Thursday Roundup: B-R volleyball locks up No. 3 seed in County Playoffs with 4-set win over GV/Belfast; Fillmore girls sweep season series with And/Whi behind huge home win

BELMONT — The County Playoffs are officially upon the horizon. On Thursday, six of the eight teams hopped back onto the floor for their final home game of the regular season, with two of those teams meeting in Belmont in a potential 6-3 matchup entering the postseason next week.

A win for the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg would lock the No. 3 seed once and for all. They would do just that, as they started the night on a dominant footnote before shaking off a second set rally-from-behind by host Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they survived a back-and-forth extra serve session in the fourth and final set to claim a four-set, 25-7, 22-25, 25-16, 27-25 decision to finish the regular season.

“I was pretty proud tonight. It was another one of those ‘what if’ games,” said GV/Belfast coach Darren Bradt. “We had a wrench thrown into our game, and we figured it out to give Bolivar a great game. They’ve come a long way since the beginning of the season, and I think they walked away happy from this one after the effort they put in.”

The night for the Wolverines (9-5) saw a brilliant start come into full fruition, as the service of both Ryder Easton and Hunter Walp both led the way for the offense to find the holes on the floor, on the opposite side of the net, garnering 12 of the first 13 points to garner all the room they needed to take the match’s first lead by a 25-7 count.

The second set was nearly a repeat of freshly-written history from the first set, with Bolivar-Richburg starting with another tremendous run of 10 consecutive points to keep the momentum in their favor. But Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-9) regrouped, and delivered an epic comeback through resiliency in the midst of a back-and-forth exchange in the middle stages of the set.

But the miscues began to pile up against the Wolverines, which would allow the hosts to cut the deficit bit by bit until it was completely made up with a 22-22 tie entering the final serves. They would go on to score the last three points in a row to finish off the rally and tie the match at one set on each side.

The Wolverines would go on to push Genesee Valley/Belfast to the brink after three complete sets, before surviving a back-and-forth nail biter through extra serves to lay claim on a four-set win.

Walp would lead the Wolverines with 19 total service points to pair with eight aces, three kills and a pair of blocks. Easton chipped in with seven digs and five aces. On the other side, Canaan Sullivan led the Genesee Valley/Belfast offense with 17 game-high kills. Damien Rinker chipped in with three of his own, while setter Sean Mahon handed out 21 assists to pair with five kills and three blocks.

Both teams will now come together for one final meeting, this time in Richburg, as their battle in the opening round of the Allegany County Playoffs begins on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Arkport/Canaseraga 3, Wellsville 1

ARKPORT — After a victorious first set went in favor of the Lions of Wellsville, the battle was on against host Arkport/Canaseraga on Thursday. Across the next three sets, some of the night’s most competitive action began to unfold, with each set being decided by no more than two points.

Both of those sets were claimed by the Wolves, as they instantaneously pushed Wellsville towards the brink, and eventually over in the night’s final set to record what was a four-set win to lock in as the No. 4 seed in the County Playoff picture with a 21-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-17 victory.

Despite the defeat, the Lions (7-7) saw a tremendous surge of offense lead the way from Xavier Scott and Riley Graves, with Scott compiling 10 kills to go with two aces and two digs, while Graves chipped in with six additional kills of his own along with three digs and two aces. The team’s setter, Gavan Dickerson chipped in by handing out 15 assists to his teammates, adding in seven digs on defense and a pair of aces from the back line.

Wellsville has locked themselves in as the No. 5 seed in the County Playoffs, which will begin on Tuesday, where they travel to Arkport/Canaseraga once more for a 6 p.m. opening round battle.

Cuba-Rushford 3, Friendship/Scio 0

SCIO — Home court advantage for the County Playoffs next week will once again run through the defending champs. On Thursday, the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford all but secured the No. 1 seed after another dominant regular season was capped off with a straight-set victory over host Friendship/Scio over the road, as they garnered the 25-8, 25-18, 25-10 win.

Max Hinckley conducted another strong offensive night for the Rebels (13-1), recording six kills to couple with two aces and a helper. Preston Bilotta chipped in with his effort on the attack, pitching in with five more kills, two blocks, two assists and an ace, while the team’s setter Allen Fuller dished out 11 assists to go with his whopping 11 aces from the back line, and two kills.

Statistics for Friendship/Scio (2-11) were not made available to report upon publication. Friendship/Scio will close out their regular season after the weekend with a 6 p.m. road trip to Allegany-Limestone, Monday night.

The Rebels will now await their opponent on Tuesday in opening round action of the County Playoffs, where they now head back home for the remainder of their season to begin their title defense with a 6 p.m. contest against either Fillmore or Friendship/Scio in the Wighthouse.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 46, Andover/Whitesville 40

FILLMORE — The opportunity to take down one of the area’s best twice in one season was an opportunity that the Lady Eagles of Fillmore were presented with to close out the week, Thursday evening. With the action beginning to wind down, and the Sectional pictures, as well as the Allegany County League standings beginning to take shape, something had to give.

It was a battle that saw the Lady Eagles break free from Andover/Whitesville’s grasp early with a scoreless run through the first few minutes. But like they have been all year, the visitors in black and purple bounced back with a strong finish to cut their deficit to a single possession at the end of the half.

Then, a breakthrough. The Lady Eagles went to work.

Fillmore would go on to exchange a three-point lead at the break, for a double-digit lead across the third quarter of play, as the defense struck all chords by holding Andover/Whitesville to just five points in the midst of their game-changing run, garnering all the extra cushioning they needed to secure a season-series sweep with a 46-40 home win in The Rock.

“We got off to a really nice start, but A/W is tough and they ended the first half with a great run to cut the lead to three. We talked at halftime about getting back to playing like us. We got tentative during their run and we just kind of stopped playing,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “We got a balanced third quarter on both sides of the ball, and we were able to hold them off at the end behind another fantastic night from Hope. Grace also scored nine of her 11 points in the second half while running our offense.”

Fillmore (9-4) provided a full sprint right out of the gate in the first quarter, seeing lightning strike with eight points in a row in the game’s first two minutes. The early boost carried into the second quarter where the Lady Eagles would find a way to extend their lead across double-digit territory.

In the late stages of the first half’s conclusion, Andover/Whitesville (10-4) bounced right back and delivered a strong finish of their own, cutting their deficit down to three. Hoping to keep the swing of the game in their favor in the second half, Fillmore responded in a big way.

The Lady Eagles came out swinging, picking up where they left off from the first half and created another big run to use against their opposition, as the defense zeroed in on one end of the floor, while the offense fed off of the energy back the other way with a 15-5 third quarter run in all to pull away with a lead above the 10-point plateau, never losing it in the process.

Hope Russell was a big spark plug behind Fillmore’s success on the offensive front, as she totaled a game-high 19 points. Grace Russell followed behind with 11 points of her own, while Preslee Miller chipped in eight.

On the flip side, Andover/Whitesville saw Vanessa Hall take charge with 18 team-high points. Zoe Baert recorded nine points, while Graci Lewis-Ellison and Kennedy Bledsoe each had four points.

Parks added in on Hall’s performance, the last he witnessed from within The Rock, noting that she has been a special player to coach against over the years.

“Vanessa had a great night tonight. I had to check the program three times to make sure that she is in fact graduating this year,” he said. “Her career has spanned about three different versions of my team, and she made trying to defend her one of our toughest challenges every single year. She is a special player, and I think her and Andover/Whitesville have a shot at another Sectional run this year.”

Both teams return to the floor after the weekend on Monday in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, as Fillmore remains at home to host Genesee Valley/Belfast, while Andover/Whitesville looks to bounce back against Friendship/Scio in a home battle of their own in Whitesville.

Andover/Whitesville 8 13 5 14 – 40

Fillmore 13 11 15 7 – 46

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Vanessa Hall 5 7-9 18, Graci Lewis-Ellison 2 0-0 4, Gabby Terhune 1 0-0 2, Zoe Baert 4 1-3 9, Gabbi Hall 1 0-0 3, Kennedy Bledsoe 2 0-2 4. Totals: 15 8-14 40.
FILLMORE: Hope Russell 7 3-10 19, Grace Russell 4 3-4 11, Rachel Hatch 2 0-0 4, Mattie McCumiskey 1 1-7 3, Preslee Miller 4 0-2 8, Madi Geertman 0 1-2 1. Totals: 18 8-25 46.

3-point goals: A/W 2 (V. Hall, G. Hall), Fillmore 2 (H. Russell).
Total Fouls: A/W 18, Fillmore 12. Fouled out: None.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 41, Friendship/Scio 11

BELMONT — All Genesee Valley/Belfast needed was two brilliant starts in each half to make some noise on Thursday, as they used a pair of runs, including a first quarter jaunt that gave them an insurmountable lead to control up against visiting Friendship/Scio, rolling towards a 41-11 home win in the Jungle, in Belmont.

Both quarters for Genesee Valley/Belfast (9-6) were jet-fueled by Mary Hamer down low, as she found her untouchable rhythm beginning in the opening eight minutes with 10 of the team’s first 17 points to storm off on a 17-4 run of Friendship/Scio. The lead would be pushed a tad farther to close out the first half before the hosts stomped back down on the gas pedal in the second half.

One final run of Friendship/Scio (9-6) would be garnered in the third quarter that would allow Genesee Valley/Belfast to pull away, as they scooted off on an 13-3 run with Hamer leading the balanced attack one more time. Hamer would lead all scorers with a game-high 20 points.

Following behind for the hosts was Anna Drozdowski, who had seven points. Harley Proctor had four points.

Friendship/Scio was led by Nevaeh Ross and Grace Drumm, as the two shooters combined for all 11 points. Ross was at the front with nine points, while Drumm had the remaining pair of points on an inside bucket. The team will head back over the road again on Monday to Whitesville, visiting Andover/Whitesville in a 7:30 p.m. battle.

Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to eclipse the 10-win mark come Saturday afternoon, as they hit the road themselves for a 12:30 p.m. tip-off at Campbell-Savona.

Friendship/Scio 4 2 3 2 – 11

Genesee Valley/Belfast 17 6 13 2 – 41

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Grace Drumm 1 0-0 2, Nevaeh Ross 4 0-0 9. Totals: 5 0-0 11.

GV/BELFAST: Anna Drozdowski 2 3-4 7, Abby Sullivan 1 0-0 2, Harley Proctor 2 0-0 4, Kendra Bigelow 0 1-2 1, Adison Grusendorf 1 0-0 2, Madison McKenzie 1 0-0 3, Mary Hamer 10 0-0 20, Kate Calanni 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 4-6 41.

3-point goals: F/S 1 (Ross), GVB 1 (McKenzie).
Total Fouls: F/S 9, GVB 10. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 54, Hinsdale 16

BOLIVAR — It was a tight battle early on between both Hinsdale and Bolivar-Richburg on Thursday, but the floodgates were busted down by the time the second came around by the Lady Wolverines, as they delivered a knockout punch in the third quarter to race away towards victory by a 54-16 count on their home floor.

After the Lady Bobcats started the night with a 10-6 first quarter lead, the momentum began to sway in Bolivar-Richburg’s (5-8) direction to close out the first half, as they scored a 9-2 run fueled by the resurgence of Malayna Ayers, who was shut off by the Andover/Whitesville defense back on Tuesday.

The senior would go on to give the Lady Wolverines a massive third quarter spark with the majority of the team’s 31 points from within the frame, as they posted an overpowering, 31-0 scoreless run after a 15-12 halftime lead to pull away from Hinsdale’s (0-15) grasp permanently. Ayers would finish with a game-high 25 points. Carmen Crowley chipped in with 10 points, while Raegan Giardini had nine.

The Lady Bobcats were led by Hannah Sutton and Jaylee Jimerson, each netting five team-high points. Hinsdale will head back home to host the Lady Eagles of Fillmore, Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

Bolivar-Richburg will hit the road after the weekend, as they look to keep the momentum in their favor with a 7:30 p.m. to the Wighthouse to face the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford.

Hinsdale 10 2 0 4 – 16

Bolivar-Richburg 6 9 31 8 – 54

HINSDALE: Hannah Sutton 2 1-2 5, Kaylie Foskit 1 0-0 2, Jaylee Jimerson 2 0-0 5, Mikayla Miller 1 0-0 2, Kaleigh Buckles 1 0-0 2. Totals: 7 1-2 16.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 2 0-2 4, Emma Sisson 2 0-0 4, Raegan Giardini 4 1-2 9, Carmen Crowley 5 0-0 10, Rylee Whiting 1 0-2 2, Malayna Ayers 12 0-0 25. Totals: 26 1-5 54.

3-point goals: Hinsdale 1 (Jimerson), B-R 1 (Ayers).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 8, B-R 9. Fouled out: None.

Canisteo-Greenwood 45, Addison 34

ADDISON — The Lady Knights of Addison gave undefeated Canisteo-Greenwood everything they could handle on Thursday. After keeping Lillian Mullen at bay without a single shot from the field, the hosts would push it to the limit entering the last eight minutes of play.

But a balanced fourth quarter attack paced on one end of the floor, while the defense buckled down to hold Addison to just five points in turn, as Canisteo-Greenwood survived a back-and-forth shootout with the Lady Knights to remain undefeated to close out regular season play with a 45-34 road win.

Both teams engaged in a back-and-forth affair throughout the first eight minutes behind balanced attacks across the board, as the Lady Redskins (17-0) grabbed the narrow upper hand with a four-point lead to carry into the next period, behind a trio of Peyton Peters baskets inside and a perfect 6-for-6 outing at the charity stripe.

The momentum was maintained with a strong finish to the first half for the visitors in red and black, with a Bailey Mullen three-pointer and a 5-for-6 outing at the line furthering the team’s cause in what was a 12-6 doubling-up of Addison in the second quarter to distance their lead to 10.

Addison would catch back up to Canisteo-Greenwood behind the efforts of Jillian Ames and a three-pointer from Bailee Jackson paving the way in the team’s response to their opposition’s first half-ending run, as they closed the gap back down to four with an 11-5 to enter the final eight minutes within arm’s reach.

But the balance of power would provide one final shift towards the Lady Redskins, as they put together their strongest showing on both sides to keep the Lady Knights at bay, holding them to two shots from the field on defense while the offense led by Bailey Mullen and Brooke Burd down low conducted business to secure the win down the stretch.

Mullen would finish with a game-high 15 points to pair with nine rebounds. Burd followed with 13 points of her own to couple with 10 boards to finish off a double-double performance, while Peters concluded with 10 to go with seven rebounds. Adding special teams help along the way was Elaine Roach, who chipped in seven rebounds and three assists, while Lillian Mullen had three more helpers to hand out.

Canisteo-Greenwood is now off until February 7, when the Steuben County Tournament begins to officially kick into gear to close out the season.

Canisteo-Greenwood 16 12 5 12 – 45

Addison 12 6 11 5 – 34

CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Bailey Mullen 5 4-4 15, Elaine Roach 1 0-0 2, Lillian Mullen 0 5-6 5, Peyton Peters 5 0-0 10, Brooke Burd 4 5-6 13. Totals: 15 14-16 55.
ADDISON: Anna Carlineo 2 0-2 5, Kerrigan Driskell 2 0-0 4, Chiara Lai 3 0-0 6, Kendra McClean 1 0-0 2, Erin Terwilliger 1 0-0 2, Jillian Ames 5 0-0 10, Bailee Jackson 2 0-0 5. Totals: 16 0-2 34.
3-point goals: C-G 1 (B. Mullen), Addison 2 (Carlineo, Jackson).
Total Fouls: C-G 5, Addison 17. Fouled out: None.

WRESTLING

Bolivar-Richburg 33, Letchworth 30

BOLIVAR — On the final night in front of their home crowd this regular season, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg wanted to make sure their two seniors — Parker Worth and Trent Sibble, got the ultimate sendoff they deserved on Senior Night.

Down 24-9 entering the last five matches of the night against visiting Letchworth, Bolivar-Richburg would have to go to work on the high-wire to get the job done. Out of the remaining bouts, the hosts would score three huge pin-fall victories against the Indians to cut the deficit to just three points.

It would come down to the very last match of the night. With one Sibble already finding their way into the win column for the evening, it was only appropriate for the other to build a big boost of momentum heading into today’s State Tournament in Syracuse.

Teegan Sibble said game over.

To close out the night, the Bolivar-Richburg sophomore gave her team a sensational way to end the regular season slate on their home floor, as she captured a pin-fall victory with 30 seconds left in the opening period to give the Wolverines a massive game-ending six-point swing to send them over the top, clinching the 33-30 win over Letchworth on Thursday.

After the match began with a Trey Buchholz pin-fall win for Bolivar-Richburg at 126 pounds, the forfeits began to avalanche. With the next four decisions sharing that result, three of them were shared by both teams before Letchworth found their way onto the board with a forfeit win at 152 pounds.

The win was one of three that the Indians would collect out of the next four matches to build a 24-9 lead on the hosts entering the last five matches of the night. Sandwiched in-between was a 160 pounds win for Tavyn MacDonell, as he fought tooth and nail to record an 8-5 decision win over Chris Shearing.

The Wolverines would kick it into high gear to close out the match with a forfeit win by Caden Allen (215 pounds) and a strong pin-fall win for Trent Sibble at 285 pounds (1:12) to charge up the comeback. They ultimately found themselves trailing by three after both teams traded a win in the lightweight division, with Gary McDowell collecting a pin-fall win in just 1:13 at 110 pounds.

With time running out, the match was now hanging in the balance. It all came down to Teegan Sibble in the very last match to be decided in an opportunity she would not squander, as she picked up the clutch pin-fall victory with 29 seconds left to close the curtain on the final home win of the season.

Bolivar-Richburg will head for their final tenure of dual tournament action in Arkport on Saturday before they officially put a wrap on their regular season as a whole on Tuesday back out on the road, traveling for a 6:15 p.m. bout against Avoca/Prattsburgh.

Results

102 – Joe Scott (LET) def. James Gleason (B-R) by pin, 1:00.

110 – Gary McDowell (B-R) def. AJ Gray (LET) by pin, 1:13.

118 – Teegan Sibble (B-R) def. Felicity Wantuch (LET) by pin, 1:31.

*126 – Trey Buchholz (B-R) def. Derek Smith (LET) by pin, 1:52.

132 – Double for.

138 – Double for.

145 – Double for.

152 – Gunner Kemp (LET) by for.

160 – Tavyn MacDonell (B-R) def. Chris Shearing (LET) by dec, 8-5.

172 – Ayden Miller (LET) def. Zack Mitchell (B-R) by pin, 2:44.

189 – Braiden Schroeder (LET) def. Parker Worth (B-R) by pin, :54.

215 – Caden Allen (B-R) by for.

285 – Trent Sibble (B-R) def. Carson Bliss (LET) by pin, 1:12.

- * indicates starting weight -