Thursday Roundup: In early duel of undefeateds, Fillmore wins back-and-forth fracas with C-R to score 6th straight win, hand Rebels 1st loss; And/Whi boys garner big road win at A-P

FILLMORE — It was undoubtedly the Game of the Week on the calendar. And rightfully so.

With two County rivals being pinned against one another for the first time this season, and because of certain circumstances at this particular stage thus far, both Cuba-Rushford and Fillmore currently stand alone at the apex of the Allegany County leaderboard with perfect starts under their belts.

Both teams were also coming off solid performances under the same roof at Genesee Community College last weekend as well, with the Rebels and Eagles having spearheaded some incredible basketball right from start of the campaign just a few short weeks ago, with Cuba-Rushford posting a 4-0 start, while Fillmore’s high-octane offense has allowed them to race off towards a 5-0 mark of their own.

Through the chronicled history the two programs have shared on the hardwood in years past, the series’ latest installment on Thursday would prove absolutely no different.

Just ask Eagles head coach Randy Crouch. It’s games like these that expose his love for coaching the game.

“Nights like tonight are why I love coaching. Two teams that compete hard, but do it with great, mutual respect on and off the court. The fans showed up and packed the stands. It was a great environment,” he said. “Pat (Wight) has his team off to a great start, and they are as good as anyone we have on the schedule. They defend, they rebound, they are deep and they can score in a variety of ways. They can really create and cause some matchup issues for us.”

The tempo was of back-and-forth variety all night long. Whenever one team managed to spring ahead, the other team was right on the doorstep with a response to counter it. Whenever a run was made, it was quickly made up in one foul swoop. As a result, there was no lead that eclipsed larger than six points at any given juncture during the battle.

In short, the fierce battle on the hardwood came straight down to the wire.

With time running out and little room for error, every chance mattered. When the opportunity arose, both teams picked it up and ran with it to keep the playing ground at the most balanced of levels. But through it all, it was the Eagles that managed to find that one final opening from within the Cuba-Rushford defense to exploit, as they connected on huge special teams play down the stretch to draw the respective fouls and knock down the corresponding shots that came soon after, as Fillmore held on tight to come through in the clutch with a 60-55 win to remain undefeated.

“I’m proud of the guys. 6-0 before the break is great. Cuba-Rushford came out and hit a few early shots on us to take the early lead, but I felt like we did a great job of not panicking and stayed with our game plan. I felt like we had a few chances to really seize the momentum in the second quarter, but whenever we made a few plays to grab the lead, they had an answer right back,” Crouch said.

As expected through the course of the early stages, Cuba-Rushford and Fillmore ferociously set the pace up and down the floor with their speed. Along with it, came the game’s first advantage held by the Rebels, who immediately ripped the bandage off with a 9-3 run of the Eagles after some stellar ball movement deep in the offensive zone.

The Eagles (6-0) would fire right back their response — a jaunt consisting of 10 points out of the quarter’s last 14 remaining to add onto the scoreboard, with three-point shots from Carson Sanasith and Jameson Rhett sandwiching a hard-earned basket underneath the rim from JD Bialek to help finish off a 13-all first quarter deadlock.

Across the second quarter, the tempo was reapplied once again, with the Eagles continuing to take advantage of what they could find, while Cuba-Rushford (4-1) remained right behind them with as fast of a response as possible to keep pace. The Rebels eventually would elevate themselves into the lead going into the halftime recess, witnessing a big night by Carter Brown off the bench come into full fruition right to the end of the night, as he landed a go-ahead shot with 23 seconds left before the ensuing defense buckled down to limit Fillmore’s final first half possession.

“At halftime, we switched defenses to try and disrupt them a little for some transition baskets. It really helped us, and we seemed to get rolling to get a few possessions ahead of them,” said Crouch. “Give them credit, they would not go away. Brown and (Donovan) Breckenridge made some big buckets in the fourth quarter and we just couldn’t seem to put them away when we could. Cam (Mucher) and Jonah (Bialek) were great again tonight, but I must give Isaiah (Sisson) credit, he defended a few positions for us and showed his versatility when Cam was on the bench with fouls. He came through when we needed him the most tonight.”

In the second half, Cuba-Rushford and Fillmore trade even more barbs throughout the elongation of time, with the Rebels utilizing the outside perimeter in the midst of the action, and the Eagles looking to drive the ball down low and to the rim. Fillmore would eventually claim a five-point lead with under three minutes left on the clock, and then down to three points at the end of the third quarter off a Donovan Breckenridge bucket for the visitors in blue and maroon.

With Fillmore leading by a 42-39 count, the two foes would trade punches one final time across the fourth quarter, with Carter Brown’s late stage heroics entering the fourth quarter fray, as he assembled 12 massive points in the frame to keep the Rebels within range.

But despite it, the Eagles came through the clutch with some outstanding special teams play at the very last second after extending their lead to three with less than 10 seconds left. After 1-of-2 was hit at the line by Sisson, the Rebels immediately went to inbound the basketball, only for it to become blocked and then rebounded by the Eagles, forcing Cuba-Rushford to draw another foul against the Eagles — two free shots Cam Mucher took, one of them sinked straight through the twine as Bolivar-Richburg went on to hang on for victory.

“It’s always a good battle when we see Fillmore. They are always ready to go,” Rebels coach Pat Wight said. “I’m very proud of my guys and their effort tonight. I thought we got complacent and had some costly turnovers early in the third. That allowed Fillmore to make a run, and we settled in for some shots instead of hunting better ones and it cost us in the end. Fillmore stepped up and made some big plays. Hats off to them.”

The Rebels provided a dead-even timeshare for their offense across the board, with Carter Brown and his game-high 19 points off the bench leading the way. Donovan Breckenridge finished with 15 points, while Zack Deck dropped three triples, en route to nine points. Cuba-Rushford is now off until the annual Joe DeCerbo Holiday Showcase at Allegany-Limestone beginning the following weekend, where they will face off against the host Gators in a 7:45 p.m. contest next Friday.

As for Fillmore, they developed a strong balance from top to bottom, as Jonah Bialek was one of four different scorers to all eclipse the double-digit plateau, finishing with a team-high 14 points to pair with seven rebounds and four assists. Cam Mucher tallied 13 points to go alongside five rebounds and four steals, while Isaiah Sisson and Jameson Rhett concluded with 12 and 10 points, respectively, with Rhett grabbing seven rebounds of his own to further the cause.

After the holiday break ahead, the Eagles will now begin the search for their seventh straight win on January 7, when they travel up north to visit the Blue Devils of Geneseo in a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Cuba-Rushford 13 16 10 16 – 55

Fillmore 13 15 14 18 – 60

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Carter Getz 0 0-2 0, Adam Roe 4 0-0 8, Donovan Breckenridge 6 2-2 15, Zach Deck 3 0-0 9, Carter Brown 8 1-1 19, Finn Ricketts 2 0-2 4. Totals: 23 3-7 55.

FILLMORE: Carson Sanasith 2 0-0 5, Isaiah Sisson 3 5-8 12, Jonah Bialek 5 2-3 14, Jameson Rhett 4 0-0 10, Cam Mucher 4 4-6 13, JD Bialek 3 0-2 6. Totals: 21 11-19 60.

3-point goals: C-R 6 (Deck 3, Brown 2, Breckenridge), Fillmore 7 (Jo. Bialek 2, Rhett 2, Sanasith, Sisson, Mucher).
Total Fouls: C-R 16, Fillmore 9. Fouled out: None.

Andover/Whitesville 67, Avoca-Prattsburgh 52

AVOCA — The number one task at hand for Andover/Whitesville in their final game before the holiday freeze, was to build a head-full of steam for when they return in a couple of weeks time. On Thursday, they were presented with an opportunity to do just that over the road at Avoca-Prattsburgh.

It was an opportunity that Andover/Whitesville simply would not let pass by, as the team’s tag team duo on Brody Vance and Colton Calladine helped lay the foundation down for what was a dominant first half of play against the Titans, with Vance’s massive first quarter start setting the tone to propel the team back over .500 heading to Christmas break following a 67-52 victory in Avoca.

“This was a good one for us going into the break. We came out very strong early, which goes against everything we had done in previous seasons. I am very pleased with our starts thus far now. Defense has always been the key. When we are locked in, good things happen,” Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce said. “I felt like we let off the gas a little bit in the second half, but credit to Avoca-Prattsburgh, they battled the whole way. It got pretty physical, but Colt and Brody led the way for us along with even more contributions across the board again. All in all, I’m pretty happy with where we are.”

Andover/Whitesville (4-3) made all the noise possible throughout the first half against Avoca-Prattsburgh, starting immediately in the first quarter with the hot hand of Vance, who took matters into his own hands with a dynamic nine-point frame in the midst of an even more powerful 19-7 run of the Titans to set up shop.

The lead grew to as large as 20 when halftime approached, with Calladine serving as one of six different contributors from within a 21-point stand of offense to push their advantage out even further, leading the way with nine more points of his own to help claim a 40-20 lead. The lead would remain firmly intact, despite Avoca-Prattsburgh’s efforts to cut away at their early deficit with their two strongest outings of the game, as the visitors in black wrapped up the calendar year back in the win column.

Vance led as Andover/Whitesville’s leading scorer with a game-high 25 points, with Calladine trailing right behind him with 21 points of his own. Vinny Joyce was the third shooter to eclipse over double digits in the contest, posting 11 points.

Andover/Whitesville will look to maintain their momentum when they return to the hardwood on January 7 over the road, visiting the Alfred-Almond Eagles in a 6 p.m. tip-off.

Andover/Whitesville 19 21 12 15 – 67

Avoca-Prattsburgh 7 13 14 18 – 52

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: James Miller-Young 3 0-0 6, Ethan Warriner 0 2-2 2, Vinny Joyce 5 0-0 11, Brody Vance 11 0-1 25, Jon Vallieres 1 0-0 2, Colton Calladine 9 1-2 21. Totals: 29 3-5 67.
AVOCA-PRATTSBURGH: Landon White 1 0-0 2, JJ Crowder 6 7-10 22, Austin Swift 4 2-2 11, Carter Button 5 1-2 13, Colin Zurlick 2 0-0 4. Totals: 18 10-14 52.

3-point goals: A/W 6 (Vance 3, Calladine 2, Joyce), A-P 6 (Crowder 3, Button 2, Swift).
Total Fouls: A/W 18, A-P 9. Fouled out: None.

Hinsdale 42, Friendship/Scio 30

SCIO — Thursday night presented two different stories that were told in Scio for Hinsdale and host Friendship/Scio on the main stage.

Through the first half, it was neck and neck, with the hosts in white and gold propelling forward with the halftime lead in hand. In the second half however, the Bobcats were able to completely flip the script and hold Friendship/Scio to just seven more points amidst a massive jaunt to reverse the momentum into their favor all the way to the final buzzer, as Hinsdale came away winners of a 42-30 road victory.

The first back-and-forth battle settled into place right in the first eight minutes of play, with the largest lead held by either side reaching at most five points, with Friendship/Scio holding the 12-7 advantage down the stretch before Hinsdale (2-4) trimmed it down to a pair of points off a Robert Childs three-pointer.

Near the midway point of the second quarter, the hosts continued to cement their advantage by branching it out into double-digit territory with a strong effort on both ends of the floor, as they scored the frame’s first nine points before the Bobcats rebounded in a big way with nine of the last 11 points to close the gap back down to a single possession at the break.

The momentum Hinsdale created ultimately shifted into high gear across the second half, as they proceeded to hold Friendship/Scio (1-3) at a near standstill across the remaining 16 minutes of play with a dominant 23-7 finish to their game to record the victory.

Leading the way for the Bobcats was Tyler Richards, who posted a game-high 14 points. Aiden Baird recorded 10 points, while Chris Forney had nine points.

Friendship/Scio was paced by both Jerome Harmon and Connor Blouvet, as they each bucketed 10 team-high points. The team will hit the road for tournament action in Hammondsport after the holiday, next Friday night.

Up next for the Bobcats is a 6 p.m. trip to Keshequa upon the arrival of the new calendar year, on January 6.

Hinsdale 10 9 12 11 – 42

Friendship/Scio 12 11 4 3 – 30

HINSDALE: Cody Hand 1 0-0 2, Alex Dove 0 0-4 0, Chris Forney 4 1-2 9, Sean Forney 1 0-0 2, Aiden Baird 5 0-1 10, Tyler Richards 6 1-2 14, Robert Childs 2 0-0 5. Totals: 19 2-9 42.

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Jerome Harmon 3 4-8 10, Connor Blouvet 3 4-6 10, Aiden Golden 0 2-2 2, Jerimiah Brown 1 0-2 2, Deacon Brown 3 0-0 6. Totals: 10 10-18 30.

3-point goals: Hinsdale 2 (Richards, Childs).

Total Fouls: Hinsdale 18, F/S 14. Fouled out: Childs (HIN), Blouvet (F/S).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Genesee Valley/Belfast 36, Friendship/Scio 8

BELFAST — There was plenty of balance to go around for the Genesee Valley/Belfast ladies on Thursday. In their latest battle against Friendship/Scio in Belfast, they established a dominant lead early on and held onto it from start to finish, as they coasted their way towards a 36-8 home victory to close out the calendar year on a high note.

“I was proud of the team for focusing on our goals and staying disciplined. It was great to see them play together and have very balanced efforts on both ends of the floor. Friendship/Scio deserves a lot of praise for their resilience tonight. They didn’t make anything easy for us.” said GV/Belfast coach Raegan Ryan.

Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-2) saw their offense spring to life in the first half of play to set the tone right away against Friendship/Scio, with a strong second quarter powered by Addisyn Ely helping lead the charge for a 14-4 half-ending run that they never looked back on.

Ely led all scorers for the hosts with her game-high 12 points. Bayleigh Tallman and Sophie Zillgitt each had six points to add.

Friendship/Scio (1-5) was led by Alexiss Herring and her six team-high points. Huntar Hint had the team’s remaining two points.

Both teams are now off until after the holiday break, returning on January 3 in a pair of 6 p.m. contests, with Genesee Valley/Belfast visiting Bolivar-Richburg, while Friendship/Scio plays host to Hinsdale in Friendship.

Friendship/Scio 0 4 4 0 – 8

Genesee Valley/Belfast 7 14 7 8 – 36

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Kaydence Sadler 0 0-4 0, Huntar Hint 0 2-2 2, Alexiss Herring 3 0-0 6. Totals: 3 2-6 8.

GV/BELFAST: Keanna Sands 1 0-0 2, Bayleigh Tallman 3 0-0 6, Sophie Zillgitt 2 0-2 6, Addisyn Ely 6 0-1 12, Ava Aronson 2 1-5 5, Jenna Hill 2 1-2 5. Totals: 16 2-10 36.

3-point goals: GVB 2 (Zillgitt).
Total Fouls: F/S 12, GVB 12. Fouled out: None.