Thursday Roundup: 1st half press, Sisson’s 29 points assists Fillmore in return to court with 51-36 win over GV/Belfast; Ark-Can captures 5-set win over Wellsville in battle for playoff seeding

FILLMORE — The full-court press can be a beautiful thing. It’s a tactic that can give one team a big supply of energy on both ends of the floor to work with, forcing turnovers and cashing them in for big time points. That was something engineered and perfected by the Eagles of Fillmore in their first game out in the year 2024.

Across a vast majority of the opening half, the Eagles were simply relentless, as the defense strapped down and delivered an outstanding performance that allowed them to set the tone immediately. As a result, they held all of the propulsion they constructed firmly in their favor for the remainder of the game, as they rolled towards a 51-36 home win in The Rock on Thursday.

“GV/Belfast has really improved since last season, and they have a core group of guys that are athletic and skilled. It should be a fun rematch when we finish them in a few weeks,” Eagles coach Randy Crouch said. “They were able to keep us from being effective in the half-court. Fortunately, we forced 17 first half turnovers and got out in transition with it. In the second half, Cam (Mucher) knocked down some big shots and Jonah (Bialek) got to the rim when we needed it. Zach (Sisson) struggled from the perimeter early, but he was awesome on the break and led us when we needed it most.”

Wasting no time were the Eagles (6-2) out of the gate, as they put an abundance of pressure against Genesee Valley/Belfast to help create an offensive run that witnessed them score the game’s first seven points. The energy shift continued for Fillmore, despite Genesee Valley/Belfast navigating their way onto the board in a quick trade of baskets from outside between Zach Sisson and Ian McKenzie for their respective teams.

Sisson, later on, would score the frame’s final basket straight through the twine right before the buzzer, but it was a first quarter that laid solely on the shoulders of their defense, as she held Genesee Valley/Belfast (4-3) to just five points in the midst of their 14-5 lead going into the second quarter.

In the next frame, the Sisson show returned to the air with another strong outing to help aid Fillmore’s final stand of defense before the first half reached its conclusion. In the third quarter, the advantage was pushed out just enough to claim victory in the end, as Cam Mucher’s red hot three-point game allowed the Eagles to maintain an 18-point frame, as well as all momentum going forward.

Sisson would finish the night with a game-high 29 points — 16 of those points coming in the first half of play. Following behind was Cam Mucher, who recorded a trio of triples to put towards a 15-point effort, while Jonah Bialek had six.

Genesee Valley/Belfast was aided by Ian McKenzie and his 16 team-leading points. Kadin Logue was not far behind, chipping in with 10 points.

Both teams will hit the books for the weekend and come back Monday night refreshed, as Fillmore stays home to host Franklinville in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, while Genesee Valley/Belfast looks to rejoin the win column with a 7 p.m. visit to Perry in store.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 5 10 11 10 – 36

Fillmore 14 11 18 8 – 51

GV/BELFAST: Kyle McCumiskey 0 1-2 1, Kadin Logue 4 1-1 10, Lannden Tilton 1 0-0 2, Matt Cater 1 1-2 3, Ian McKenzie 7 1-3 16, Jacob Borden 2 0-0 4. Totals: 15 4-8 36.
FILLMORE: Cam Mucher 6 0-2 15, Marcus Wolfer 0 1-2 1, Zach Sisson 12 0-0 29, Jonah Bialek 3 0-1 6. Totals: 21 1-5 51.

3-point goals: GVB 2 (Logue, McKenzie), Fillmore 8 (Sisson 5, Mucher 3).
Total Fouls: GVB 8, Fillmore 12. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 63, Cuba-Rushford 54

CUBA — In their first meeting since their clash at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, both Bolivar-Richburg and Cuba-Rushford were on the mend on Thursday.

The Wolverines and Rebels began to take aim at a bounce back performance in their own right, with Bolivar-Richburg looking to leave their first, close defeat of the season on Monday against Canisteo-Greenwood in the rearview mirror, while the Rebels were looking to respond after their appearance at the Joe DeCerbo Showcase this past weekend.

When it was all said and done, it would boil down to who wanted to have it more. Thanks to a gigantic fourth quarter performance, Aydin Sisson ensured it was the Wolverines that prevailed in the end behind his clutch shooting from the parking lot outside of Cuba-Rushford, taking what was a six-point deficit for the Rebels at that very moment and morphed it insurmountably to capture a 63-54 road win in the Wighthouse.

“We dug a huge hole in the first half and I challenged the kids at halftime,” said Rebels coach Pat Wight. “We played with much more energy and physicality in the second half, so I’m really proud of that. Bolivar-Richburg is solid and they have two of the best guards in the area. We had the lead down to six and then Aydin buried two threes that really broke our backs. He’s the best player in our League and did what the best player should do. He put his team on his back when they needed it. They’re the top seed in C2, and they deserve it. Justin (Thomas) should be really proud of those guys.”

Before some clutch fireworks from Sisson formulated for the Wolverines (8-1), they came out swinging for the fences right away in the opening eight minutes against the Rebels, setting up shop strongly with a mixed bag of offense leading the way in what was a 20-8 run to open the battle. The Rebels were able to fight their way back to close the gap before halftime, using a pair of triples — one from Braeden Wight and Eli Sleggs each, and a 4-for-4 outing at the line to fuel their cause.

Down by 15 at the break, the Rebels answered the bell going into the third quarter with more three-point help to inch them ever so closer to Bolivar-Richburg, as Wight dropped two more triples along with a Finn Ricketts trey to start up a 12-4 run of the Wolverines. What was a double digit deficit, was now seven.

But in the fourth quarter, Aydin Sisson had his fireworks ready for the Wolverines, as he produced a massive fourth quarter that saw the team record 24 game-high points altogether. For Sisson, he dropped three colossal triples to help put a bow on a 17-point second half for the visitors in black and red. He would finish with a game-high 29 points.

Following Sisson was Landon Barkley, who chipped in with 14 points of his own. Kingston Loucks had eight points.

On the flip side for the Rebels, Luke Brooks led all scorers with a team-leading 17-point performance. Wight finished with 14 points, while Ricketts concluded with nine. Cuba-Rushford will look to rebound over the road with a 2:30 p.m. tip-off at Oswayo Valley, Saturday afternoon.

Bolivar-Richburg now builds a full head of steam to head into the weekend with, as they now look to maintain their momentum going into Monday night back home for a 6 p.m. showdown against the C.G. Finney Falcons.

Bolivar-Richburg 20 15 4 24 – 63

Cuba-Rushford 8 12 12 22 – 54

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 10 6-9 29, Landon Barkley 5 2-4 14, Waide Karnuth 3 0-0 6, Reiss Gaines 3 0-1 6, Kingston Loucks 2 3-4 8. Totals: 23 11-18 63.

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Braeden Wight 4 2-2 14, Kaden Bell 1 0-0 2, Luke Brooks 7 2-3 17, Eli Sleggs 2 1-1 6, Finn Ricketts 3 1-2 9, Tristan Clayson 0 2-2 2, Peyton Joy 2 0-0 4. Totals: 19 8-10 54.

3-point goals: B-R 6 (Sisson 3, Barkley 2, Loucks), C-R 8 (Wight 4, Ricketts 2, Brooks, Sleggs).
Total Fouls: B-R 14, C-R 14. Fouled out: None.

Andover/Whitesville 80, Friendship/Scio 23

WHITESVILLE — Nearly a month removed after their one-night only appearance inside the Reilly Center at St. Bonaventure, Andover/Whitesville was back on the hardwood. Being out of action for a prolonged amount of time can have its disadvantages, but for the team donning blue and purple, it gave them a chance to prepare for their return.

After Arkport-Canaseraga took the 79-45 victory from them at the home of the Bonnies, Andover/Whitesville turned around and started the second half of their season with 80 points of their own, as they put together a complete team effort to springboard back above .500 on the season with an 80-23 home win over Friendship/Scio, Thursday night in Whitesville.

“It was probably our most complete effort we’ve had thus far this season. With it being almost a month since we played our last game, we had a lot of concern as to how we would perform,” Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce said. “The shots were falling, our defense was creating turnovers and we played very unselfish basketball. We also moved the ball extremely well. It’s the effort our coaching staff has been looking for all season, and with Brody (Vance) and Colton (Calladine) leading the way they do offensively, everyone behind them was able to contribute on the stat sheet. It’s a great effort as we enter the meat of our schedule, and it’s going to take an effort like this each night to come away with the wins.”

No time was wasted for Andover/Whitesville (4-3) to make all the noise they could in the first three quarters of play, recording the first of three straight 20-point frames with an immediate tone-setter — a 24-9 run of Friendship/Scio, propelled by Colton Calladine’s fire from all over the floor. In the second quarter, nearly every single scorer all had a hand at closing out the first half just as strong as they started it, using their mixed bag attack to jet-fuel a 25-2 run to push their advantage further away and ultimately, out of reach to claim victory in their first game of 2024.

Brody Vance played a big part in the team’s success, as he scored a game-high 27 points — 14 of those points coming in their 24-point third quarter. Calladine followed with 21 points of his own, with 11 coming in the opening eight minute period, while Vincent Joyce and James Miller-Young finished with nine and eight points total, respectively.

For Friendship/Scio (3-8), Connor Blouvet bucketed 10 team-leading points to ignite the offense. Deacon Brown had seven points.

Both teams are back on their home floors Wednesday night in a pair of 7:30 p.m. tip-offs, with Andover/Whitesville looking to keep rolling back over the hill in Andover with a visit from Fillmore, while Friendship/Scio heads back home for a meeting with Genesee Valley/Belfast in Friendship.

Friendship/Scio 9 2 9 3 – 23

Andover/Whitesville 24 25 24 7 – 80

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Aiden Golden 1 1-2 3, Jerome Harmon 0 1-2 1, Connor Blouvet 4 1-6 10, Charlie Taylor 1 0-0 2, Deacon Brown 3 1-2 7. Totals: 9 3-11 23.

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: James Miller-Young 4 0-0 8, Derek Perkins 1 0-1 2, Jake Mattison 1 2-3 5, Ethan Warriner 2 3-4 7, Vincent Joyce 4 0-0 9, Brody Vance 11 1-2 27, Colton Calladine 7 5-8 21, Skylar Orpet 0 1-2 1. Totals: 32 11-19 80.

3-point goals: F/S 1 (Blouvet), A/W 8 (Vance 4, Calladine 2, Mattison, Joyce).
Total Fouls: F/S 14, A/W 12. Fouled out: Brown (F/S).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Wellsville 67, Olean 33

OLEAN — Consistency is key, especially in the game of basketball. For the Lady Lions of Wellsville, they put every bit of it to good use on Thursday to help complete a season sweep of the Olean Lady Huskies, with Makenna Dunbar, Natalie Adams and Averee Palmatier all having a helping hand to aid the team’s 67-33 victory on the road out west.

The Lady Lions (7-2) did not lose a beat after an early back-and-forth exchange with the Lady Huskies across the first quarter, as they managed to break away and towards a frame-ending 12-0 run to grab a large 21-8 advantage to carry forward. The spark soon evolved into a five-alarm fire in the second quarter, when the visitors in black and orange struck all chords once more by using a 15-2 run to push their advantage out insurmountably.

Three different Wellsville scorers all helped pace the offensive front with at least 10 points each, as Makenna Dunbar took charge with a game-high 17 points, pairing them eight rebounds and four assists. Natalie Adams was not far behind, as her excellent season continued on with a 15-point performance to couple with six steals, four rebounds and three assists. Averee Palmatier chipped in with 12 points, while Jaden Dunbar had four steals.

Prior to the Varsity contest, the Lady Lions JV team came away winners in a 41-9 decision over Olean, paced by Lydia Kaye’s 10 points. Adding more help along the way was Ella Green, who had eight points.

Wellsville is now off until Saturday afternoon, when they hit the road for a big 2:30 p.m. contest against the Gananda Lady Panthers.

Wellsville 21 15 16 15 – 67

Olean 8 2 13 10 – 33

WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 1 0-0 2, Natalie Adams 7 0-0 15, Alexa Hennessy 1 0-0 2, Emily Stuck 3 3-5 9, Averee Palmatier 5 1-4 12, Makenna Dunbar 6 3-4 17, Jaden Dunbar 3 0-0 6, Alexa Stuck 2 0-0 4. Totals: 25 7-13 67.
OLEAN: Alaina Hirliman 4 0-0 10, Amy Campbell 3 8-11 15, Anna Bates 1 0-1 2, Lexi Benjamin 2 0-0 5, Jourdein Battle 0 1-2 1. Totals: 10 9-14 33.
3-point goals: Wellsville 4 (M. Dunbar 2, Adams, Palmatier), Olean 4 (Hirliman 2, Campbell, Benjamin).

Total Fouls: Wellsville 15, Olean 16. Fouled out: E. Stuck (WLSV).

Jasper-Troupsburg 45, Canisteo-Greenwood 36

CANISTEO — Following a closely-knit first half encounter, the Lady Chargers of Canisteo-Greenwood emerged on top behind a solid three-point presence from Paris May, marking the beginning of a momentous surge that was carried into the halftime break in their immediate return to play on Thursday.

But in the Canisteo Valley, the Lady Wildcats of Jasper-Troupsburg had other plans. Natalie Cornell was the catalyst behind those efforts at the start of the second half, as she posted 12 of her game-high 16 points in the last 16 minutes of play to assist the visitors in black and silver in yowling straight to victory by a 45-36 final count.

Points were hard to come by across the first half between both squads, but when it mattered most, Canisteo-Greenwood (4-4) was able to develop an early edge and hold it steady all the way to its conclusion behind Paris May and her strong three-point, landing all three of the team’s triples in the opening 16-minute sequence to garner an 18-15 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Lady Wildcats shelled out a response of their own — Natalie Cornell, as she erupted with a massive second half performance to aid a run that shifted the momentum completely, holding the Lady Chargers in the midst of their 16-8 doubling-up to claim the lead and hold it for good.

May finished with 15 points to lead Canisteo-Greenwood on the attack. Bailey Mullen chipped in with seven points to pair with nine rebounds and eight steals, while Kora Button had six points. Off the glass, Harlie McCaffery recorded eight more rebounds.

The Lady Chargers are back at it Tuesday night inside the McLane Center at Alfred University, as they prepare to take on Campbell-Savona in a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.

Jasper-Troupsburg 6 9 16 14 – 45

Canisteo-Greenwood 9 9 8 10 – 36

JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Kahley Stewart 2 8-11 12, Madison Cady 2 1-2 5, Kiera Marsh 2 1-2 5, Lauren Ross 2 2-2 7, Natalie Cornell 8 0-1 16. Totals: 16 12-18 45.

CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 2 2-5 6, Bailey Mullen 2 3-6 7, Kadyn Piliero 0 1-2 1, McKenna Ferris 1 1-2 3, Harlie McCaffery 1 0-0 2, Sidney Drouin 1 0-0 2, Paris May 6 0-0 15. Totals: 13 7-15 36.

3-point goals: J-T 1 (Ross), C-G 3 (May).
Total Fouls: J-T 10, C-G 16. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Arkport-Canaseraga 3, Wellsville 2

WELLSVILLE — With the regular season campaign beginning to dwindle down, prime positioning for the Allegany County League playoffs has never come at a more important time than Thursday night.

Underneath undefeated Allegany-Limestone at the top of the standings, both Arkport-Canaseraga and Wellsville were neck-and-neck for the No. 2 spot. Right at the very beginning of the year, the Wolves already claimed the upper hand after a straight-set decision on their home turf over the Lions. Another win would complete the season sweep, and could perhaps add some more help in cementing the No. 2 seed for the playoffs.

But for the Lions, it would serve as an opportunity to play spoiler. Something they hoped to do in the Lion’s Den for their final clash with the Wolves.

Unlike their previous meeting back in early December, all five sets were needed to force completion between both teams. The tone was set right in the opening frame of play when both teams exchanged multiple runs to force extra serves, which ended in the Lions breaking the ice.

Since then, the teeter-totter battle ensued with Arkport-Canaseraga forcing the fifth and final set — a set they provided an emphatic response in to close the night, as they recorded the series sweep of the Lions by a 24-26, 25-13, 15-25, 25-20, 15-3 count.

The Wolves saw Noah Drouin propel the offense to big heights on their side of the net, as he posted a team-high 12 kills to pair with three blocks and two assists. Aidan Button handed out seven helpers to couple with two kills, two aces and a block, while Salim Ford rounded off with seven more assists at the front of the net to go with six aces and a kill.

On the other side of the net, Wellsville (5-3) saw Brody Heaney captain the offense with six kills, pairing them with four aces and a block. Lucius Griggs chipped in with five more kills, three aces and a pair of blocks, while Terrence Benz scored six kills and two aces.

The Lions are back on the floor Monday night with a 6 p.m. visit to Friendship/Scio.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 3, Bolivar-Richburg 2

RICHBURG — Swings of momentum between Genesee Valley/Belfast and Bolivar-Richburg were traded all through their Thursday night clash in Richburg, with one team finding themselves one set away from victory in the early stages while the other, provided a massive turnaround to force a decisive fifth set.

Genesee Valley/Belfast was able to take the advantage in the early going with strong performances across each of the first two sets, but the momentum they built was erased by the Wolverines down the stretch, as they flipped the switch and recorded wins in the last two sets of regulation to tie the match after a heroic comeback.

But in the end, Genesee Valley/Belfast would deny the Wolverines the chance at the reverse sweep, as they edged their way towards glory in the narrowest of fashions by a 25-15, 25-13, 23-25, 18-25, 15-10 count.

Aiding the offensive efforts for Genesee Valley/Belfast (4-5) was Brayden Cooper, who had eight kills, six big blocks at the net and one ace. Jackson Stout chipped in with five more kills of his own, coupling them with three aces and a pair of blocks, while Sean Mahon handed out eight helpers to go with six kills and two service points.

Bolivar-Richburg (0-8) was led by Levi Williams and his six kills. Dustin Murray chipped in with seven blocks, six kills and five aces, while Owen Unfus handed out nine assists, pairing them with five kills, five digs and two aces. The Wolverines are right back on the floor tonight with a 6 p.m. visit to Portville.

Genesee Valley/Belfast will get set to host undefeated Allegany-Limestone, Monday night in the Jungle at 6 p.m.

WRESTLING

Wellsville 69, Addison 6

ADDISON — Before the Lions kick their weekend gears into motion for a two-day trip just outside of Syracuse, their attention was turned to their last road trip before then on Thursday, as they visited the Knights of Addison for battle on the circled square.

Out of the 10 matches that took center stage between both teams, Wellsville was dominant in nearly every single one of them, as they scored nine victories in competition to go with a trio of forfeit wins at the beginning and end of the match, totaling 12 in all to take full advantage of the opportunity with a dominant 69-6 win over the Knights.

The tone for the Lions was set right away with victories in each of the first six matches on the mat, with an Easton Joyce forfeit at 101 pounds starting the festivities off. Paul Giovaniello recorded the team’s first win on the mat by recording a 17-7 major decision win. After a Jensen Spicer win at 116 pounds, David Clark (124 pounds), Adam Iantorno (131 pounds) and Landon Stratton (138 pounds) each followed with pinfall wins, with Clark recording the quickest win for Wellsville in just 32 seconds.

Jack Cicrello (152 pounds), Matt Ritter (160 pounds), Xander Outman (170 pounds), Gabe Black (190 pounds) and Noah Black (215 pounds) all picked up pinfall wins of their own on the mat, with the exception of Gabe Black and his 21-5 technical fall win, to continue a dominant Wellsville performance until the end where Brayden Taggert added the team’s final win via forfeit at 285 pounds.

Up next for the Lions, tournament action at Port Byron just outside of Syracuse, as it officially gets underway bright and early Saturday.

Results (* indicates starting weight)

*101 – Easton Joyce (WLSV) by for.

108 – Paul Giovaniello (WLSV) def. Connor Watson (ADD) by major dec, 17-7.

116 – Jensen Spicer (WLSV) by for.

124 – David Clark (WLSV) def. Langden Green (ADD) by pin, :32.

131 – Adam Iantorno (WLSV) def. Bryson Long (ADD) by pin, :45.

138 – Landon Stratton (WLSV) def. Kolby McLean (ADD) by pin, 1:17.

145 – Cade Sands (ADD) def. Andrew Cox (WLSV) by pin, :54.

152 – Jack Cicirello (WLSV) def. Kamdin Aloi (ADD) by pin, 3:39.

160 – Matt Ritter (WLSV) def. Collin Aumick (ADD) by pin, 3:40.

170 – Xander Outman (WLSV) def. Spencer Westervelt (ADD) by pin, 3:59.

190 – Gabe Black (WLSV) def. Brice Combs (ADD) by tech fall, 21-5.

215 – Noah Black (WLSV) def. Newt Jones (ADD) by pin, 1:18.

285 – Brayden Taggert (WLSV) by for.

Bolivar-Richburg 41, Arkport-Canaseraga 12

BOLIVAR — With both Arkport-Canaseraga and Bolivar-Richburg exchanging a pair of barbs across the first four matches, the door would begin to crack open for one team. That being the Wolverines, who went on to score four wins in the next five matches in competition to break away from the Wolves’ grasp for good to gnab the 41-12 home win on Thursday.

Within their seven-win performance, six of the victories for the Wolverines all came via pinfall beginning with Cayden Gaines at 138 pounds. As time went on, the wins continued to flood in with help from Tavyn MacDonell (170 pounds), Caden Allen (215 pounds), Presley McDowell (101 pounds) and Teegan Sibble (108 pounds), all of which recorded pinfall wins.

At 145 pounds following the match-opening win from Gaines, Trey Buchholz delivered a technical fall win, while at 131 pounds — the very end of the match, Gary McDowell delivered a strong pinfall win to finish off a dominant Wolverines night on the mat.

Arkport-Canaseraga registered three wins against the Wolverines in return, with Aiden New getting the team’s lone win in competition with a pinfall victory at 285 pounds. After the hosts registered their first two wins, the visitors in teal and black were able to score back-to-back forfeit wins at 152 and 160 pounds, as Taylor Pragle and John Flaitz both saw their arm raised at the end of their respective matches.

The Wolverines will now get set and travel to Hornell to partake in their annual State Farm Classic Tournament, beginning Saturday morning.