especially. She’s one of our leaders, and for her to draw all those fouls, that really helped us stay in the game quite a bit from the free throw line.”
Closing in on less than six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, what momentum Fillmore had built, was essentially erased by Reilly and the Lady Lancers, as the senior knocked down two big three-pointers to open the game up towards a 17-point advantage that was kept fully intact, as top-seeded Elba went on to finish their Sectional run with high success as Champions once again in the 2024-25 campaign.
“We’re a zone team and we knew they had shooters all over the floor,” said Parks of Elba. “We knew we had to get out and cover them from long range, but at the same time, plug the lane behind them. We forced a lot of contested shots early. But it was only a matter of time before Elba caught on, and they strung together some great shots from three in the fourth quarter. It’s like picking your poison with them, they have a lot of ways they can come after you with.”
Following McCumiskey in the Fillmore scoresheet was Emalyn Mucher, who had nine points of her own to add into the mix. Morghyn Ross had five points, while Mylee Miller and Tenlee Miller rounded off the scoring with four and two points, respectively.
At game’s end, both McCumiskey and Mucher received All-Tournament nods for their efforts during the postseason.
A campaign filled with many moments to be proud of, has reached its conclusion for the Lady Eagles, as they put a wrap on an absolutely sublime season of basketball with a record of 21-2 overall. The best part behind all of the success from this winter — the No. 2 seeds will have their entire team back next year to do it all over again.
Through all the different methods that the Lady Eagles have found in the win column with, it also allowed them to develop a resiliency of epic proportions, according to Parks.
“We came from behind, we won close games, we won in different ways and it carried us all the way to the Sectional Finals. It’s simply remarkable,” he said. “21 win seasons don’t grow on trees, and to do it in a year where we were going to contend for a League title maybe, it says everything about the girls. The amount of resiliency and how they came back today, it speaks volumes, even more than their basketball ability. It carries you such a long way. To say that I’m proud of them, is a massive understatement.”
Fillmore 10 5 12 9 — 36
Elba 10 14 14 16 — 54
FILLMORE: Mylee Miller 1 2-2 4, Tenlee Miller 1 0-0 2, Morghyn Ross 2 0-2 5, Emalyn Mucher 3 3-4 9, Mattie McCumiskey 3 10-13 16. Totals: 10 15-21 36.
ELBA: Sydney Reilly 11 1-1 25, Maddie Hall 2 0-0 5, Mariah Ognibene 2 1-2 5, Lydia Ross 1 0-1 2, Brynn Stackhouse 1 1-2 3, Brea Smith 7 0-0 14. Totals: 24 3-6 54.
3-point goals: Fillmore 1 (Ross), Elba 3 (Reilly 2, Hall).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 14, Elba 17. Fouled out: None.
Chris Brooks photos:
