Wednesday Roundup: B-R knocks off Wellsville again as Senior Night spoiler behind gigantic 1st half-ending run, resilient OT finish; Mucher nets career-high 35 to set up Fillmore win over Ark-Can
WELLSVILLE — Right before every home game in the Lion’s Den, REO Speedwagon comes playing over the speakers. The intensifying crescendo of the opening sequence is enough to get you amped up for the big game. Then, it was time.
It was time for the Lions to ride out the storm. But for Seniors Aiden Cowburn, Karson Grover, JJ Howard and Ty Vogel, Wednesday night marked one of the very last times they would ride it out together.
Waiting in the wings were the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines — their Senior Night opposition for the second time in three years.
In their previous meeting last year in Bolivar, it was a dogfight that saw the Lions come away with a three-point victory over Bolivar-Richburg. It’s a game that has been used as a measuring stick in recent seasons, with Wellsville going on to win every game leading up to their Section V Championship back in 2023 following their Senior Night defeat to the Wolverines.
As for Bolivar-Richburg, they proceeded to run the table with seven wins in a row all while entering Sectionals red hot, nearly going the entire distance themselves before falling shy of the Finals this past season. With both teams looking to continue turning a corner going down the homestretch of the regular season, it was a game that both teams wanted to have in their pocket.
It was safe to say that the fight of all fights was indeed on when the two reconvened once again.
Both the Wolverines and Lions traded big blows throughout the first half, with Wellsville posting a mammoth head start in the first quarter while a more giant response by Bolivar-Richburg came thereafter right before the half’s closure to erase the momentum the Lions had built.
In the second half, it was a battle through and through, with the pendulum shifting in each and every direction. Because of a late, game-tying three-pointer finding its way through the twine from the Lions, overtime was ultimately required in front of a jam-packed crowd.
Everyone in attendance was on the edge of their seats. But when it was all said and done, an early run in the extra period allowed the Wolverines to hold off the Lions at the very last second, as they squeezed their way past Wellsville by a narrow 68-65 edge to record yet another spectacular victory in the wagon, spoiling their annual Senior Night celebration once again.
“There's something about it. There's no words. We talked early on about weathering the early onslaught. We knew they were going to be hyped up and energetic for their night, and we had to match it,” said Wolverines coach Justin Thomas. “But we survived it, and we made a run of it in the second quarter to turn things in our direction. It had them believing. It would have been curtains if we got tomahawked again in the third, but props to our guys and their resiliency to chip away after the early storm one possession at a time.”
The first quarter saw the Wellsville (7-6) Seniors take full advantage of the opportunity and the energy surrounding the hardwood, as they used the contributions of JJ Howard, Ty Vogel and Karson Grover to amalgamate a 9-0 run of the Wolverines almost immediately. After the Wolverines found their way onto the board behind their first basket inside, the Lions proceeded to run off once more to finish the quarter with a 17-5 run under their belts behind another clean balance on the attack.
In the second quarter, it was Bolivar-Richburg’s (9-5) turn to flip the script. Led by a duo of triples from long range by Ryder Iantorno, it would begin the comeback of comebacks in the last three minutes.
Captained by Kingston Loucks and Landon Barkley, along with a clutch three-point play down low for Waide Karnuth, the Wolverines were not going to be stopped. The momentum then began to shift across all phases, cruising towards what ultimately formulated into a 16-1 half-ending run, with Loucks’ second triple from downtown propelling Bolivar-Richburg ahead with a 27-26 lead.
“Bolivar-Richburg played very well and they were hungry,” Lions coach Tom Muska said. “I think they hit 13 three-pointers tonight, which always helps as well. I thought our Seniors set the tone early and showed what they are capable of, but Bolivar-Richburg is not a team that will give up. I made sure to remind the team that it’s our response that will ultimately define us. Two years ago, we walked away from that loss here to put up a banner in the gym. We have a chance to do the same thing, but we need to keep getting better.”
In the second half, the race to the finish line then began, with the Wolverines breaking away towards a 7-0 run of the Lions to open the frame. Later on, the two foes commenced trading baskets in back-and-forth fashion, which led up to a wide-open run to the rim for JJ Howard to trim Wellsville’s deficit down to a single point with nearly 60 seconds left. The Wolverines however, remained in the driver’s seat with a 47-45 advantage in their hands.
The electricity level in the last eight minutes soon skyrocketed, as the back-and-forth tirade raged on, with each team scoring a string of baskets together to stay within reach of one another. With a 55-54 lead with one minute left, some help was garnered at the charity stripe from Loucks, who sank two big shots to branch out the team’s lead to three with 23.8 seconds remaining.
After a timeout, Wellsville went on to force overtime behind the absolutely clutch hand of Ty Vogel, who scored his fourth and final three-pointer with 15 seconds left to tie the game at 57 with Bolivar-Richburg.
In the extra overtime period, the Wolverines zeroed in on a key run early on in the session, as they posted eight of the overtime’s first 10 points to create a large six point lead at one point. But the Lions returned the favor a short time later, with a nifty pass from Aiden Cowburn to find Derek Coleman next to the rim granting a 65-all deadlock with minimal time left to spare.
Both teams received traveling calls closing in on the last 10 seconds of play, forcing possession back into the hands of the Wolverines, springboarding their way ahead off three straight shots at the line — two off the hand of Loucks, who finished a perfect 5-for-5 on the night, including what served as the game-sealing shot at the very end of his final approach at the charity stripe.
The LIons were permitted one last attempt to tie the game and force double-overtime, but the long three-point shot ultimately did not reach the mark as the buzzer sounded, as Bolivar-Richburg came away victorious on Wellsville’s Senior Night yet again.
“If this doesn’t help prove that the boys are capable of doing special things, I don’t know why you sign up to play,” Thomas said. “Those are two huge wins in a row against two incredibly talented, well-coached teams. I was proud of the way they dug in and responded. Now they have an incredible opportunity to finish out the season strong while keeping the iron sharp going into Sectionals.”
Loucks would lead all scorers on the hardwood between both teams, as the Wolverines sharpshooter finished with a game-high 29 points. Landon Barkley concluded with 13 points, while Maddox Davison had 12 points off four triples.
For the Lions, JJ Howard and Ty Vogel each paced the attack behind their team-high 19 points. Karson Grover concluded with 11, while Aiden Cowburn had five to chip in.
Prior to the contest, the Lions paid homage to all four of their Senior stars in their annual Senior Night celebration alongside their fellow Cheerleading and Indoor Track & Field Seniors.
“It’s going to be tough to think of making a game-plan for a team without kids like Tyler and JJ. They’ve been here my entire tenure as coach, and it’s going to feel really different without them. Same for both AJ and Karson. I always knew who I had on their best ball-handler, or who would be running the show for us. All four of them will be missed.” said Muska.
A complete photo gallery of the recognition ceremony is available separately for viewing.
Both teams are back on the floor come Friday night, with the Wolverines heading back home for a 7:30 p.m. visit from Hinsdale, while the Lions head out over the road for their second and final colossal showdown with the Hornell Red Raiders beginning at 7 p.m. in the Maple City.
Bolivar-Richburg 5 22 20 10 11 — 68
Wellsville 17 9 19 12 8 — 65
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Maddox Davison 4 0-0 12, Landon Barkley 4 2-4 13, Ryder Iantorno 2 0-0 6, Waide Karnuth 3 2-3 8, Kingston Loucks 9 5-5 29. Totals: 22 9-12 68.
WELLSVILLE: Aiden Cowburn 2 1-2 5, Karson Grover 4 2-2 11, JJ Howard 8 3-5 19, Ty Vogel 8 0-0 19, Nick Germain-Tardieu 1 0-0 2, Cole White 1 0-0 2, Derek Coleman 3 1-2 7. Totals: 27 7-11 65.
3-point goals: B-R 13 (Loucks 4, Davison 4, Barkley 3, Iantorno 2), Wellsville 4 (Vogel 3, Grover).
Total Fouls: B-R 9, Wellsville 14. Fouled out: None.
Fillmore 73, Arkport-Canaseraga 53
FILLMORE — Class D’s top team in Section V began to hone in on the 10-win mark for the season. In their return to action on Wednesday, the obstacle straight in front of the Eagles of Fillmore for their latest battle inside The Rock, the Wolves of Arkport-Canaseraga, is a team that is as tough as they come.
In regards to the Wolves, they were looking to rebound after coming off a difficult, stride-for-stride battle with Genesee Valley/Belfast at the Barkley Showcase this past weekend, while the Eagles looked to keep their fire burning at perhaps the most crucial time of the season.
In short: Something had to most certainly give way.
Early on, it showcased plenty. The two foes battled extremely tough through the first eight minute elongation on the hardwood, working towards a late deadlock closing in on the frame’s last minute. But from that point forward, momentum was built off one single shot.
As soon as the go-ahead shot landed, the momentous tremor then set off a giant avalanche.
From the end of the first quarter and onwards into the second quarter, the Eagles simply could not be stopped. Led by a career-night from Cam Mucher, Fillmore posted a scoreless run of epic proportions against Arkport-Canaseraga, setting the tone for the remainder of the game, despite a hefty run from the Wolves in the second half to close the gap, as they forged their way towards a 10th win on the campaign with a 73-53 victory.
“Arkport-Canaseraga has a lot of talent, and Caden Carey is a really athletic and skilled guard. We kind of left Jonah (Bialek) on an island to guard him, and he did a really solid job. We really got into a rhythm at the end of the first and carried the momentum into halftime,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “I have to give Max (Houy) credit, he didn’t let them quit. They rattled us in the third. We just got complacent and kept making silly mistakes. We played our way out of it though and the guys figured out that Cam had an advantage, so we started to play through him. Once we did, we regained our rhythm and stretched it back out.”
It was a tight battle through the majority of play in the first quarter, as both Arkport-Canaseraga and Fillmore delivered an even trade of exchanges, leading up to an eventual 17-17 tie coming down the stretch of the frame. Then, the offensive inferno grew hotter and hotter for Fillmore (10-1) with a go-ahead three-pointer serving as the stepping stone towards what was a cataclysmic 20-0 run all the way to the last minute of the first half.
17 of those points came in a row in the second quarter itself.
Despite the destructive jaunt put on by the Eagles, the Wolves were able to sweep up some momentum going into the break, ending the half with eight of the final 11 points. They would put it all to good use in the third quarter, remaining very much alive behind a massive 18-8 run of their own right against the Eagles, including nine straight points to end the frame to dissolve their gap to as little as seven points at one juncture in the last eight minutes.
Despite posing one final threat to the Eagles in the driver’s seat, the hosts in white and green were able to ward off the Wolves and fully secure their 10th win of the campaign, finishing off what was a 17-6 run.
The consistent benefactor through a torrent performance from the Eagles — Cam Mucher, who posted a career night from inside the arc, as he went on to score a game-high 35 points to lead the way. Jonah Bialek chipped in with 13 points, while Isaiah Sisson and JD Bialek had 11 and 10 points, respectively to contribute.
In addition, Jameson Rhett finished off the offensive efforts with the last four points.
“It was a big win for us, but now we need to refocus and get ready for a visit from Andover/Whitesville on Friday,” Crouch said. “Along with Cam and Jonah, I thought Isaiah had a great night. He played lockdown defense on one of their best shooters and had his most aggressive night on offense.”
Arkport-Canaseraga was led by Caden Carey and his team-high 24 points.
The Eagles are back on their home floor Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. contest against incoming Andover/Whitesville.
Arkport-Canaseraga 17 8 18 10 — 53
Fillmore 20 23 8 22 — 73
ARKPORT-CANASERAGA: Diego Malafronte 2 0-0 5, Devin Moran 1 0-0 2, Caden Carey 8 5-8 24, Alex Vilkhu 4 3-4 14, Kohler Preston 4 0-0 8. Totals: 19 8-12 53.
FILLMORE: Isaiah Sisson 5 0-2 11, Jonah Bialek 5 2-2 13, Jameson Rhett 2 0-0 4, Cam Mucher 13 9-11 35, JD Bialek 4 0-0 10. Totals: 29 11-15 73.
3-point goals: A-C 7 (Carey 3, Vilkhu 3, Malafronte), Fillmore 4 (JD Bialek 2, Sisson, Jo. Bialek).
Total Fouls: A-C 12, Fillmore 13. Fouled out: None.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 79, Campbell-Savona 37
BELMONT — There was simply no stopping the Genesee Valley/Belfast boys on Wednesday. Coming off perhaps their biggest victory of the season at the Dan Barkley Showcase this past weekend, they went full throttle behind a massive start to their game against visiting Campbell-Savona in the Jungle, rolling towards a 79-37 victory.
Behind the contributions of five different scorers for Genesee Valley/Belfast (6-5), they controlled both ends of the floor in dominant fashion against the Panthers, utilizing a 22-1 first quarter run in full behind the guidance of Cane Treusdell and Kenton Shultz, who combined to post 15 of the team’s points to get the engine firing and set the tone.
It was an all-balanced effort across the board to score the win for Genesee Valley/Belfast, with Ian McKenzie and Ethan Davenport both taking charge at the front of the pack behind their 18-point performances, with Davenport scoring three of the team’s six three-pointers from downtown along the way.
In addition, Kenton Shultz and Cane Treusdell each posted nine points, while Cal Tallman had eight points.
Coming up on Friday, Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to end their week strong with back-to-back contests beginning Friday with a 7:30 p.m. contest against Friendship/Scio in Belfast.
Campbell-Savona 1 10 13 13 — 37
Genesee Valley/Belfast 22 18 23 16 — 79
CAMPBELL-SAVONA: Dawson Shoemaker 3 0-0 7, Devin Ogden 2 1-6 5, Easton Fuller 1 0-0 2, Jackson Payne 1 2-3 4, Dakota Ogden 3 0-0 6, Chance Miller 1 0-0 2, Carter Taft 2 1-2 5, Gage Payne 2 1-3 5, Justin Jones 0 1-2 1. Totals: 15 6-16 37.
GV/BELFAST: Noah Besant 1 0-0 2, Finn Heaney 1 0-0 3, Will Guilford 1 3-3 5, Harley Wardhaugh 3 0-0 6, Cane Treusdell 4 0-0 9, Cal Tallman 3 2-2 8, Ian McKenzie 8 1-1 18, Ethan Davenport 7 1-2 18, Kenton Shultz 4 1-2 9, Ryan Daciw 0 1-2 1. Totals: 32 9-12 79.
3-point goals: C-S 1 (Shoemaker), GVB 6 (Davenport 3, Heaney, Treusdell, McKenzie)
Total Fouls: C-S 9, GVB 15. Fouled out: None.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Cuba-Rushford 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0
CUBA — Senior Night was a total success for the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford on Wednesday. In front of their home fans in the Wighthouse, they took care of business strongly against visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they coasted towards a straight-set victory by a 25-17, 25-11, 25-9 count to send out their Senior leaders on a high note.
The Rebels (6-4) were paced by an outstanding night from Anderson Seigel on all fronts, as he posted 11 aces from the back line to pair with seven kills and five digs on defense. Colton Stupp chipped in five kills and three aces, while Preston Outman had five more kills and three aces of his own to chip in.
On the opposite side of the net, Genesee Valley/Belfast (0-9) witnessed Lawson Ector take the lead on offense, recording four kills and a pair of blocks at the net. Noah Miller handed out six assists.
Both teams are back in action tonight in a pair of 6 p.m. first serves, with Cuba-Rushford hitting the road for a visit to Bolivar-Richburg, while Genesee Valley/Belfast heads back home to host Portville.
