Saturday Roundup: Lady Lions use outstanding defense, balanced offense to slow down Hornell in enormous 60-35 home win; Lady Eagles squeeze by red hot C-G to remain unbeaten

Written By Chris Brooks

WELLSVILLE — Tuesday night saw a milestone. It was one for the Lady Lions and their longtime head coach, Michelle Alvord. On their road trip to Canisteo-Greenwood, Alvord went on to record her 200th career win which has spanned a journey all across Allegany County since the beginning of her illustrious career.

After the 48-24 win, the team now had time off to begin preparations for what could be the ultimate measuring stick in their season — the Hornell Lady Red Raiders, a team that can become deadly from long range if given the opportunity.

It’s a perk that the Lady Red Raiders have masterfully perfected in recent seasons. And it was one that the Lady Lions had to provide a response for, when the two teams came together for their highly-anticipated Saturday night clash in the Lion’s Den.

Through the opening half, each team saw some highs and some lows, resulting with Wellsville grabbing the early upper hand on Hornell, and later on, the Lady Red Raiders heating up with a late run to cut their deficit down, going into the locker room.

But with a six-point lead coming back out, it was one that Alvord and the Lady Lions wanted to hang on to. With win No. 200 being of historical significance, No. 201 would wind up being Wellsville’s best game of the season.

With outstanding defense being coupled with a balanced offensive attack, it was a night of near perfection for the Lady Lions against their longtime rival from the East, as they extinguished Hornell’s hot conclusion to the first half with a massive third quarter run that left the Lady Red Raiders in a hole that they could not find their way out of, as the hosts captured their 10th win of the season, and fourth straight overall in a dominating 60-35 win.

“We had three days to prepare for this, and that’s what we stressed,” said Alvord. “Every day, we went over defending the dribble exchange, defending the screens and where the kids like to take shots and get shots from. Our kids did a really good job, and it wasn’t one of Hornell’s best shooting nights, but I credit them for taking them out of their rhythm early. They put in the work, and I tell them what to do, and they went out and executed it.”

Right from the start, the Lady Lions (10-2) was able to handle Hornell’s press, especially Emily Costello and Jaelyn Knapp, who hooked up with one another on a wide open basket underneath finished by Knapp. Costello would add to the 7-0 start with a three from outside, all coming in the first 2:30 of the quarter.


Both teams would exchange five points worth of baskets to end the frame, which saw the Lady Lions take a seven-point lead.

In the second, a similar circumstance. After a three-pointer by Lillian Hoyt began Hornell’s offense, Wellsville came back with a big response in the form of eight straight points to push their lead to 14 at one point, led by a pair of three-point plays. But the Lady Red Raiders would find a way to shake it off, and engineer a run to close the gap to six at the break, scoring eight of the last 10 points led by a pair of back-to-back threes from Hoyt.

It was a run that the Lady Red Raiders hoped to construct even further when the second half approached, but the Lady Lions shut it all down.

The third quarter was the frame that Wellsville wanted to win. They went on to do just that, outscoring Hornell by an 18-8 count, with Costello beginning to heat up from outside with a pair of three-pointers to put toward a 46-30 lead to control heading into the last eight minutes.

Every time Hornell went down for a basket, the hosts found a response — a trend that the team set all night long.

“The biggest thing for us was the third quarter coming out, and winning it,” Alvord said. “We wanted to win that with a six-point lead and not give it back to them with the momentum they built going into the half. I’m very pleased with how we played, but I’m never fully satisfied. We can reduce the turnovers a bit, but it seemed like every time they got something, we got something back. We played four full quarters tonight, and that was one of the keys, no matter how big or small of a lead, Hornell can go quick.”

The Lady Lions would officially pull away from Hornell in the fourth quarter with one final run, outscoring the Lady Red Raiders in a 14-5 run that saw a multitude of scorers carve their way to the basket for the finish, any way they could. When the fog cleared, a complete balanced attack on offense to coincide with their outstanding display of defense against their opposition were the ingredients to the team’s biggest win of the season.

“Our balance, and I’ve said it since the beginning of the season, it’s our biggest perk,” said Alvord. “Kaylee Coleman handed out some assists, and the girls finished the job inside. We knew our looks were going to come, where we had to attack them, where we thought we could score, and we did that. I can’t say enough about it. They executed and found each other, and they keep playing unselfishly.”

Knapp and Marley Adams led the Lady Lions on the scoresheet with a team-high 11 points, with Adams grabbing 10 rebounds to complete her double-double, and adding five assists along the way. Emily Costello recorded 10 points of her own to couple with nine rebounds, while Makenna Dunbar nearly had a double-double of her own behind a 10-point, nine-board performance.

Before the game, the Lady Lions honored their longtime head coach and gifted her with an honorary plaque commemorating her latest achievement in her coaching career this past Tuesday. In reflection, Alvord said that along with her players, past and present, for making this happen, she also could not have done it without a collection of coaches that she has shared the bench with for a number of years, including her longtime assistant coach Brian Meyers.

“The only thing, because I’m a hindsight person, is that the coaches that have been with me through it all, especially Brian,” she said. “He gives me credit for all the scouting and hard work I put in, but he does a lot of breakdowns for me in a week where we have multiple opponents we have to get ready for. Tony DeSain working with me for all those years a while back, I wouldn’t have known as much about scouting like the way he takes it to another level,

Alvord continued, saying “I’ve had Veronica Ebert, Morgan McNeill here with me as well, Maureen Sibble had been an assistant of mine through the years when I first started coaching in Wellsville, and also all the players that I’ve coached in the past showed up tonight to support the girls. It’s a privilege to do it with this program, with this team that I really love coaching.”

Wellsville is now off until Tuesday night after the extended weekend away, as they prepare to welcome in the Cuba-Rushford Lady Rebels for a visit into the Lion’s Den. Tip-off is set for a 7:30 p.m. start.

With the victory over the Lady Red Raiders, Alvord and the Lady Lions have now won four straight, and with games against Bath-Haverling, Dansville and a second meeting with Hornell on the horizon before the end of the regular season, the longtime coach hopes that the dominant triumph will provide a huge momentum shift down the stretch.

“This says a lot of where we are, and where we need to be to continue what we have going on,” she said. “We have Bath coming up, and we lost to them after Christmas in their tournament. Even though Hornell averages about 60 a game, our games don’t seem to go that way. We’ve had a lot of 33, 35, 38 contests, and again, our group of Seniors have played them for years and they found a way to respond to it. This was the last time they’re going to play them on home court. They’ll take a 25-point win like this any day.”

Hornell 5 17 8 5 – 35

Wellsville 12 16 18 14 – 60

HORNELL: Jordyn Dyring 2 0-0 5, Lillian Hoyt 4 2-2 13, Jane Spitulnik 1 0-2 3, Selena Maldonado 3 1-2 7, Maddie Moore 1 0-0 2, Juliet Marino 2 0-0 4, Payton Bentley 0 1-2 1. Totals: 13 4-8 35.
WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 5 1-2 11, Jaylynn Mess 4 0-0 8, Emily Costello 3 1-2 10, Jaelyn Knapp 4 3-4 11, Emily Robbins 1 0-0 3, Sara Reitz 1 1-2 3, Kaylee Coleman 2 1-1 5, Makenna Dunbar 3 3-3 9. Totals: 23 10-14 60.

3-point goals: Hornell 5 (Hoyt 3, Dyring, Spitulnik), Wellsville 4 (Costello 3, Robbins).
Total Fouls: Hornell 13, Wellsville 10. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 34, Canisteo-Greenwood 33

CANISTEO — The Lady Eagles of Fillmore were in a little bit of trouble, Saturday afternoon. Facing some adversity after some ongoing foul trouble in the late stages of their battle against host Canisteo-Greenwood, it would allow the Lady Redskins to come back and make things interesting at the wire.

With the lead in hand, the Lady Redskins were looking to become the first team to hand Fillmore a loss this season. But with time on the clock, and possession in their hands, the Lady Eagles simply said: No.

After a drive to the basket by Hope Russell in the waning seconds, her potential go-ahead shot rimmed out. But not out of the reach for another Lady Eagle to provide the big offensive rebound. That would belong to the team’s Senior leader, Emma Cole, who wasted no time with six seconds remaining to put it away to give Fillmore the lead, forcing a late desperation shot at the end which did not go, as they held on for dear life to win their 11th straight by a 34-33 count.

“We talked about needing games like this, win or lose, to help us prepare for the stretch run,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “Canisteo-Greenwood is a tough team with a great coach in Les York, and we knew at some point they would make a run. Our defense was pretty solid, and it needed to be as we went a little cold in the second half. Jadyn fouling out in the early stages of the fourth threw a wrench in things, and we had some trouble getting into our sets, but somehow we were able to hold on.”

The Lady Eagles (11-0) were challenged by Canisteo-Greenwood after garnering a 15-8 first quarter out of the gate to control, as both teams provided near even exchanges across the next two quarters to set the pace. Along the way, Fillmore would encounter some foul trouble, which would result in a power shift in the fourth quarter.

Because of it, Canisteo-Greenwood would find their way in the driver’s seat in the final minute of play to put the pressure on the Lady Eagles.

“The girls played a really nice first half of both sides of the ball,” Parks said. “I thought we controlled play for the most part and then did a nice job on their scorers. We did find ourselves in some foul trouble, and Jadyn (Mucher) fouling out in the early stages of the fourth quarter threw a wrench in things we had trouble with. I think we got a little tight, and couple that with the momentum that Canisteo-Greenwood was building, and that would allow them to take the lead.”

But on the final possession with under 20 seconds remaining, the Lady Redskins (10-4) provided great defense to use against the visitors in black and green, but a second-chance put back off a runner from Hope Russell was put away with seconds left by Cole to give them the lead back for good.

The basket was just two of four points the Lady Eagles scored in the last eight minutes — the basket that mattered the most.

Cole’s go-ahead basket in the clutch wrapped up a game-high 15 point performance to pair with 12 rebounds to complete a double-double, along with six blocks off the glass. Jadyn Mucher would finish with 10 points and six boards before fouling out, while Hope Russell dished out four assists and took four steals.

Another performance Parks commended, belonged to Rachel Hatch, who was assigned to Canisteo-Greenwood’s sharpshooter in Lillian Mullen, who was held to a season-low 12 points by the Lady Eagles defense.

“Emma came up huge again, especially late with her basket, but a name that needs to be mentioned is Rachel Hatch,” he said. “She often guards the other teams’ best threat, and although it’s a team job to hold a scorer like Lillian below her average, she had the primary assignment, and she really kept a lot of points that she could have had off the scoreboard today."

Bailey Mullen finished with 11 points, while Brooke Byrd chipped in with eight for the Lady Redskins, who will look to get back on track on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. road trip to Hammondsport.

The Lady Eagles are also back in action Tuesday night back on the road, when they visit the Hinsdale Lady Bobcats in a 7:30 p.m. battle.

Fillmore 15 8 7 4 – 34

Canisteo-Greenwood 8 5 9 11 – 33

FILLMORE: Hope Russell 1 0-0 3, Grace Russell 2 0-0 4, Rachel Hatch 1 0-0 2, Jadyn Mucher 4 0-0 10, Emma Cole 7 1-5 15. Totals: 15 1-5 34.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Bailey Mullen 5 0-0 11, Lillian Mullen 5 1-3 12, Brooke Byrd 4 0-2 8, McKenna Ferris 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 1-5 33.
3-point goals: Fillmore 3 (Mucher 2, H. Russell), C-G 2 (B. Mullen, L. Mullen).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 14, C-G 10. Fouled out: Mucher (FIL).

Genesee Valley/Belfast 46, Jasper-Troupsburg 36

GREENWOOD — The first half of action for the Lady JagDogs of Genesee Valley/Belfast was a 16-minute span that wasn’t quite going in their favor. Trailing by one after the opening quarter, and much more going into the break, they had to come up with a response in time for the second half.

With a seven-point hole to climb out of, that posed challenge was accepted. And with it, came a comeback.

The Lady JagDogs put everything together on both offense and defense, holding host Jasper-Troupsburg down after their hot start while the momentum they built, helped on offense along the way, compiling two big runs that allowed them to pull ahead going into the third quarter and for good, sealing up a 46-36 road win in Greenwood, Saturday afternoon.

”I told the girls during practice the past couple of days that J-T is a scrappy team, and we can’t settle in on them. We had to bring it for 32 minutes,” said GV/Belfast coach Jim Schneider. “We were down eight at the half, and I told them to start playing our style of basketball. We did. We played a great second half on both ends of the floor, the girls started to knock down shots, and we got stops on defense.”

Both teams were side by side through the first quarter, delivering baskets on the fly to keep pace with one another. It would result in Jasper-Troupsburg having the game’s first upper hand going into the next eight minute session, where they built on their lead tremendously. From within the frame, the Lady Wildcats held Genesee Valley/Belfast to a game-low four points in the midst of their 11-4 run to end the first half with a 22-15 lead.

But not long out of the locker room, the Lady JagDogs (8-3) were delivered a wake-up call. In the third quarter, they would take the lead away from Jasper-Troupsburg, ultimately for good, led by the rise of Mary Hamer and Kaitlin Sadler down low, as they dominated the inside game for the visitors by first putting together a 15-5 run to take the lead going into the fourth, and building on it even further with a game-ending 16-8 doubling-up to seal it.

Hamer led all scorers on the floor with a game-high 18 points for the Lady JagDogs, while Sadler followed with 11 of her own. Alicia Borden and Adison Grusendorf each dropped a three-point bucket in the last eight minute sequence to help their causes with eight, and seven points respectively.

With the triumph, that gives Genesee Valley/Belfast six in their last seven games as their hot streak continues into Wednesday night back on the road, visiting the Cuba-Rushford Lady Rebels in a 7:30 p.m. contest in the Wighthouse.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 11 4 15 16 – 46

Jasper-Troupsburg 12 11 5 8 – 36

GV/BELFAST: Alicia Borden 3 1-2 8, Anna Drozdowski 1 0-0 2, Adison Grusendorf 3 0-0 7, Mary Hamer 8 2-7 18, Kaitlin Sadler 5 1-2 11. Totals: 20 4-11 46.

JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Kahley Stewart 2 0-0 4, Kayla Atherton 2 1-2 7, Lauren Ross 2 0-0 4, Zoe Cornell 4 0-0 8, Natalie Cornell 2 3-4 8, Reagan Miles 3 0-0 6. Totals: 15 4-6 36.

3-point goals: GVB 2 (Borden, Grusendorf), J-T 2 (Atherton).
Total Fouls: GVB 5, J-T 16. Fouled out: None.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 68, Jasper-Troupsburg 59

GREENWOOD — The 58-26 loss to the hands of Pioneer is a game that the Fillmore Eagles simply want to leave in the past, and continue forward. They were given a chance to do that on Saturday back on the road against the Jasper-Troupsburg Wildcats in what was originally their matchup for the Dan Barkley Showcase.

But because of COVID concerns, that game was held at Jasper-Troupsburg’s home for the 2021-22 season — Greenwood.

Across the board, both the Eagles and Wildcats gave each other a run for all of the money in the bank, as each team would control a half of play. But despite an outstanding start to the second half by the hosts, the way the first half ended wound up being the determining factor.

With the offense being engineered by the likes of Will Roeske inside, and Zach Sisson from downtown, Fillmore, with an 18-12 lead to control, caught fire in a second quarter that saw them pull away despite a late rally in the second half from their opposition, as they provided a massive run to help put toward a 68-59 bounce back victory on Saturday.

“I am proud of how the guys responded today after the rough game at Pioneer,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “Will did a great job of working for his position tonight, and our guards really did a better job of finding him. Zach was able to get going as well, and hopefully this is a great breakout game for him. Brent (Zubikowski) was awesome off the bench as well, and he carried us through some foul trouble at key times to make sure we stayed in front.”

Roeske, along with Mitch Ward, helped the Eagles (6-3) grab the early first quarter lead over Jasper-Troupsburg, as they combined to provide 15 of the team’s 18 points from down low to couple with a Carter Sisson three to jump ahead.

The offense would then fire from all cylinders in the quarter before the half, as a balanced attack consisting of a wide range of Eagles flocked to the basket to string together a massive 16-4 run of the Wildcats to end the half with a double-digit, 34-16 lead to go into the break.

The deficit was cut down by the Wildcats coming back out for the second half, but Fillmore reassured their place at the top by following right behind them, as Zach Sisson emerged as the team’s sharpshooter in the second half, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the last 16 minutes of play — 11 of them coming in the third quarter, angled by a trio of three-pointers.

Roeske would finish as the team’s leading scorer, netting a game-high 20 points to pair with 14 boards off the glass, finishing a double-double. After Sisson’s 18-point effort, Mitch Ward would conclude with 13 points of his own to become the third Eagle to eclipse the double-digit plateau.

Fillmore will now head back home, and look to keep the momentum rolling in their favor with a Wednesday night contest in store against the Cuba-Rushford Rebels, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in The Rock.

Fillmore 18 16 21 13 – 68

Jasper-Troupsburg 12 4 24 19 – 59

FILLMORE: Carter Sisson 3 0-0 7, Brent Zubikowski 3 0-0 6, Luke Colombo 2 0-0 4, Mitch Ward 6 1-6 13, Zach Sisson 6 2-2 18, Will Roeske 9 1-2 20. Totals: 29 4-6 68.
JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Gage Guerin 1 0-0 3, Colby Cornish 6 4-9 16, Brennan Waters 3 0-0 7, Jared Ainsworth 4 3-4 12, Cash Bouton 6 3-4 18, Louie Zver 1 0-0 3. Totals: 21 10-17 59.

3-point goals: Fillmore 6 (Z. Sisson 4, C. Sisson, Roeske), J-T 7 (Bauton 3, Guerin, Waters, Ainsworth, Zver).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 13, J-T 10. Fouled out: C. Sisson (FIL).

Canisteo-Greenwood 57, Cuba-Rushford 27

CANISTEO — Through the first quarter, the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford were able to answer the call that host Canisteo-Greenwood gave them, Saturday afternoon.

But later on, the Redskins glued every piece of their puzzle together to provide a resilient showing of basketball, holding Cuba-Rushford to under 10 points in each quarter on one end, while connecting with big runs of offense on the other, ending the first half with an extended lead that was never reversed, as they motored away toward a 57-27 home win.

The Rebels (4-4) put their strongest effort of offense together right from the start, challenging Canisteo-Greenwood across the opening eight minute period to keep themselves within reach, despite a six-point deficit. But going forward, the Redskins would assume complete command.

In the second, the hosts in white and red would take over and end the first half on a solid note with a 13-4 run that saw their lead hit their first growth spurt with a 29-14 lead to build from. That would soon grow even larger by the time the third quarter came around, as Canisteo-Greenwood put the finishing touches on the ultimate victory with a 20-point frame of offense that allowed them to roll away.

Leading the offense for the Rebels was Luke Brooks, who tallied a team-high 10 points. Jack Frank added in six more points, while Jacob Smith had five.

Cuba-Rushford will continue their road swing on Wednesday, when they visit the Fillmore Eagles in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Cuba-Rushford 10 4 7 6 – 27

Canisteo-Greenwood 16 13 20 8 – 57

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Jacob Smith 2 1-2 5, Jack Frank 2 2-4 6, Dom Bello 1 0-2 2, Austin Clement 0 1-3 1, Kaden Bell 0 3-6 3, Luke Brooks 4 1-2 10. Totals: 9 8-19 27.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Mason Boyd 1 5-6 7, Cole Ferris 6 1-4 14, Michael Evingham 1 1-2 4, Evan Updyke 4 0-0 9, JJ Reese 1 0-0 2, Maddox Schwartz 7 0-1 15, Noah Warriner 2 2-2 6. Totals: 22 9-15 57.
3-point goals: C-R 1 (Brooks), C-G 4 (Ferris, Evingham, Updyke, Schwartz).
Total Fouls: C-R 11, C-G 15. Fouled out: None.

Chris Brooks
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Friday Roundup: Lions mount late rally, but Hornell staves off pressure to come away with 68-64 win in thriller; Hall nets game-high 31 in And/Whi’s home rolling of B-R