Thursday Sectionals: No. 4 Lady Lions overcome late pressure by No. 5 Haverling, nip Lady Rams to claim Class B2 Semis berth; No. 9 Houghton upsets No. 8 J-T after completing early 1st half comeback

WELLSVILLE — It’s moments like these where unsung heroes arise to take in the limelight, whether it’s someone already making an impact on the floor, or it’s a team’s newest arrival looking to make an immediate impact of their own.

With Emily Robbins not able to go in Wellsville’s Sectional debut on Thursday, there was no better time for someone to step up and create such magic right then and there.

To lead off their journey through the playoffs, the fourth-seeded Lady Lions would have to go one-on-one for the third and final time with an opponent they’ve become all too familiar with — the No. 5 Bath-Haverling Lady Rams.

Each team has split their previous two meetings right down the middle, with the latest stemming two weeks ago off a resilient Lady Lions comeback on their home floor. The word that head coach Michelle Alvord selected as her squad’s key towards success, was also one that is powerful in its own right.

Confidence.

The Lady Lions needed the biggest of confidence boosts to help close out the evening in what was their final time at home against the Lady Rams, who were right behind them stride-for-stride in the homestretch. Trailing by as little as two, well enough in reach, Wellsville had to act as fast as they’ve ever been before to try and hold them off.

Fortunately enough, one of the team’s newest arrivals for the second season made her presence known. That being freshman Jaden Dunbar.

The Lady Lions JV call-up helped put the finishing touches on a heroic ending that allowed the team to remain out front of Bath-Haverling, as she recorded all eight of her points in the final eight minutes, including a clutch basket to start their push out and away from their opposition’s grasp down the home stretch, as the hosts in white survived a fouling and free throw shooting marathon in the final seconds to lock down a 44-36 Quarterfinal win in Class B2 action.

“Our key to the game was confidence. You know you can play up against them, you know you can beat them, but being without Emily tonight, it puts a wrinkle into this really young team,” said Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord. “It started with confidence and doing the things that I know they’re good at. We were a little timid at times, but I reminded them to keep being strong and to keep being the aggressor. We were able to do that, and I can’t say enough about the kids that stepped up to do it for us.”

The Lady Lions (12-9) were given a spark plug to try and ignite further after Makenna Dunbar delivered the team the opening basket right off the hop. In turn, the Lady Rams would create a bit of a spark themselves to successfully return the favor, as Meredith Czajkowski knocked down the first of her three triples in the contest to start a mini-run consisting of five unanswered points to pull ahead with an eventual 7-4 lead through the midway mark.

The game would even out with a 9-9 tie across the first quarter, with Lindsay Stuck and Natalie Adams each finding the basket on back-to-back runners to end the scoring for the Lady Lions, which would then take a fiery uptick from three-point range. After the Lady Rams found their way ahead on an Emma Luckenbach basket down low, Wellsville rattled off 11 straight points — nine of them off a trio of triples, two from the hand of Sara Reitz and the other from Natalie Adams to give them a 20-11 lead.

The largest lead on either side all night.

But the drought would end for Bath-Haverling, as they went on to score seven of the half’s last nine points in the last 90 seconds and change remaining on the clock, with Czajkowski leading the way again with another triple towards the very end of the frame to officially close their gap from nine down to four at the break.

The action would then buckle down defensively in the third quarter, where points almost came at an absolute premium. When they were collected, it was of high value, especially for the Lady Rams to end a quarter-long drought from the field to net their only basket down low from Luckenbach in the last five seconds.

Aside from the basket, Alvord was pleased with the defensive effort her team provided to keep Bath-Haverling behind them.

“All of their points came at the free throw line up until they scored at the end. I took a timeout and told them to clean it up a little bit, and look to help,” she said. “No one else besides Czajkowski really went off for them, and that was a big thing too. (Natalie) Krelie hurt us last time, and we did a nice job stressing defense up against that. We did a great job responding to everything that they had brought against us. Everyone did their job.”

With a 28-25 lead in hand to work with in the fourth quarter, both teams went back-and-forth to close it out from the early-going down to the last pair of minutes left. After Czajkowski’s final triple from outside forced a 30-30 tie, the Lady Lions responded by going back inside once more with two of the next three baskets to regain control.

No lead in seven minutes of the fourth quarter ever eclipsed more than two points. That was until the Lady Lions put together some finishing touches started off by Jaden Dunbar and her clutch jumper just outside the paint, followed by a Lindsay Stuck inside basket along the way to push Wellsville’s advantage out to six, where it would remain, with under 30 seconds left.

Dunbar would go on to record all eight of her points in the fourth quarter, including two big free throws during the back-and-forth exchange at the line in the last 29.5 seconds to help close out the night.

“You watch in practice, Jaden was guarding Natalie, she was guarding Emily before she got hurt. She can defend really well,” Alvord said of Dunbar. “She’s quick and she has a lot of heart, and that’s something we needed in this kind of moment. For her to come up and do the job that she did, especially at this point in the game, it was big. I was very happy for her tonight.”

Adams was Wellsville’s top scorer with a team-high 11 points. Along with Dunbar, Averee Palmatier also chipped in with eight points, with Dunbar grabbing five rebounds and Palmatier grabbing seven. Stuck finished with seven points. Adding more special teams help was Reitz and Makenna Dunbar, as they both grabbed six rebounds off the glass.

Monday night, the Lady Lions will make their return to the Class B2 Semifinal round where they will likely meet with No. 1 Dansville on the other side, at a site and time to be determined. The Lady Mustangs will get set to take the floor tonight against No. 9 Penn Yan at home.

A game that Alvord has been looking forward to after the two foes met previously right at the beginning of the season at the Corral. Now, their next battle will be used as a marker for her team, to see how far they’ve come since then.

“We played with Dansville for much of the first half early on this season, and then we got down from their press. It wore us down,” Alvord said. “We didn't know how to respond, but I'm really excited, and the girls are too to see how far they've come since then up against them again. I think we match up with them well, and from beginning to end, we've gotten so much better. I wish it didn't take us 19 games to get that victory that we've needed.”

Bath-Haverling 9 9 7 11 – 36

Wellsville 9 13 6 16 – 44

BATH-HAVERLING: Leah Krelie 1 0-0 2, Meredith Czajkowski 5 2-2 15, Emma Luckenbach 4 0-0 8, Natalie Krelie 2 2-4 6, Madison Coots 1 1-2 3, Lola Coots 0 2-2 2. Totals: 13 7-10 36.
WELLSVILLE: Lindsay Stuck 3 0-0 7, Natalie Adams 3 3-6 11, Maddy Parks 0 0-2 0, Sara Reitz 2 0-0 6, Averee Palmatier 3 2-2 8, Makenna Dunbar 2 0-0 4, Jaden Dunbar 3 2-2 8. Totals: 16 7-12 44.

3-point goals: B-H 3 (Czajkowski), Wellsville 5 (Reitz 2, Adams 2, Stuck).
Total Fouls: B-H 16, Wellsville 12. Fouled out: None.

Class C2 First Round

No. 8 Perry 44, No. 9 Cuba-Rushford 18

PERRY — The eighth-seeded Lady Yellowjackets of Perry capitalized on almost everything they were able to garner on Thursday. As for the defense, they allowed just four total shots from the field to sink through the twine from start to finish against No. 9 Cuba-Rushford, using a hot second quarter run to pull away towards victory by a 44-18 count to send the Lady Rebels home packing.

“We really struggled shooting the ball tonight. It’s tough to win games when you’re held to just four field goals,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “We got some open looks that didn’t fall, and we missed some easy ones to compound matters. As a whole, this season felt like another step in the right direction with a solid group of underclassmen. Our seniors are going to be missed, and it’s been a pleasure coaching them.”

The hot start for the Lady Yellowjackets would kick into gear right away after the opening tip, as they accounted for nine of the first 12 points to help get established with the lead over Cuba-Rushford (9-12). The Lady Rebels were able to chip away at the early deficit, bringing it down to as little as four entering the second quarter with five of the team’s seven points coming from Taylor Searle.

In the next frame however, Perry took complete control of everything, as they closed out the action with a 12-2 run from start to finish, branching their lead out far enough away from the Lady Rebels to remain there permanently, carrying the momentum over into the third quarter where they would put the finishing touches on their Class C2 Quarterfinals berth.

Searle was Cuba-Rushford’s leading scorer with nine team-high points. Emma Retz followed with five points, while Brynn Lavery and Raegan Poore each rounded off with two points.

The season is over for the Lady Rebels, as they wrap up their 2022-23 campaign with a record of 9-12 overall. The team will graduate seven seniors in all at the end of the year, with six of them including Retz, Aleah Demick, Tara Duvall, Destiny Darrin, Laney Murphy and Gabby Kranock.

The final senior joining them is Searle, who has become one of Allegany County’s top scorers not only on the soccer pitch, but as well as indoors on the hardwood since her uprising to the Varsity level began four years ago. Now when he looks back, Wight says it’s incredible to watch her grow, and that it’s been an honor being her coach in both sports.

“Taylor has been great the last four years, and beyond her talent, she has just been a great person to have in this program,” he said. “She’s a great teammate, a very good student and she always has a great attitude. She just shows up and works hard, and I appreciate how much effort and work she has put in all year round. Taylor has earned all the recognition she’s gotten, this year especially.”

Cuba-Rushford 7 2 5 4 – 18

Perry 11 12 16 5 – 44

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Emma Retz 2 1-2 5, Brynn Lavery 0 2-2 2, Taylor Searle 1 6-6 9, Raegan Poore 1 0-4 2. Totals: 4 9-14 18.
PERRY: Jaelyn Morris 5 0-0 13, Meredith Petri 1 0-0 2, Emma True 2 0-0 4, Emma Darocha 1 0-0 2, Maddie Monteleone 1 0-0 3, Nellie Koronas 6 1-2 14, Jade Duffin 2 0-0 4, Sydney Hnat 1 0-0 2. Totals: 19 1-2 44.

3-point goals: C-R 1 (Searle), Perry 5 (Morris 3, Monteleone, Koronas).
Total Fouls: C-R 9, Perry 14. Fouled out: None.

Class D2 First Round

No. 7 Friendship/Scio 49, No. 10 Romulus 18

FRIENDSHIP — You couldn’t have asked for a better start to open Sectionals with, on Thursday. For No. 7 Friendship/Scio, it was one that provided a massive swing of momentum that they never relinquished from start to finish, opening the night with a scoreless run of No. 10 Romulus and never looking back on what was a 49-18 opening round win in Class D2 action.

“We came out right away with a full-court press and we took care of business,” said Friendship/Scio coach Ashleigh Lewis. “We had good, clean pressure to get after them with. It was a nice win, a great team win and we did all the small things right. We had a rough end to the season, and to bounce back and win a Sectional game that both Friendship or Scio has seen in quite some time, is great. The girls worked hard for it.”

Friendship/Scio (12-9) was absolutely dominant from open to close against the Lady Warriors, setting the tone almost immediately with an outstanding tenure of offense that saw them net all 20 of the first quarter’s points to keep their opposition at a complete standstill. It would give the hosts in white all the room they needed to work with going forward, as they maintained the momentum to put towards a Quarterfinals berth this weekend.

As a collective, Friendship/Scio took complete control of the rebounding department, garnering 46 in all off the glass. Leading was Kadence Donohue, who had 15 of them to pair with 10 points to complete the first of the team’s two double-double performances. The other belonged to Nevaeh Ross, who led all scorers with a game-high 21 points to pair with 10 boards of her own.

Morghyn Ross furthered the team’s cause on offense with 10 points, while Lexi Crossley grabbed eight more boards to help the special teams effort once more.

Friendship/Scio now moves into the Class D2 Quarterfinal round, where they now travel to visit the No. 2 Lady Knights of Northstar on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for a 5 p.m. start.

Romulus 0 3 6 9 – 18

Friendship/Scio 20 9 14 6 – 49

ROMULUS: Hannah Wakula 3 0-2 6, Morgan Kisner 3 1-5 9, Libby Barbay 0 1-2 1, Maria Aguilara 1 0-0 2, Annie Shoots 0 0-2 0. Totals: 7 2-11 18.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Nevaeh Ross 8 4-5 21, Logan Roberts 2 0-0 6, Kadence Donohue 5 0-2 10, Morghyn Ross 4 1-2 10, Kiara Grover 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 5-9 49.

3-point goals: Romulus 2 (Kisner), F/S 4 (Roberts 2, N. Ross, M. Ross).
Total Fouls: Romulus 11, F/S 13. Fouled out: None.

No. 9 Houghton Academy 47, No. 8 Jasper-Troupsburg 40

GREENWOOD — At one point during the first half, the Lady Panthers of Houghton Academy found themselves down by as much as 12 to No. 8 Jasper-Troupsburg on Thursday, after a hot start by the Lady Wildcats gave them the advantage to work with heading forward.

Although they were battling some early nerves in their first piece of Sectionals, the nine-seeds were able to shake it off ever so brilliantly to deliver a big blow in the second quarter, posting their largest stand of offense which was propelled by Jess Prentice, as they overcame the first quarter hurdle to hang on in the second half with a 47-40 upset win over Jasper-Troupsburg.

“We started off the game on a nervous note. They're a tall team, and they have multiple girls that really took it to us,” said Lady Panthers coach Jeff Prentice. “To be honest, it didn't look close at first. We pressured more, and then we had a great second quarter because of that. That gave us a lot of confidence going forward, and that was ultimately the difference. We still needed the girls to follow Jess behind to help carry the load behind her. I thought they did just that tonight to really help us out.”

Four different contributors all pitched in to give Jasper-Troupsburg the start they wanted to have against Houghton Academy (7-14), with Madison Cady leading the way behind eight of the team’s 15 total points from within the first eight minutes, as they accounted for a 15-6 lead. But soon after the roles were reversed and the table was run.

Trailing by as much as 12 at point, the Lady Panthers shook it off and formulated a resilient response for the Lady Wildcats to end the opening half — a 23-7 jaunt fronted by Jess Prentice down low, as she posted 16 of her game-high 36 points from within the frame to pull Houghton Academy ahead with a 29-22 lead at the break.

A lead that Jasper-Troupsburg attempted to cut down, but would never pry away from Houghton Academy, as the Lady Panthers held on in the second half to secure their place in the Class D2 Quarterfinal round this weekend.

Finishing behind Prentice and her game-high 36 points was Laura Maya, who had six points to add. Jessica Adenuga chipped in with the remaining five to round off the scoring.

Houghton Academy now moves into Saturday afternoon’s Class D2 Quarterfinal stage, where they now face top-seeded Andover/Whitesville back on the road in a 2 p.m. contest set to begin in Whitesville.

Houghton Academy 6 23 10 8 – 47

Jasper-Troupsburg 15 7 11 7 – 40

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jess Prentice 15 5-7 36, Jessica Adenuga 1 3-4 5, Laura Maya 3 0-0 6. Totals: 19 8-11 47.
JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Kahley Stuart 1 0-0 3, Madison Cady 5 1-2 11, Lauren Ross 2 0-0 4, Natalie Cornell 5 4-6 14, Reagan Miles 4 0-0 8. Totals: 17 5-8 40.

3-point goals: HA 1 (Prentice), J-T 1 (Stuart).
Total Fouls: HA 9, J-T 11. Fouled out: Adenuga (HA), Stuart (J-T).

No. 6 Elba 79, No. 11 Hinsdale 24

ELBA — After finishing their regular season on the strongest of notes, the No. 6 Elba Lady Lancers made sure all the momentum they had built would remain in their absolute favor on Thursday, as they took care of business against No. 11 Hinsdale with a first quarter statement to power their 79-24 home win to advance into the Quarterfinal round.,

Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report upon publication.

Hinsdale finishes their season with a record of 0-21 overall. The team graduates five seniors at the end of the school year in Jaylee Jimerson, Hannah Sutton, Sarah Tuttle, Felisha Veno and Marissa Adams.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Class D1 Play-In: No. 8 Genesee Valley/Belfast 53, No. 9 Naples 45

BELFAST — No. 8 Genesee Valley/Belfast made sure they used every bit of time possible to open the game against the No. 9 Big Green of Naples on Thursday. Within it, a big frame from Jacob Borden helped open up the floor for everyone else to get involved all throughout the night, as an early run in the first quarter held up enough to stave off their opposition in the second half, securing the 53-45 ultimate victory in the Class D1 Play-In.

“We’re getting better every game,” said GV/Belfast coach Lintz Bliven. “The beginning of the game, we told the fellas to go work inside and then take it outside. Jacob’s big first quarter helped open everything else for everyone, including Ian (McKenzie). He was amazing tonight, and he’s going to be the real deal down the road. Kadin (Logue) really grew up a lot with some nice shots, and he played with a ton of poise. The defense was outstanding tonight. We changed up things for the most part to mix it up on them, and they executed it.”

Borden lit the early fuse for Genesee Valley/Belfast (7-14) to get the offense moving, as his 11 first quarter points out of the team’s 23 in all scored across the frame, jump-started production on a double-digit lead over Naples. Borden would wind up being the leading scorer for the hosts in white and black, bucketing a team-high 15 points.

From the second quarter on, Genesee Valley/Belfast would look to their defense to hold onto their 23-13 lead. Although the Big Green responded with a couple of key runs to close out and open each half, the eight-seeds would not allow them to overtake their position in the driver’s seat when the last eight minute period approached, as they were able to finish the night strong to secure a spot in Saturday’s Quarterfinal round.

Finishing behind Borden was Ian McKenzie, who sank four of the team’s five three-pointers, on his way toward a 14-point performance. Kadin Logue bucketed 10 points, while Thai Norasethaporn had six.

Up next is a date with defending Class D State Champion Avoca/Prattsburgh on Saturday, as the two foes battle it out in Avoca at 2 p.m. in the Class D1 Quarterfinal stage.

Naples 13 11 12 9 – 45

Genesee Valley/Belfast 23 7 10 13 – 53

NAPLES: Evan Waldeis 1 1-2 3, Cade Rathbun 5 3-5 16, Traugott Uhlen 2 0-0 6, Ian Kenney 4 0-1 8, Kam Rullo 2 0-2 4, Hayden Liddiard 1 0-3 2, Dylan Bray 3 0-1 6. Totals: 18 4-14 45.
GV/BELFAST: Kadin Logue 4 1-2 10, Owen Heaney 1 0-1 2, Kyle McCumiskey 0 1-4 1, Ian McKenzie 4 2-2 14, Max Wedge 1 0-0 2, Jacob Borden 7 1-4 15, Thai Norasethaporn 1 4-8 6, Ryan Daciw 1 1-4 3. Totals: 19 10-25 53.
3-point goals: Naples 5 (Rathbun 3, Uhlen 2), GVB 5 (McKenzie 4, Logue).
Total Fouls: Naples 22, GVB 12. Fouled out: Bray (NAP).