Wednesday Roundup: Fillmore defense digs in, holds GV/Belfast steady across 1st half to claim massive 37-21 win to stay atop of County; Houghton boys launch 15 triples in road win at Hinsdale

BELMONT — The Fillmore Lady Eagles have been at the forefront of the County Leaderboard since the very beginning. Despite succumbing to Letchworth for their first loss of the season early on last month, they have still not lost a beat one bit.

Right before that game with Letchworth was their first meeting with Genesee Valley/Belfast back home in The Rock, where an electric first half of play allowed them to make their mark in a sixth straight win to open the campaign. Now, the second game of that two-game set arrived on Wednesday, this time in the Jungle at Genesee Valley, with the top spot in League play hanging in the balance.

Another win would allow Fillmore to control their own destiny all the way to the end of the season. What better way for the Lady Eagles to do that, than by flipping the calendar back and repeating history.

Without hesitation, the Lady Eagles made their presence known to Genesee Valley/Belfast once again, as they fortified their signature defensive press all across the first half, holding the hosts to just eight points while forcing turnovers and cashing the majority of them in for points on the board. As a result, Fillmore made enough noise on both ends of the floor to record a lead they would never lose, capturing what was a massive 37-21 road win to remain unbeaten in Allegany County League play.

“Our whole game plan tonight revolved around defense,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “We were figuring points would be a premium, and we knew we had to lock up Mary (Hamer) and Abby (Sullivan) as best we could. Keeping those two in single digits is no easy task and I give a lot of credit to the girls for executing our plan. They’re a tough team, and we knew they were going to present a challenge for us. Things wouldn’t necessarily come as easy as they have in recent games, but Genesee Valley/Belfast has a nice team and Raegan (Ryan) does a great job.”

There had been an amassment of turnovers right out of the gate, as both Fillmore (13-1) and Genesee Valley/Belfast dug in on defense through the majority of the opening quarter, with each team exchanging just a single basket across nearly half of the frame’s time. The hosts would receive several sublime looks at the basket along the way, inside the arc and outside, but the ball could not find its way down through the twine in the process.

As a result, the Lady Eagles pounced at the opportunity to respond off the defensive glass, as they took advantage of the rebounding, as well as a couple of early key turnovers forced against Genesee Valley/Belfast (11-4) to record a run that consisted of seven straight points to close the first quarter out with a 9-2 lead.

The scoreless jaunt for Fillmore journeyed forward from where it left off, totaling 11 straight points in all before a three-ball from Jenna Hill just outside the left wing allowed Genesee Valley/Belfast to break the scoreboard for the first time in the second stanza. The bucket would wind up being the only shot from the field the hosts would garner, as the Lady Eagles defense forced them to the charity stripe the remainder of the way.

All while using their signature defensive press to continue stacking the pressure up against Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they closed out the opening half with complete dictation of the pace of play and a 24-8 lead they would never lose, as they survived a back-and-forth exchanging of pleasantries in the second half to close out the victory.

“It’s always a good battle with Fillmore. We got into some early foul trouble and it was one of those nights where we could not put the ball in the basket like we’d like to,” said GV/Belfast coach Raegan Ryan. “What I am most proud of though, is that our girls had no quit in them. They battled every possession defensively and that helped us stay within reach. I think the girls would like some possessions back, but as cliche as it sounds, you only lose if you don’t learn from it. We know this is a great learning tool for us as we approach the end of the regular season. I have a lot of confidence in this group, and they consistently step out here and work extremely hard. It’s really a privilege to coach them.”

Hope Russell led all scorers for the Lady Eagles behind her game-high 15-point performance. Grace Russell and Mattie McCumiskey were each right behind in the scorebook with eight points each. On the other side, Mary Hamer led the Genesee Valley/Belfast offense with seven points. Ava Aaronson had five points.

Both teams are back on their home hardwoods Friday night in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, with Fillmore heading back home to welcome in Andover/Whitesville, while Genesee Valley/Belfast heads back up north to host Friendship/Scio in Belfast.

Fillmore 9 15 11 2 – 37

Genesee Valley/Belfast 2 6 10 3 – 21

FILLMORE: Hope Russell 5 3-7 15, Grace Russell 2 3-4 8, Amelia Rose 1 0-0 2, Mattie McCumiskey 4 0-0 8, Emalyn Mucher 1 0-0 2, Preslee Miller 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 6-11 37.

GV/BELFAST: Abby Sullivan 2 0-0 4, Mary Hamer 3 0-0 7, Ava Aaronson 2 1-2 5, Kate Calanni 0 1-2 1, Jenna Hill 1 1-2 4. Totals: 8 3-6 21.

3-point goals: Fillmore 3 (H. Russell 2, G. Russell), GVB 2 (Hamer, Hill).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 13, GVB 12. Fouled out: None.

Friendship/Scio 40, Andover/Whitesville 19

SCIO — A return home on Wednesday was in store for the Friendship/Scio ladies immediately following their latest trip over the road to Hammondsport. With Andover/Whitesville in town, it presented an opportunity to leave a 62-26 road defeat to the Lady Lakers in the rearview mirror.

Early on, baskets were hard to come by. But with a narrow lead in their possession, Friendship/Scio was looking to build even more onto the foundation. Upon their entrance back onto the floor for the second half, they proceeded to do exactly that with a complete turning of the tide, going off on a third quarter run of Andover/Whitesville and never looking back to fulfill a bounce back victory of epic proportions by a 40-19 count in Scio.

“We came out at the half and we challenged the girls,” Friendship/Scio coach Ashleigh Lewis said. “We came up with a big run against Andover/Whitesville after we shook off the rust from the Hammondsport game. We had great ball movement and produced some great scoring from it. It was a great bounce back, especially for Nevaeh (Ross), who has really matured into a great player. She played great and she was unselfish with the ball, making sure every one of the girls got involved.”

Friendship/Scio (9-4) survived an early battle of wits with Andover/Whitesville right off the hop by coming away with leads in the first and second quarter, holding their opposition to six points in each frame to go ahead with a 17-12 lead. When the second half approached however, it was a completely different story, as the hosts in white came out unleashing their offensive firepower with an 18-2 run — 14 of those points stemming in consecutive fashion.

That would give Friendship/Scio all the room they needed to cruise their way towards victory at the end of the night, as the team came together to provide 11 assists on their 17 baskets.

Leading the scoring was Nevaeh Ross and her team-leading 16 points, as she added 12 rebounds into the mix to complete her double-double. Following up was Morghyn Ross and her 13 points, pairing them with five steals, while Emily Lamberson had five more steals to pitch in on special teams.

Andover/Whitesville (3-12) was paced by Olivia Waters, who led the team with six points.

Both teams will have Genesee Valley/Belfast up next on their schedule, with Friendship/Scio hitting the road for a visit to Belfast on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, while Andover/Whitesville heads back home to Andover to play host on Tuesday in a 7:30 p.m. contest of their own.

Andover/Whitesville 6 6 2 5 – 19

Friendship/Scio 9 8 18 5 – 40

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Stella Bledsoe 1 0-2 2, Graci Lewis-Ellison 1 1-2 3, Makenna Vance 2 0-0 4, Makaila Brewster 1 0-0 2, Lilly Harrington 1 0-0 2, Olivia Waters 2 2-6 6. Totals: 8 3-10 19.

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Grace Drumm 1 0-0 2, Emily Lamberson 2 1-4 5, Nevaeh Ross 6 3-3 16, Avery Lamberson 1 0-0 2, Sophie Bolzan 1 0-0 2, Morghyn Ross 6 0-0 13. Totals: 17 4-7 40.

3-point goals: F/S 2 (N. Ross, M. Ross).
Total Fouls: A/W 11, F/S 9. Fouled out: None.

Cuba-Rushford 45, Bolivar-Richburg 30

BOLIVAR — The teeter-totter was elevating in both directions at a constant between Cuba-Rushford and Bolivar-Richburg on Wednesday. After a back-and-forth opening quarter was shared between the two foes, an opening was created.

Not just one, but two of them, with the first coming to close out the half.

The next one provided perhaps the strongest finish of them all. Those runs were accounted for by the Lady Rebels, as they changed the complexion of the game in the last eight minutes of play by holding the host Lady Wolverines to just a single shot from the field to garner enough distance on their five-point lead to cement their victory with a 45-30 road win.

Right off the bat, the Lady Wolverines were the first team to hold the lead after the opening quarter behind the efforts of Carmen Crowley, who strung together nine big points, including a 3-for-4 outing at the line to fire the offense’s engine up. On the other side, the Lady Rebels (5-11) did their best to remain right alongside their opposition by way of their three-point game from Aubrey Williams, as she launched a pair from beyond the arc to fuel up their frame of play.

With a four-point lead in hand, the Lady Wolverines (4-10) were aiming to feed off the momentum. But Cuba-Rushford fired back with a tilting of the balance of power, as four different Lady Rebels all aided in jumpstarting what was a 15-3 first half-ending run of the hosts in white and red, taking a 22-14 lead at the break in the same swing.

The Lady Wolverines would continue clawing their way back from behind across the third quarter with a near even exchange of pleasantries all throughout before the action shifted into the fourth quarter. A frame that saw the Lady Rebels assemble their biggest run yet — a 13-3 outscoring of Bolivar-Richburg that allowed them to cruise their way towards victory without relinquishing their spot in the driver’s seat.

The Lady Rebels were led by Brynn Lavery’s team-high 12 points, as she played a big role behind both of the team’s jaunts of the Lady Wolverines in the second and fourth quarters. Following behind was Raegan Poore and Aubrey Williams, both scoring eight points. For Poore, six of her points were bucketed in the last eight minutes of play to set up the game-ending jaunt of the Lady Wolverines.

Bolivar-Richburg was paced by Carmen Crowley’s game-high 16-point performance. Raegan Giardini chipped in with eight points. The Lady Wolverines will now take a week off before their return to action next Thursday night back over the road in Belfast, visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Up next, Cuba-Rushford will head back home to host the Franklinville Lady Panthers in a 1:30 p.m. tip-off in the Wighthouse, next Saturday afternoon.

Cuba-Rushford 7 15 10 13 – 45

Bolivar-Richburg 11 3 13 3 – 30

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Aubrey Williams 3 0-0 8, Cloey Larabee 3 0-0 7, Lily Tompkins 2 1-2 5, Brynn Lavery 5 1-1 12, Mireya Rutkowski 1 0-0 2, Lilly Farwell 1 1-2 3, Raegan Poore 4 0-0 8. Totals: 19 3-5 45.

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 2 0-0 5, Raegan Giardini 2 2-2 8, Rylee Whiting 0 1-2 1, Carmen Crowley 6 3-4 16. Totals: 10 6-8 30.

3-point goals: C-R 4 (Williams 2, Larabee, Lavery), B-R 4 (Giardini 2, Baldwin, Crowley).
Total Fouls: C-R 12, B-R 14. Fouled out: None.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Houghton Academy 54, Hinsdale 31

HINSDALE — The umbrellas were out in full force on Wednesday in Hinsdale, with Houghton Academy predicting a weather forecast that witnessed a prevalent three-point presence, as the Panthers knocked down 15 all together out of their 19 shots from the field to set the tone on the host Bobcats in their 54-31 victory.

While the three-pointers came down for the Panthers (6-6), they were able to use the momentum built off it on defense, holding Hinsdale to under 10 points in the first half to set up shop. That included a big 11-2 run of the Bobcats across the opening eight minutes, led by a trio of threes — one each from Jack Prentice, James Adenuga and Jack Qi.

When the action shifted into the second frame, the downpour from outside the arc continued to come down with five more triples, charging up another long run of the Bobcats (4-5) to further cement their lead. After the hosts in white and blue were able to chip away with a strong third quarter, Houghton Academy proceeded to assemble a 19-point frame in the last eight minutes to close out the game with the victory.

Leading the scoring for the visitors in blue was Josh Davidson, who sank six of the team’s 15 triples to ignite his game-high 20 points. James Adenuga followed up with 16 points, while Jack Prentice had 15. Jack Qi finished with his lone three-point basket from beyond the arc to round off the Panthers scoring.

Hinsdale was paced by Cody Barton’s game down low, scoring 10 team-high points. The Bobcats are back on their home floor Monday night with a 6 p.m. visit from Andover/Whitesville.

Houghton Academy continues their road swing the very next day, as they pay a visit to Cuba-Rushford tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Houghton Academy 11 15 9 19 – 54

Hinsdale 2 9 14 6 – 31

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 5 1-1 15, Josh Davidson 7 0-0 20, James Adenuga 6 0-0 16, Jack Qi 1 0-0 3. Totals: 19 1-1 54.

HINSDALE: Henry Schwartz 1 1-4 4, Cody Barton 5 0-0 10, Tyler Richards 2 4-6 9, Robert Childs 2 4-6 8. Totals: 10 9-16 31.

3-point goals: HA 15 (Davidson 6, Prentice 4, Adenuga 4, Qi), Hinsdale 2 (Schwartz, Richards).
Total Fouls: HA 13, Hinsdale 8. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Allegany-Limestone 3, Friendship/Scio 0

ALLEGANY — For the 16th consecutive time, the Allegany-Limestone Gators navigated their way into the win column. On Wednesday, their regular season came to a close after the most perfect of finishes, as they now head into Playoff play as the top seed after a straight-set, 25-12, 25-7, 25-14 win over visiting Friendship/Scio.

After a spectacular showing of offense the night before, Josh Nolder followed up by leading the Gators (16-0) offense once again with his team-high 10 kills. AJ Riordan and Kevin Edwards-Hardy each chipped in with nine kills.

Statistics for Friendship/Scio (2-13) were not made available to report upon publication.

Both teams now await Allegany County League Playoffs play.

BOYS SWIMMING

Alfred-Almond 94, Wellsville 71

WELLSVILLE — Although the Lions were able to come away with some strong performances that saw them record five first place finishes, the night in the water would belong to Alfred-Almond on Wednesday, as they soared high towards victory with seven first place wins — four of them in a row to open the meet, scoring the season sweep with a 94-71 win to spoil Wellsville’s Senior Night.

The Lions (8-4) gathered four individual victories to lead the charge in the water, two of them from Tyler Rahr in both ends of the meet, with his first coming off the Diving board before following up with a 100 backstroke victory down the homestretch. Brayden Ketchner added a first place finish of his own in the 500 freestyle, while Ben Jordan medaled with the winning time in the 100 breaststroke.

Wellsville would also score a winning time in the 200 medley relay event — their lone relay triumph. In addition to the five top finishes, the team was able to garner multiple secondary finishes to aid the scoreboard, with Ketchner adding a second place 200 freestyle finish. In addition, Thomas Cooke placed second in the 100 butterfly and third in the 200 individual medley, while Ethan Crandell placed second in both the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

Also, Sean Driscoll placed third in the 50 freestyle, while Eli Brophy scored a third place finish of his own in the 100 breaststroke. In the relay department, the Lions placed second and third in the 200 medley relay at the beginning of the meet.

“It’s been an honor watching these young men end their high school season. I’m proud to say that all six have qualified for two individual entries at Sectionals,” said Lions coach Steve Hand. “That’s a first for the team to have everyone maxed out. Tyler and Brayden also have two individual events lined up. Alfred-Almond has a solid base of swimmers and always has a large team. It was good to end on a meet with good competition. Everyone is swimming fast and Tyler is jumping through the roof off the board, so I think everyone is ready for Sectionals.”

For Alfred-Almond, after a 200 medley relay win to open the meet, Andrew Diestler (200 freestyle), Patrick Power (200 individual medley) and Owen Lawrence (50 freestyle) all added wins of their own to help the Eagles record four straight wins out of the gate to grab the upper hand on the Lions.

The latter of the four wins for the visitors was the first of two for Lawrence, as he added his second and final win later on in the 100 freestyle. Joey Taggart rounded off the wins for the Eagles with a 100 butterfly victory.

The regular season is now over for the Lions, as they now begin preparations for Sectionals.