Friday Roundup: Rebels, Lions go the distance in back-and-forth affair, but Wellsville comes away with big 5th set run to capture win; 4th quarter rally by Wellsville boys falls short at Olympia

WELLSVILLE — It was as tough of a battle as ever that Cuba-Rushford and Wellsville took hold of, Friday night. Like their matchups in the past over the winter, this was no different, as it saw all five sets of action come into play.

The match would show a significant amount of poise across the board on both sides of the net, with more notably, back-to-back defeats Wellsville suffered in the middle sets against the Rebels to get pushed straight towards the brink.

In that last set however, it was Wellsville that had the final word, as they put a wrap on two straight wins — including the fifth and final set with a scoreless run to keep Cuba-Rushford quiet while claiming a big victory in front of their home crowd by a 25-16, 24-26, 18-25, 25-20, 15-9 count.

Leading the Lions (8-3) was another outstanding night of offense from Brody Heaney, who recorded 11 team-high kills to go with three aces and three blocks. Lucius Griggs aided the defense with a sound display of digging, recording 10 in all to go with seven more kills on offense and three aces from the back line. Terrence Benz had five kills, two blocks and an ace.

For the Rebels (3-9), Anderson Siegel and Brock Stadler provided a bit of everything, with Siegel recording 13 digs to go with 12 kills and four aces, while Stadler was not far behind him with 20 massive digs, pairing them with 11 kills and an ace. Ethan Cole handed out 18 helpers, pairing them with six digs and three kills.

Both teams are back at it this Monday night, with Wellsville preparing for a 6 p.m. contest against undefeated Allegany-Limestone. As for Cuba-Rushford, they head back home to the Wighthouse to face Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 6 p.m. start.

Fillmore 3, Bolivar-Richburg 0

FILLMORE — The service for the Eagles of Fillmore at the back line was superb all game long, with three different scorers posting at least 15 service points while Skylar Freeman and Anderson Wiltsey occupied the middle of the floor to help set up the offense for big success on Friday, as they laid down the foundation for their straight-set victory over visiting Bolivar-Richburg in a 25-14, 25-9, 25-16 decision.

Behind 16 service points of his own, Reid Cockle was at the front of the line to lead Fillmore’s (7-5) offense with his five kills and five blocks. Nathan Tanner chipped in with a team-leading 17 service points to go with three kills and two blocks. Jayce Ashton (one kill, one block) had 15 service points, while Freeman and Wiltsey came together and combined for 34 helpers to hand out on the floor — each recording 17.

For the Wolverines (0-12), Dustin Murray captained the attack with seven kills, four blocks and a pair of aces. Owen Unfus chipped in with the offensive efforts with eight assists, two aces and a kill.

Both teams are back on the floor for 6 p.m. contests on Monday, with Fillmore hitting the road for a visit to Friendship/Scio while Bolivar-Richburg heads back home to welcome in Arkport-Canaseraga.

Arkport-Canaseraga 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

ARKPORT — The Arkport-Canaseraga Wolves continue to hang right behind the League’s top team in Allegany-Limestone. Friday night, they were able to eclipse the 10-win mark of the season on their home floor in Arkport, as they provided a strong start and never looked back in the rearview mirror against Genesee Valley/Belfast to record the straight-set, 25-14, 25-13, 25-8 victory.

The Wolves offense was piloted by Noah Drouin and his nine big kills, adding one block at the front of the net to keep the ball on the opposite side of the net. From the back line, Curtis Hartman had a fine night of service with his eight aces, putting them alongside two additional kills on the attack, while Aydan Button handed out 10 helpers to set up shop, coupling them with four kills and a denial.

Genesee Valley/Belfast (6-8) was fueled by Brayden Cooper on the attack, collecting eight kills to go with a quartet of blocks. Jackson Stout also had a helping hand with the team’s offense, posting four more kills of his own to go with two blocks, while setter Noah Miller assisted in getting the offense started by handing out a dozen helpers, pairing them with three more kills.

After the weekend, Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to regroup on the road with a 6 p.m. visit to Cuba-Rushford on Monday.

Allegany-Limestone 3, Friendship/Scio 0

SCIO — With the end of the regular season fast approaching, there are no signs of slowing down by any means for the Allegany-Limestone Gators, as they took care of business to remain undefeated with a straight-set win over the road Friday night against Friendship/Scio, taking the 25-9, 25-10, 25-15 decision in Scio.

Lawson Ector scored another fine performance to lead the Friendship/Scio (1-9) offense, posting four kills to go with four aces. Rilea Wenslow chipped in with a great night of service from the back line, scoring eight service points to pair with three aces.

Allegany-Limestone was led by CJ Ellison and Josh Nolder, as the two Gators combined to hand out 35 assists from the middle of the floor.

Friendship/Scio will look to rebound Monday night with a 6 p.m. visit from the Eagles of Fillmore.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Greece Olympia 61, Wellsville 58

GREECE — For the next two nights, Greece will be the word.

Before Hall of Fame weekend kicks into gear on Saturday, there was business to attend to right beforehand. In their latest trip up north to the suburbs of Rochester to face the Greece Olympia Spartans, the Lions of Wellsville were in for a battle from the start.

A lead-off jaunt for the Spartans put the Lions in behind the eight-ball early on. The burst of momentum allowed the hosts in white and green to gradually build onto their advantage over the course of time, reaching as high as 14 points at one point in the second half. But when the last eight minutes came around, Wellsville did a complete 180.

Across the beginning stages of the fourth quarter, the Lions fought back and in a gigantic way to close a gap that was idle in double digit territory, all the way down to a single possession in the first two minutes. From that point on, multiple back-and-forth exchanges were had, with a bounty of deadlocks being recorded along the way. One of them stemmed off some big help at the line by Ty Vogel with less than a minute to go.

But later on, with a 58-all score on the board, it was the Spartans turn to strike back. Caiden Evans would do just that with under 30 seconds left to put them back ahead of the Lions, ultimately for good, as they added one final shot at the line while avoiding a last-second jumper from JJ Howard that just missed the rim to secure a thrilling 61-58 win for Greece Olympia on their home floor.

“They went on a huge run to start the game, and we just didn’t get off the bus mentally yet. Unfortunately, that was the game,” Lions coach Tom Muska said. “But credit to our kids, they showed how much they really wanted it and refused to go away. We were able to get the defensive stops necessary to start a run at a time where we needed it. But it was just a little too late.”

Greece Olympia brought it straight out of the gate against the Lions (5-9) to begin the night, as they took advantage of a couple of turnovers and cashed in their opportunities to muster an 11-3 run — nine of those points in consecutive fashion to open the game right after the tip-off, as it became a first quarter staple for the Spartans to claim an eventual 16-7 lead going forward.

Just past two minutes in the second, Wellsville would shake it off and draw themselves closer to the Spartans. Down 18-13, the offense kicked the tires on another brilliant run that saw them score five of the next seven points to trail by a pair of points. But it was as close as they would get, as the hosts went up by a 30-22 count heading into the break.

In the third quarter, Greece Olympia would feed off the momentum and garner a lead that eclipsed past double digit territory. Near the midway mark, a 9-0 run was responsible for the Spartans, as their lead branched out to as large as 14 points in the midst of their second half jaunt before settling as a 48-39 lead going to the last eight minutes.

Wellsville remained patient, and when the opportunity struck, the Lions answered the bell with the help of Vogel on the attack and a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe just two minutes into the last eight. With their rally now under wraps, it was anyone’s game to control. Fortunately enough for the Spartans, they did just enough to help secure a big home win.

Vogel, on his birthday nonetheless, led all scorers for the team in black and orange with his best game of the season, posting a team-high 22 points. For Muska, the performance that he provided was enormous.

“Tyler was amazing tonight and this past Monday as well. Without Aiden (Cowburn), there is a lot of pressure on him to do a great job staying aggressive while keeping our offense in flow. For the most part, he did." said Muska.

Following behind Vogel was Howard, who recorded 15 points. Cooper Brockway chipped in with 10 points.

It will be a quick turnaround for the Lions tonight, as they come back home to welcome in the Greece Odyssey Leopards in a 5:30 p.m. tip-off on Hall of Fame weekend.

Wellsville 7 15 17 19 – 58

Greece Olympia 16 14 18 13 – 61

WELLSVILLE: Karson Grover 3 0-1 6, Cooper Brockway 4 0-0 10, JJ Howard 6 2-6 15, Ty Vogel 7 8-10 22, Ethan Bailey 1 0-0 2, Alex Green 1 1-4 3. Totals: 22 11-21 58.
GREECE OLYMPIA: Caiden Evans 10 1-4 24, Ezequiel Ofarril 1 0-0 2, William Brown-Nelson 3 1-2 7, Amare Edwards-Ferrell 4 1-3 10, Noah Tackley 2 0-0 4, Terry Griffin Jr. 5 0-0 10, Connor Welker 2 0-0 4. Totals: 27 3-9 61.

3-point goals: Wellsville 3 (Brockway 2, Howard), Olympia 4 (Evans 3, Edwards-Ferrell).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 11, Olympia 18. Fouled out: None.

Honeoye 67, Genesee Valley/Belfast 49

HONEOYE — A high-flying, fast and furious start between Genesee Valley/Belfast and Honeoye was put on display for their second and final meeting of the season, this time up north in the Finger Lakes region in the midst of a snowy Friday night.

With the hosts in white and blue grabbing the early lead, they would begin to see Genesee Valley/Belfast roar their way back across the second quarter, nearly taking a double-digit lead into the break with them. That was until a big momentum shift occurred.

The Bulldogs were barking ever so loudly.

After Genesee Valley/Belfast grabbed a 39-28 lead in the waning minutes of the first half, Honeoye rebounded and turned the tables completely by putting a strong end to the first half and seeing the momentum carry over into the next behind a scoreless jaunt of their opposition that occupied almost the entire quarter, as they provided the emphasis they needed to flip the script in their favor to pick up a 67-49 win to split their season series.

The first half was an even exchange of baskets throughout, beginning with an early Honeoye lead that was chipped away by Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-7) in the second quarter, scoring 11 of the first 13 points — eight of those points coming in consecutive fashion to lay claim on a 31-23 lead approaching the five-minute mark. The Bulldogs would close the gap down to four a short time later, but the visitors in black would branch the advantage back out once more by scoring another 8-0 run to go up by 11.

But the pendulum would sway in Honeoye’s favor one last time to close out the first half, building a run that would elongate into the third quarter and completely change the complexion of the contest. After finishing the second quarter with seven straight points, they would go on to score the first 12 of the next — a 19-0 combined run of Genesee Valley/Belfast across nearly a quarter’s worth of time to propel their ascension towards victory.

Leading the offense for Genesee Valley/Belfast was Ian McKenzie, as he finished with a team-high 16 points. Kadin Logue chipped in with 12 points, while Jacob Borden had nine.

Up next, Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to turn it back around in a 7:15 p.m. road trip to Campbell-Savona.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 20 19 2 8 – 49

Honeoye 23 12 12 20 – 67

GV/BELFAST: Kadin Logue 5 0-0 12, Lannden Tilton 2 0-0 5, Matt Cater 1 0-0 2, Ian McKenzie 6 1-3 16, Owen Heaney 1 2-3 5, Jacob Borden 4 1-2 9. Totals: 19 4-8 49.
HONEOYE: Dylan Washburn 4 0-0 9, Braiden Schneider 1 0-0 2, Owen Cuba 3 1-3 7, Willy Covey 1 0-0 2, Owen Reynolds 6 1-1 14, Johnny Blair 1 0-0 2, Landon Washburn 12 6-6 31. Totals: 28 8-10 67.

3-point goals: GVB 7 (McKenzie 3, Logue 2, Tilton, Heaney), Honeoye 3 (D. Washburn, Reynolds, L. Washburn).
Total Fouls: GVB 9, Honeoye 11. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Cuba-Rushford 45, Andover/Whitesville 35

CUBA — Like your typical yo-yo, it was a back-and-forth battle bright and early for Andover/Whitesville and Cuba-Rushford on a Friday night in the Wighthouse. With no degree of separation in sight, it was hard for either side to find a crack in the wall to break down.

With Andover/Whitesville being credited with a three-point lead going into the break, an opportunity arose for both teams to refresh and plan for the second half. For the host Lady Rebels, their option was to formulate a response to turn the game around.

Luckily, Cloey Larabee answered the call.

Aside from big contributions from Brynn Lavery and Lily Tompkins along the way, it was Larabee who served as the team’s spark plug for a third quarter earthquake. Out of her game-high 15 points, the Cuba-Rushford junior posted the bulk of them in the first eight minutes of the second half to jumpstart a run that allowed the Lady Rebels to stay out front of Andover/Whitesville to clinch a 45-35 home win.

“Cloey definitely hit some big shots when we needed them,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “To see some of the girls chip in during some key moments was great too. Defensively, it felt like everyone had a turn making a big play at one point or another. I was impressed with how we responded to trailing at halftime. Our girls really stepped up the intensity defensively, rebounded better and took care of the ball a little better against their pressure.”

Across the opening half, both teams locked horns and delivered in shootout style, gathering responses one after another until the final seconds of the first quarter approached. After a jump-ball changed hands deep in Cuba-Rushford territory, it would allow Andover/Whitesville (3-9) to finish the quarter with the final exclamation point with a go-ahead runner from Olivia Waters with two seconds remaining to garner the 11-9 lead.

In the second quarter, there was no advantage that was bigger than four points, as the back-and-forth pace carried over all throughout with the visitors in black remaining on top when the first half buzzer sounded with a 21-18 score on the board.

When the second half arrived however, different plans were in store for the Lady Rebels (4-9), as they developed a massive response to assume total control of the contest, outscoring Andover/Whitesville by an 18-4 count led by Larabee’s monstrous 10-point third quarter from all angles of the floor.

That would allow the hosts in white and blue to maintain possession of their lead going forward, as they survived one final back-and-forth exchange with Andover/Whitesville in the last eight minutes. Finishing behind Larabee for the Lady Rebels was Brynn Lavery, who recorded 10 points. Lilly Farwell chipped in with eight points.

Andover/Whitesville saw Graci Lewis-Ellison lead the way with her team-high 10 points. Waters finished with seven points, while Grace Fry and Makaila Brewster each had six.

Both teams mark their return to the hardwood Tuesday night on their home floors, with Cuba-Rushford welcoming in Genesee Valley/Belfast for a 7:30 p.m. clash, while Andover/Whitesville returns home to Whitesville for a 6 p.m. tip-off against Jasper-Troupsburg.

Andover/Whitesville 11 11 4 9 – 35

Cuba-Rushford 9 9 18 9 – 45

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Stella Bledsoe 2 1-6 5, Graci Lewis-Ellison 5 0-0 10, Grace Fry 3 0-0 6, Makaila Brewster 2 2-2 6, Lilly Harrington 0 1-4 1, Olivia Waters 2 3-4 7. Totals: 14 7-16 35.

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Aubrey Williams 2 0-0 4, Cloey Larabee 5 3-3 15, Shae Maples 1 0-0 2, Lily Tompkins 1 1-2 3, Brynn Lavery 4 0-0 10, Mireya Rutkowski 1 1-1 3, Lilly Farwell 3 2-2 8. Totals: 17 7-8 45.

3-point goals: C-R 4 (Larabee 2, Lavery 2).
Total Fouls: A/W 11, C-R 12. Fouled out: None.