Saturday Basketball: GV/Belfast sends 8 seniors out in style, assemble big 2nd quarter run to sweep season series with Houghton; And/Whi ladies fall in close bout with Jasper-Troupsburg

BELMONT — The spotlight was on The Jungle on Saturday, as eight Genesee Valley/Belfast seniors went on to play one of their very last regular season home games of their careers. The aim was to send them out on the biggest of high notes with a visit from Houghton Academy in store for the afternoon ahead.

It was a battle early on, with the Panthers seizing the advantage through the opening quarter. But in the second quarter, the action shifted gears in a big way, as Genesee Valley/Belfast assembled what was a game-changing jaunt of their opposition to close out the first half with strong punctuation, rolling their way towards a 71-50 victory to move back to .500 on the season.

“Being Senior Night, all of them played the first quarter and they all finished the game together,” said GV/Belfast coach Lintz Bliven. “I just want to thank Kyle (McCumiskey), Kadin (Logue), Lance (Vohs), Matt (Cater), Thayne (Cobb), Owen (Heaney), Jacob (Borden) and Fisher (Herdman) for everything they've brought to this program over the years. Once we got going today, the defense played really well and we shared the ball really well, which made me happier more than anything. Those kids from Houghton really know how to shoot the ball, especially from outside.”

Before they were able to turn the tide on the Panthers, Genesee Valley/Belfast (9-9) would have to work their way through some first quarter navigation that saw a close battle develop between both squads, ultimately seeing Houghton Academy and their exemplary three-point game come into play to form an 18-13 lead to carry forward.

But the momentum they created, stopped by the time the second quarter approached when the hosts in white buckled down on defense and delivered their best game on both ends of the floor to shift the complexity of the game on its head, outscoring the Panthers (6-8) by a 22-8 count that would give them the lead back for the remainder of the game, garnering all the room they needed to record the victory going forward.

Leading the scoring was Ian McKenzie and his team-high 21 points. Kadin Logue chipped in with 12 points down low, while Jacob Borden bolstered the team’s inside game with 11 more points of his own.

For Houghton Academy, who recorded 14 three-pointers out of their 17 field goals in total for the game, saw Josh Davidson lead the pack with his team-high 21 points — 15 of those points off five threes. Jack Prentice was right behind him, adding six more for 18 points, while James Adenuga had 11 points to round off the Panthers scoring.

The Panthers will return to action Monday night back home, hosting Jasper-Troupsburg in a 6 p.m. tip-off.

As for Genesee Valley/Belfast, they will look to climb back above .500 on the season over the road with a visit to Whitesville on Wednesday, taking on host Andover/Whitesville at 7:30 p.m.

Houghton Academy 18 8 13 11 – 50

Genesee Valley/Belfast 13 22 21 15 – 71

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 6 0-0 18, Josh Davidson 8 0-0 21, James Adenuga 3 2-2 11. Totals: 17 2-2 50.

GV/BELFAST: Kyle McCumiskey 1 2-2 5, Kadin Logue 6 0-0 12, Lannden Tilton 3 0-0 6, Lance Vohs 0 0-2 0, Matt Cater 3 1-2 7, Ian McKenzie 9 1-2 21, Thayne Cobb 1 0-0 2, Jacob Borden 5 1-4 11, Fisher Herdman 1 0-0 2, Ryan Daciw 0 1-2 1. Totals: 31 6-14 71.

3-point goals: HA 14 (Prentice 6, Davidson 5, Adenuga 3), GVB 3 (McKenzie 2, McCumiskey).
Total Fouls: HA 10, GVB 14. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Jasper-Troupsburg 38, Andover/Whitesville 27

WHITESVILLE — It was an airtight battle that saw Andover/Whitesville keep pace right alongside visiting Jasper-Troupsburg through the majority of their Saturday morning clash in Whitesville, but at the end of it, two big runs by the Lady Wildcats to start each half of play ultimately served as the x-factor, as they edged their way towards victory by a 38-27 count.

Right away, the Lady Wildcats were able to piece together the first of two big runs they would record against Andover/Whitesville (3-14), as they conducted business on the defensive end strongly by holding their opposition to just two points across what was a 10-2 run.

Despite the opening quarter leaning in the direction of the visitors, Andover/Whitesville was able to respond with four different scorers all aiding a 12-point frame to build a burst of momentum going into the break. But in the second half, the script was flipped once again by Jasper-Troupsburg, this time for good, as they held down the fort one more time with a scoreless 10-0 jaunt in the third quarter that gave them the room they needed to remain out in front for the victory.

Olivia Waters led the scoring for the hosts, recording a team-high 12 points. On the other side for the Lady Wildcats, Reagan Miles paced the hardwood with a game-high 14 points.

Andover/Whitesville is back on their home floor once again on Tuesday, hosting Genesee Valley/Belfast back in Andover at 7:30 p.m.

Jasper-Troupsburg 10 11 10 7 – 38

Andover/Whitesville 2 12 0 13 – 27

JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Kahley Stewart 3 2-2 8, Madison Cady 0 4-8 4, Keira Marsh 2 1-2 6, Annabelle VanNorman 1 0-0 2, Lauren Ross 2 0-0 5, Reagan Miles 6 1-1 13. Totals: 14 8-13 38.

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Stella Bledsoe 1 1-1 3, Graci Lewis-Ellison 2 0-0 4, Lilly Harrington 2 0-0 4, Olivia Waters 3 6-8 12, Katrina Lewis 2 0-0 4. Totals: 10 7-9 27.

3-point goals: J-T 2 (Marsh, Ross).
Total Fouls: J-T 12, A/W 9. Fouled out: None.