Monday Roundup: B-R’s Danaher makes history, but Wolverines fall in narrow season-sweeping defeat to C-G; Belfast’s 3-point game flares up in road win at GV

Written By Chris Brooks

CANISTEO — You would have to flip the history books back quite a ways before you could find the last boys basketball player to gain entry into the program’s famed 1,000-point club at Bolivar-Richburg.

27 years ago was the last time such an event occurred, right at the beginning stages of a new era in athletics when both Bolivar and Richburg first merged as one. That ticket was punched by Jeff Mountain back in 1995 — a name that head coach Jeff Margeson shared the court with during his time in high school.

With the incredible season the Wolverines continue to put together, it was only right that one of the big rewards down the line would be the program’s newest inductor into the coveted club — Landon Danaher.

Despite what turned out to be a 47-44 loss right down to the wire against host Canisteo-Greenwood, the Wolverines were able to garner the biggest positive out of it, as Danaher scored his record-breaking basket to become just the second ever Wolverine to eclipse the millennium mark in their career in his team-high 23 point effort.

“Landon throughout four quarters, hit two big threes to keep us in it. He absolutely loves to play this game,” said Margeson. “I felt bad because he really couldn’t enjoy it when it happened, because the game was at the most competitive at that point. He was disappointed that we couldn’t get this win, and that’s him to a T. He really cares about getting that win, but I’ve had him since ninth grade, and I’ve seen every one of those points. He’s earned all of them, and it’s provided a ton of memories playing along side his brother Riley (Danaher) for most of those. He puts in all the effort in the world into this game, and for him to put in as much time as he does, he’s become an incredible young man because of it. He does it all.”

Like their last meeting with the Redskins back home in Bolivar, the Wolverines (8-3) would find themselves in a track meet all the way to the finish line. It would begin with a two-point lead swinging in the favor of the Redskins through the opening eight minutes of play before Bolivar-Richburg took that lead away.

In the second quarter, the Wolverines strung together their biggest run of Canisteo-Greenwood to close out the first half in style, netting a narrow 14-8 run that would propel them to the front with a 24-20 lead. The back-and-forth pace would settle in the third quarter upon both team’s re-entry onto the court, ultimately seeing Bolivar-Richburg’s lead get cut in half heading to the final quarter.

The fireworks would flare up in the fourth, as the Wolverines garnered their largest lead over the Redskins near midway with the help of Danaher and Cam MacDonell, who gave the visitors a lead of seven. In the midst of that run, it was when Danaher hit his record-breaking shot to post 1,000 points in his career.

But a sudden turn of events past the halfway mark occurred, as Canisteo-Greenwood, without MacDonell on the floor for the Wolverines, jacked up the heat with what formed into a 15-5 game-ending run — a run that was capped off by a heroic three-point play at the line from Hunter McCaffery with six seconds remaining, nailing a fadeaway inside before being fouled by the Wolverines defense to set it all up.

The Wolverines were given one last chance to force extra time after the defense intercepted a court-length pass from the Redskins, with Wyatt Karnuth firing one back down to a wide-open Danaher in the Canisteo-Greenwood zone. But before a shot could even be attempted, the buzzer rang out, as the Redskins survived by the skin of their teeth to record the season-sweeping victory in dramatic fashion.

“We’ve been playing well the entire game, and we really loved the way we were playing defense,” Margeson said. “It was back and forth the entire game. We got it up to as much as seven toward the tail end, and we were pretty pumped about that after Landon hit one of his big threes. We had all the momentum, and then Cam came out of the game and C-G went on their big run to end it. You could feel the air go out after that, and they started to smell the blood in the water.”

To go with his team-high 23 points, Danaher would also record three steals. Finishing behind his senior teammate was MacDonell, who added in 13 points of his own.

On special teams, Wyatt Karnuth pitched in with a great night off the boards, leading the team with nine boards to pair with four assists.

Bolivar-Richburg will head back home to take aim at a bounce back on Wednesday, hosting Friendship/Scio in a 6 p.m. battle.

Bolivar-Richburg 10 14 8 12 – 44

Canisteo-Greenwood 12 8 10 17 – 47


BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 2 0-0 4, Landon Danaher 9 1-2 23, David Baldwin 0 1-2 1, Reiss Gaines 1 0-0 3, Cam MacDonell 6 1-2 13. Totals: 18 3-6 44.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Mason Boyd 1 0-0 3, Cole Ferris 8 6-9 24, Hunter McCaffery 6 2-5 14, Maddox Schwartz 3 0-0 6. Totals: 18 8-14 47.

3-point goals: B-R 5 (Danaher 4, Gaines), C-G 3(Ferris 2, Boyd).
Total Fouls: B-R 11, C-G 8. Fouled out: None.

Belfast 50, Genesee Valley 37

BELMONT — If there was ever a time for the Belfast Bulldogs to shake off a 20-point defeat to the hands of Archbishop Walsh right before the weekend, Monday was the day to do it.

They would go on the road and visit a team they know more than anyone this season, a team they collaborated with once already on the soccer field for their first official season as a combined unit — Genesee Valley, as the two foes came together one last time on the hardwood.

The Bulldogs, during the first few minutes of the opening session, would waste absolutely none of that time, as they scored the first 12 points to set up a lead that they would never lose, building on it in right before the half’s conclusion with an enormous second quarter run to pull away from Genesee Valley’s reach with a 50-37 victory to record the season sweep of the Jaguars in the Jungle.

“I’m proud of the kids. They played hard,” said Jaguars coach Lintz Bliven. “I knew it was going to come. The first and second quarter really killed us, but we made some adjustments going into the second half, and we played much better. We had it down to eight with a minute to go, but Belfast made the shots down the stretch when they counted. If we made our lay-ups earlier in the game, we probably could have won this game. It’s one of those games that got away.”

Belfast (10-3) wasted no time out of the gate in the opening quarter behind the guidance of both Anthony Logue, and Matt Weaver on offense. The two Senior hot hands helped set their three-point game ablaze in the first half, with Logue nailing two three-pointers in the midst of their 12-0 run of the Jaguars in the first four minutes.

Genesee Valley (3-9) would come back to within reach however, ending their drought with Thai Norasethaporn’s three-point game coming into effect, setting up shop for a 7-0 run of their own doing. The last four points would come from the hand of Max Wedge, who hit two shots at the line along with a wide-open finger-roll inside the paint.

The quarter would wrap up with a buzzer-beating shot from Logue downtown — a spike that would ultimately give the Bulldogs a ton of momentum to overpower Genesee Valley in the second quarter, landing one three-pointer after another to charge a 21-7 half-ending run to increase their seven-point lead to 22 at the break, with Logue, Matt Weaver and Kyle McCumiskey all landing treys from outside to help the cause.

The Jaguars would shake it off however, and make some of the deficit back up with a 21-12 combined run through the second half to get as close as eight points in the last minute of play. But the Bulldogs were able to stave off the late threat with some help at the charity stripe to lock it up.

Logue would lead all shooters on the floor with a game-high 14 points for the Bulldogs. Connor Stork helped power the team’s inside game with 13 points down low, while Weaver chipped in with 11.

Morgan Torrey paced the Jaguars offense with 12 team-high points. Norasethaporn followed behind with 10 points, while Ryan Daciw chipped in with five.

Both teams hit the road on Wednesday in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, as Belfast pays a visit to Cuba-Rushford, while Genesee Valley heads out to Whitesville to take on host Andover/Whitesville.

Belfast 17 21 3 9 – 50

Genesee Valley 9 7 11 10 – 37


BELFAST: Justin Hill 1 0-0 3, Max Miller 1 0-0 2, Matt Cater 0 0-1 0, Kyle McCumiskey 1 2-2 5, Tony Logue 5 0-2 14, Matt Weaver 3 3-7 11, Jacob Buchholz 0 2-2 2, Connor Stork 5 3-4 13. Totals: 16 9-18 50.

GENESEE VALLEY: Morgan Torrey 4 3-6 12, Brayden Cooper 2 0-0 4, Max Wedge 1 2-2 4, Ryan Daciw 2 1-2 5, Thai Norasethaporn 3 2-4 10, Fisher Herdman 1 0-0 2. Totals: 13 8-14 37.

3-point goals: Belfast 8 (Logue 4, Weaver 2, Hill, McCumiskey), GV 3 (Norasethaporn 2, Torrey).
Total Fouls: Belfast 11, GV 16. Fouled out: None.

Arkport/Canaseraga 51, Andover/Whitesville 49

ANDOVER — Andover/Whitesville had to overcome a first half that saw them fall behind early on Monday. But despite it, they would give it everything they had left in the last eight minutes, in turn giving visiting Arkport/Canaseraga a run for their money.

But in the end, the Wolves remained on top, as they staved off the late pressure with a 51-49 road win in Andover to secure the season series sweep.

Arkport/Canaseraga started with a four-point lead at the break with a 14-9 lead in hand after the opening eight minutes, as each team’s three-point game started to kick into gear, with Andover/Whitesville’s (5-8) being led by CJ Estep, who scored a game-high 22 points for the hosts.

A fair share of balanced offensive attacks would deliver back and forth punches through a second quarter that would allow the Wolves to maintain their lead over Andover/Whitesville into the break. With the momentum, the visitors in black and teal branched their lead back out once more with the assistance of Michael Gilbert, who recorded 10 of his 13 team-high points in the third quarter.

It would turn into a narrow 16-11 run that extended the lead to double digits, but would close to as little as two for Andover/Whitesville to make a late push in the fourth quarter, using the charity stripe along with multiple shots from inside the arc to string together a 16-9 outscoring of the Wolves.

But in the end, Arkport/Cansaeraga would find a way to prevail and hang on for the close triumph.

Finishing behind Estep in the Andover/Whitesville scorebook was Luke Erdmann, who drained two more of the team’s five three-pointers in all to record a 10-point effort. Dylan Acor contributed six points of his own, all inside the paint.

Andover/Whitesville will now play host to Genesee Valley on Wednesday, this time in Whitesville, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Arkport/Canaseraga 14 12 16 9 – 51

Andover/Whitesville 9 13 11 16 – 49

ARKPORT/CANASERAGA: Logan Hoyt 1 6-6 9, Emory Watkins 3 0-1 7, Michael Gilbert 5 0-2 13, Alex Preston 2 0-1 4, Tim Vilkhu 2 6-10 12, Evan Reynolds 3 0-0 6. Totals: 16 12-20 51.

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Cormac Brown 0 1-2 1, CJ Estep 7 6-6 22, Brody Carlin 1 2-2 4, Tyler Hackett 1 0-0 3, Luke Erdmann 4 0-0 10, Dylan Acor 3 0-0 6, Kohler Niedermaier 1 1-2 3. Totals: 17 10-12 49.

3-point goals: A/C 7 (Gilbert 3, Vilkhu 2, Hoyt, Watkins), A/W 5 (Estep 2, Erdmann 2, Hackett).
Total Fouls: A/C 8, A/W 18. Fouled out: Acor (A/W).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Genesee Valley/Belfast 50, Jasper-Troupsburg 35

GREENWOOD — The Lady JagDogs right away, saw the offense work in their favor. While the defense held Jasper-Troupsburg to just two shots from the field in the first eight minutes, their end of the bargain on offense began to strike every chord.

With a three-point lead to carry onward, Genesee Valley/Belfast wasted no time adding to it with a balance being shared across the board, coming up with a massive run of the Lady Wildcats to go into the half with a lead that was never threatened, as they completed the three-game season sweep of Jasper-Troupsburg with a 50-35 road win in Greenwood.

The Lady JagDogs eclipsed the 10-win mark on the season (10-3) after an 11-8 lead became a double-digit advantage that held Jasper-Troupsburg down until the very end, scavenging a 13-2 second quarter run fueled by a balanced attack that would provide a game-changer for the visitors, allowing them to pull away.

Mary Hamer helped provide the strong finish Genesee Valley/Belfast aimed for, as she recorded 14 of her game-high 22 points down low all in the team’s 19-point fourth quarter.

Alicia Borden and Kaitlin Sadler each tallied eight points, with Borden scoring her portion of points right in the first half of play to ignite the flames on the team’s run of the Lady Wildcats.

The win now gives Genesee Valley/Belfast their eighth in the last nine games, as they look to continue dealing more damage on Wednesday back home with a 7:30 p.m. battle in the Jungle against Cuba-Rushford, in Belmont.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 11 13 7 19 – 50

Jasper-Troupsburg 8 2 7 18 – 35

GV/BELFAST: Alicia Borden 4 0-2 8, Anna Drozdowski 2 2-4 6, Adison Grusendorf 2 2-6 6, Mary Hamer 11 0-0 22, Kaitlin Sadler 4 0-2 8. Totals: 24 4-14 50.
JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Kayla Atherton 7 0-0 19, Zoe Cornell 2 0-0 4, Natalie Cornell 3 6-6 12. Totals: 12 6-6 35.

3-point goals: J-T 5 (Atherton).
Total Fouls: GVB 7, J-T 14. Fouled out: None.

Friendship/Scio 67, Mount Morris 54

FRIENDSHIP — The dynamic duo of Nevaeh Ross and Kadence Donohue shone their brightest of gleaming lights back on their Friendship floor, Monday evening.

Two days after Friendship/Scio pulled a bounce back victory out over Lima Christian this past weekend, they would go on to construct more on top of it. This time with perhaps their best game of the season, as Ross and Donohue combined to record 46 of the team’s 67 season-high points to plug into what was a huge 67-54 victory over visiting Mount Morris to complete the season sweep of the Lady Blue Devils.

“This was our best game of the season, by far,” Friendship/Scio coach Ashleigh Lewis said. “We took care of the ball efficiently tonight. The biggest thing was Kadence and Nevaeh played with a ton of confidence. Kadence was on fire, and she saw everything she let go. We ran the floor, and giving up the offensive boards is one of things that really has hurt us. But we stopped that bleeding. Things were clicking, and even girls who got in off the bench scored some good minutes. This is the team I knew we could be.”

It was a tremendous first half that Friendship/Scio (5-6) put together after Mount Morris had initially won the back-and-forth first quarter battle, resulting in a one-point lead. The offense began to click on all fronts when the second quarter came around, as the team provided a massive 25-point frame with Ross and Donohue both working their way toward the net every way they could.

Ross from inside, and Donohue from downtown, it all worked in Friendship/Scio’s favor to put together a 25-13 first half-ending run that ultimately saw them pull away from the Lady Blue Devils, as the two teams exchanged narrow pleasantries to keep the host lead in tact, in the second half.

Donohue would lead all scorers on the floor behind a red hot evening from three-point range, netting five of the team’s eight in all to put toward a season-high 29 points, pairing them with 12 rebounds to complete a double-double. Ross was not far behind, leading the effort inside with 27 points of her own, adding three more treys along the way to coincide with six assists and four steals.

Off the boards, Kiara Grover grabbed four additional rebounds.

Friendship/Scio will look to build off the momentum later this week, as they prepare to host Houghton Academy for Senior Night in Friendship, beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Mount Morris 11 13 16 14 – 54

Friendship/Scio 10 25 15 17 – 67

MOUNT MORRIS: McKenzie Ryan 2 2-5 6, Sierra Somers 10 4-6 30, Cadence Stroud 0 2-2 2, Maria Pau Caceres 3 1-2 8, Briana Lang 1 4-6 6, Mia Cady 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 13-21 54.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Nevaeh Ross 7 10-14 27, Claire Calhoun 2 0-4 4, Sophie Bolzan 1 0-0 2, Kadence Donohue 11 2-3 29, Kiara Grover 1 3-6 5. Totals: 22 15-27 67.

3-point goals: Mt. Morris 7 (Somers 6, Pau Caceres), F/S 8 (Donohue 5, Ross 3).
Total Fouls: Mt. Morris 17, F/S 17. Fouled out: Lang (MTM).

Houghton Academy 30, Bolivar-Richburg 20

HOUGHTON — It was a dead heat across the first half between both Bolivar-Richburg and Houghton Academy when the two foes clashed on Monday to begin the week. It was a tussle that saw the Lady Panthers jump out front, but not by much, when the half closed up.

When the second half came around however, a different story, as Houghton Academy branched that lead out insurmountably from the Lady Wolverines with a third quarter spurt that would prove to be the game’s difference maker in their 30-20 home victory.

“This game was a lot tougher for us. They played a box-and-one on Jessica (Prentice), and we had balanced scoring across the board to counter that. It was nice to see all the girls really step up to deliver this win for us.” said Lady Panthers coach Jeff Prentice.

Both teams were right next to one another through the opening eight minute period, as a 6-6 tie was gathered to carry into the second. In the next frame before the end of the half, a small opening was created by the Lady Panthers (6-5), who provided a few steps forward and into the lead with a narrow run of Bolivar-Richburg to head into the locker room.

Upon their return to the court, the Lady Panthers broke away, holding the Lady Wolverines (3-11) to just a single basket’s worth of points in the midst of a 7-2 run — a combined 16-7 run between both second and third quarters, to ultimately pull away toward the win.

Houghton Academy used a magnificent showing of balanced offense to power up the triumph, with Jessica Prentice leading the charge behind nine team-high points and 12 boards, nearly completing the double-double. Anna Huizenga chipped in with seven points, while Maddy Paschalis and Jessica Adenuga each had six, with Adenuga grabbing nine additional rebounds.

For Bolivar-Richburg, Kayli Giardini led the attack with 10 game-high points, while Jessica Majot added in six of her own. The Lady Wolverines hit the road once more at the end of the week, visiting Port Allegany in a 7:30 p.m. battle on Friday.

The Lady Panthers are back in action Wednesday night back over the road, visiting the Hinsdale Lady Bobcats in a 6 p.m. tip-off.

Bolivar-Richburg 6 5 2 7 – 20

Houghton Academy 6 9 7 8 – 30

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Raegan Giardini 1 0-1 2, Kayli Giardini 4 0-2 10, Kaylee Keiser 1 0-0 2, Jessica Majot 3 0-0 6. Totals: 9 0-3 20.
HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Anna Huizenga 3 1-2 7, Maddy Paschalis 3 0-4 6, Emily Tankeh 1 0-0 2, Jessica Prentice 4 1-4 9, Jessica Adenuga 3 0-0 6. Totals: 14 2-10 30.
3-point goals: B-R 2 (K. Giardini).
Total Fouls: B-R 15, HA 9. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Fillmore 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

FILLMORE — The Eagles of Fillmore, despite the messy conditions outdoors on a wintery Monday night, managed to close out their regular season on a bright note, as they outlasted visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast in three tough sets across the board, securing the 25-21, 25-14, 25-23 win inside The Rock.

Fillmore (4-8) was paced by a fantastic evening of service from the back line, with Matt Majoros leading the way behind 10 service points, pairing them with two kills and an ace. Haley Hall, Henry Decker (two kills, ace) and Kyle Paulson each chipped in with seven service points themselves.

For Genesee Valley/Belfast (1-11), Canaan Sullivan fueled the offense behind a strong night at the front, earning nine kills to go with three aces and a pair of blocks. Sean Mahon chipped in with eight kills of his own to couple with four aces. Joe Ward continued the service effort with six aces. The JagDogs will conclude their regular season Wednesday in Wellsville at 6 p.m.

The regular season however, is over for the Eagles, as they now await the County Tournament later this week with a record of 4-8 overall.

Chris Brooks
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Saturday Roundup: Hornell builds big 1st quarter run, sets tone to provide season sweep of Lions; Fri/Scio girls rebound with 40-16 home win over Lima Christian