BARKLEY SHOWCASE: Allegany County captures Showcase crown after GV/Belfast survives back-and-forth battle with Ark-Can behind late 4th quarter surge; McKenzie named Player of the Game
WELLSVILLE — When it comes to the case of the Dan Barkley Showcase’s nightcap between Arkport-Canaseraga and Genesee Valley/Belfast, the 10th Anniversary of the annual winter spectacle ended the same way it began 24 hours ago — explosively.
With Allegany County and Steuben County each holding two wins entering the final game of the night, it was safe to say that bragging rights were most certainly up for grabs going into next winter.
For both the Wolves and the United, no degree of separation after each of the first three quarters ever eclipsed more than three points at any given time. Many momentum swings, plenty of lead changes between the two foes, the final battle between the two counties legitimately could have gone either way.
But then the fourth quarter came. And what a finish it was.
Arkport-Canaseraga and Genesee Valley/Belfast were at full gallop down the very last straightaway towards the finish line. Following a third quarter tie entering the frame to begin with, the back-and-forth battle, like it was for much of the evening, re-settled back in one more time. But two superheros emerged from the smoke — Ethan Davenport and Logan Rice.
Two hot hands for Genesee Valley/Belfast that could not be stopped in the heat of the moment.
It was Davenport that provided the damage to start, taking matters into his own hands by providing a clutch inside presence with time winding down, netting six massive fourth quarter points to break what ultimately became the game’s final tie with the Wolves. After Arkport-Canaseraga closed the gap one more time right behind them, the momentum shifted to Rice in the last minute, as he knocked down the last of his two three-pointers in the frame to help capture a mammoth lead extension.
From that point forward, Genesee Valley/Belfast went on to seal the game with one final basket on the run from Cal Tallman in the waning seconds, as they finished off a monumental 23-point fourth quarter to knock off Arkport-Canaseraga and get back on track with Allegany County’s third victory — a Showcase clincher for the 10th Anniversary, in a 71-65 final decision on Saturday.
“Tonight’s game against Arkport-Canaseraga was a well-fought battle between two good teams,” GV/Belfast coach Jason Hamer said. “Our team had to overcome a 26-to-13 foul deficit all game, which was a tall task, due to missing a few key players with injuries. We as a coaching staff could not be more proud of how our team has come together to play as a complete unit. The leadership of Ian McKenzie and Ethan Davenport helped propel our team to a great victory.”
Before the constant tilting of the balance settled in between both Arkport-Canaseraga and Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-5), the first quarter witnessed the first three minutes progress with just a single score occupying the scoreboard. A bucket that belonged to the Wolves before both teams enlisted in a back-and-forth battle to close out the first quarter — a frame that ultimately was bookended by the Wolves after a thunderous kaboom from downtown by Caden Carey, landing a monster triple at the buzzer for a 13-11 Wolves lead.
It would later develop into a 20-14 advantage in the hands of the Wolves (7-4) at one point during the second quarter, but with Cane Treusdell and Kenton Shultz guiding the way forward, Genesee Valley/Belfast went on to score eight of the next nine points to reclaim the lead with 90 seconds left until halftime.
The back-and-forth exchange continued with Devin Moran and a rapid three-point shot entering the last 60 minute threshold giving the Wolves the lead one more time before Genesee Valley/Belfast chipped at the deficit with an aerial attack of their own, as Ian McKenzie buried a response from three-point land, landing one right before the break froze the action on the hardwood with a 29-28 Arkport-Canaseraga lead on the board.
“We have guys that can make plays. Obviously, we want Caden to get his touches and he’s too talented to not get his touches. He got his, but the other guys behind him have to step up,” said Wolves coach Max Houy. “The guys work hard and they had their moments in the sun, but as a whole, we were not as consistent on defense as GV/Belfast was on offense tonight. We can’t give up 43 points in a half and expect to win anything. We preach defense every night, and tonight, we just didn’t play the best defense in the second half.”
The back-and-forth dealing motored on in the second half, with many more lead changes being exchanged leading up to a game-tying shot from Cane Treusdell entering the waning stages of the third quarter for Genesee Valley/Belfast, and a short time later, another re-deadlocking of the score at the quarter’s end off of Moran’s third and final triple to produce a level playing surface with 48 points aside.
But in the fourth quarter, the team in white with green and red lettering emerged and found some much-needed breathing room to keep Arkport-Canaseraga in the rearview mirror, with Davenport commencing the heroic efforts with six humongous points to claim a five-point, 64-59 lead early on. With the Wolves remaining step-for-step along the way, Logan Rice then rose to the occasion himself with a monstrous triple to branch the Genesee Valley/Belfast lead back out one more time.
In the end, with many players from the Wellsville basketball team in attendance cheering them on in the student section, it was a 23-point breakout final eight minutes for Genesee Valley/Belfast to officially lock up Allegany County’s overall victory in this year’s Dan Barkley Showcase.
“Our young guard Logan Rice deserves a big shoutout for his defensive play on Caden Carey. His two three-pointers in the fourth quarter were huge in the victory as well,” Hamer said. “Cane (Treusdell) had a really good performance and Kenton (Shultz) added huge plays off the glass along with some great hustle on defense. My special thanks go out to my assistant coaches McKenzie Hamer and Robert Davenport for their support and input, which has helped our team to develop and improve each game.”
For Arkport-Canaseraga, Houy said that despite the loss, their hope is to shake it off and put together a strong finish to the season ahead.
“It was a back-and-forth battle. They hit some shots late, which pretty much sealed it. McKenzie had a great game, and some of their role players behind him stepped up and made some shots,” the Wolves coach said. “We left a lot out there ourselves. In the first half, we should have been up bigger than we were, but we missed so much at the rim. It’s the focus that impacted us, but kudos to GV/Belfast. It’s tough and our season has been a little bit of a rollercoaster. You’ll have that, but it’s something that we can work our way out of.”
Leading the scoring was the Player of the Game for Genesee Valley/Belfast, Ian McKenzie, who recorded a game-high 22 points. Right behind him was Cane Treusdell, finishing with 14 points. Kenton Shultz bucketed 12 points of his own, while Ethan Davenport had 11.
The Wolves were paced by Caden Carey, as he assembled a team-high 21-point performance. Alex Vilkhu recorded 15 points, while Fred Blumenthal and Devin Moran each had nine points. Arkport-Canaseraga will look to bounce back on Tuesday with a 7:15 p.m. visit to Jasper-Troupsburg.
Genesee Valley/Belfast is back on the floor on Wednesday, hosting Campbell-Savona in the Jungle at 7:30 p.m. in Belmont.
Arkport-Canaseraga 13 16 19 17 – 65
Genesee Valley/Belfast 11 17 20 23 – 71
ARKPORT-CANASERAGA: Devin Moran 3 0-0 9, Caden Carey 5 9-12 21, Alex Vilkhu 5 4-5 15, Kohler Preston 2 0-4 4, Fred Blumenthal 3 3-4 9, Tayven Lavetsky 1 0-0 3, Ronan Williams 1 2-2 4. Totals: 20 18-27 65.
GV/BELFAST: Logan Rice 2 0-0 6, Cane Treusdell 6 0-0 14, Cal Tallman 3 0-0 6, Ian McKenzie 7 6-8 22, Ethan Davenport 5 1-1 11, Kenton Shultz 5 2-2 12. Totals: 28 9-11 71.
3-point goals: A-C 7 (Moran 3, Carey 2, Vilkhu, Lavetsky), GVB 6 (Rice 2, Treusdell 2, McKenzie 2).
Total Fouls: A-C 13, GVB 26. Fouled out: Treusdell (GVB), Shultz (GVB).
