Wednesday Roundup: B-R spreads the wealth behind fast 1st quarter start, rebounding to key 63-38 win over C-R; Rebels volleyball snap Wellsville’s 4-game win streak with home triumph

Written By Chris Brooks

BOLIVAR — The Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were one of the hottest teams going into the Christmas break two weeks ago, having won five of their first six games. Their only loss was to a tough Canisteo-Greenwood team in a 67-64 game that begged a question from head coach Jeff Margeson to his team — Make or break?

Since then, the Wolverines went on to pick up wins over Campbell-Savona and Genesee Valley to head into the break, and finish the first half of their season with a 5-1 record. With the second half on the horizon Wednesday night, it gave them a chance to pick up where they left off right before the holiday, taking on their rivals — the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford.

For almost half of the opening quarter, both teams had their fair share of struggles, with multiple turnovers exchanging possessions up and down the court, but when the smoke subsided, the Wolverines made sure they buckled down and went straight to work.

With Landon Danaher, Cam MacDonell and Aydin Sisson leading the charge on the offensive front, Bolivar-Richburg would run off on a massive spurt that would give them all the room they needed to work their way toward success, coasting past the Rebels on a 16-2 first quarter run to kickstart a 63-38 home win to record their third straight win, and sixth in their first seven games.

“It started out with a 16-2 run right off the get-go. Our pressure doubled with our size advantage, and that really helped us,” said Wolverines coach Jeff Margeson. “They worked hard, and they were quick at times, but we had the length of our press and our size work to our advantage. We held them at bay after the run. I also thought Evan Pinney came out and had the biggest game of the season to go with Cam, Landon and Aydin tonight, knocking down those outside shots. When that happens, things open up inside for everyone else.”

The first half was filled with nothing but success for the Wolverines (6-1), as they took advantage of everything they were able to gather, starting with miscues early on in the opening quarter to power up a 16-8 lead over Cuba-Rushford. Later on, another element that was controlled predominantly by the hosts was the rebounding off the glass. Offensively, defensively, the Wolverines cashed in on the majority of the chances underneath to create a 30-14 halftime lead that they would never lose going forward.

In the second half, the Rebels (3-3) attempted to chip away at Bolivar-Richburg’s lead with a near dead-even exchange in the third quarter, and despite a massive 20-point finish from the Wolverines coming in the last eight minutes of play, but the early first half deficit would prove to be too much to overcome in the end.

The victory tonight for the Wolverines was one that Margeson wanted to have, especially with a challenging gauntlet of contests coming up over the course of two weeks, with games against Port Allegany, Wellsville, Fillmore and Avoca/Prattsburgh all looming large in the month of January.

He said it all starts with the team’s leadership, commanded by his Seniors.

“We’re happy with that, and we have a gauntlet coming up with Port Allegany on Saturday to start,” said Margeson. “The next week, week and a half will be a really big test for us, as far as where we stand as a team with Sectionals coming up right around the corner. It’s been about three weeks since we last played, so I was a bit skeptical and worried at first with how we were going to come out tonight. But, I was very happy with our effort, and it speaks volumes to the leadership on this team.”

Leading the offense was Aydin Sisson, who recorded a game-high 17 points to pair with his three assists. Landon Danaher was not far behind, chipping in with 15 points of his own to go with seven rebounds and three steals. Cam MacDonell provided a 10-point, 10-board double-double, while Evan Pinney had seven boards and three steals.

On the other side, the Rebels were paced by a 13-point effort from Jack Frank. Jacob Smith added in eight points, while Dom Bello and Luke Brooks each had five. Cuba-Rushford will look to turn the ship back around Friday night in Scio with a 7:30 p.m. contest set against host Friendship/Scio.

Bolivar-Richburg’s gauntlet will begin Saturday afternoon right back on their home floor in a 1 p.m. tip-off planned against incoming Port Allegany. As for his team’s goal for the second half of the season, Margeson says the entire season will land solely on the shoulders of his Seniors, and the leadership capabilities they hold in games, and in practice.

“It all stems from Landon and Cam, and Wyatt, and how well they bring those younger guys along with them,” he said. “We try our best each practice to pound and challenge each other, and those three kids, I can’t speak enough about them, and their ability to get everyone on the same page. They’re like old men now on this team, because I’ve coached them for so long. I told them that I’ll guide them to where they need to be. Moving forward, our success is going to depend on how tight those three Seniors are going to be, as well as the others behind them that pitch in with some big efforts. It’s a testament to their growth, and if we can get all the pistons firing, we can be a great team.”

Cuba-Rushford 8 6 10 14 – 38

Bolivar-Richburg 16 14 13 20 – 63

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Braeden Wight 1 0-0 3, Jacob Smith 4 0-2 8, Brayden Lavery 2 2-2 6, Jack Frank 6 0-0 13, Dom Bello 2 1-2 5, Austin Clement 1 0-0 2, Luke Brooks 2 1-6 5. Totals: 16 4-12 38.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 8 0-4 17, Landon Danaher 6 3-6 15, Wyatt Karnuth 2 2-2 6, Ian Unfus 2 0-0 6, David Baldwin 1 0-0 2, Reiss Gaines 0 1-2 1, Evan Pinney 2 0-0 6, Cam MacDonell 4 2-2 10. Totals: 25 8-16 63.

3-point goals: C-R 2 (Wight, Frank), B-R 5 (Unfus 2, Pinney 2, Sisson).
Total Fouls: C-R 11, B-R 11. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 56, Genesee Valley 27

FILLMORE — Fillmore coach Randy Crouch admits he was a bit hesitant about how his Eagles team would perform coming back out for their game of the new year on Wednesday.

With Genesee Valley in town for a visit, it provided an opportunity for the Eagles to provide their coach with an answer. That being a complete team effort, as Mitch Ward helped lift the offense in the scoring department, while the entire team held the Jaguars at bay across their 32-minute performance to take the 56-27 home win inside The Rock.

“I was a little nervous about how we would come out of the gates after the Christmas layoff, but Carter (Sisson), Mitchell (Ward) and Zach (Sisson) all really did a nice job of pressuring on defense, and getting us out in transition,” said Crouch. “Carter doesn’t pile up the huge stats for us, but he really triggers so much of what we do with his effort and IQ. Brent (Zubikowski) and Eben (Schilke) were great off the bench, and they really helped us in a complete team effort.”

The complete team effort for the Eagles (5-2) began right from the start in the opening quarter, as they compiled three straight quarters of runs that saw their lead grow tremendously, beginning with a 19-6 run led by Ward. The junior scored 13 of his game-high 17 points to fuel up the offensive effort.

Fillmore would go on to provide two more runs while holding the Jaguars (2-7) in check, ending the opening half with a 12-5 run to take a 31-11 lead at break, a lead that was kept in tact for good.

Finishing behind Ward for the hosts in white and green was Zach Sisson and Will Roeske, both recording eight points. Carter Sisson, Eben Schilke and Brent Zubikowski each added in five points.

For Genesee Valley, Max Wedge led the attack with a team-high eight points. Morgan Torrey had six points.

Both teams are back on the floor with 7:30 p.m. tip-offs on Friday, with Fillmore playing host to Houghton Academy, while Genesee Valley heads down the road to visit Belfast.

Genesee Valley 6 5 5 11 – 27

Fillmore 19 12 13 12 – 56

GENESEE VALLEY: Morgan Torrey 3 0-0 6, Brayden Cooper 0 1-2 1, Max Wedge 4 0-0 8, Killian McKnight 1 0-0 2, James Frawley 1 0-0 2, Ryan Daciw 1 0-0 2, Thai Norasethaporn 1 1-4 3, Fisher Herdman 1 0-0 3. Totals: 12 2-6 27.
FILLMORE: Carter Sisson 2 0-0 5, Eben Schilke 2 0-0 5, Damon Wood 1 2-4 4, Brent Zubikowski 2 0-0 5, Luke Colombo 1 0-0 2, Mitch Ward 7 3-5 17, Zach Sisson 4 0-0 8, Larry Walinski 0 0-2 0, Johnny Mills 1 0-0 2, Will Roeske 4 0-0 8. Totals: 24 5-11 56.
3-point goals: GV 1 (Herdman), Fillmore 3 (C. Sisson, Schilke, Zubikowski).
Total Fouls: GV 9, Fillmore 7. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Canisteo-Greenwood 61, Campbell-Savona 21

CANISTEO — Three different scorers eclipsed double digits for the Lady Redskins of Canisteo-Greenwood, including Lillian Mullen, who made the majority of the noise for the team from within a 20-point opening quarter that set the tone almost immediately in their 61-21 home win over Campbell-Savona, Wednesday night.

Mullen would go on to score a game-high 26 points to pair with her five steals to lead the Canisteo-Greenwood (8-2) offense, who started the night off with a humongous 20-2 run of the Lady Panthers in the first eight minutes of play, ultimately taking complete control the rest of the way.

Finishing behind Mullen, was Bailey Mullen and Brooke Byrd who added in 11 points of their own, with Mullen collecting five steals while Byrd grabbed six rebounds. Peyton Peters led the glass game with a team-high seven rebounds.

Canisteo-Greenwood will hop back onto the court Friday night over the road with a 7:15 p.m. visit to Addison.

Campbell-Savona 2 8 7 4 – 21

Canisteo-Greenwood 20 12 17 12 – 61

CAMPBELL-SAVONA: Hannah DeMong 1 0-0 2, Jenna Machuga 2 0-0 4, Karissa Champion 4 5-6 14, Paige McCann 0 1-2 1. Totals: 7 6-8 21.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Bailey Mullen 4 3-7 11, Hailey Davis 2 0-0 4, Lillian Mullen 11 1-1 26, Peyton Peters 3 1-4 7, Brooke Byrd 5 1-3 11, McKenna Ferris 1 0-0 2. Totals: 26 6-15 61.

3-point goals: C-S 1 (Champion), C-G 3 (L. Mullen).
Total Fouls: C-S 13, C-G 11. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Cuba-Rushford 3, Wellsville 1

CUBA — It was a start that the Cuba-Rushford Rebels wanted to have back to begin their second half of the season, Wednesday night in the Wighthouse. After some back and forth dueling resulted in visiting Wellsville breaking away from their grasp, the goal now for the rest of the game was to provide a massive bounce back.

That would begin in the second set. Through another shroud of back and forth exchanges resulted in Cuba-Rushford grabbing the early lead, the Rebels would find a way to build on it any way they could, ranging from miscues by the Lions to some great service. It was a dominant set that they would eventually carry a load of momentum going forward to win the next three sets in a row to remain unbeaten in their four-set, 19-25, 25-13, 25-16, 25-8 win.

“Overall, it was a great game for us,” said Rebels coach Nick Perillo. “We came out really flat in the first set, and Wellsville really took full advantage of that to get that win. After that, we were able to find a way to get all of us on the same page starting in the second set, and start making some nice plays. I was really proud of the guys for pulling this one out after a slow start.”

Both Wellsville and Cuba-Rushford traded barbs through the early stages of the opening set, garnering multiple ties on the board along the way to begin the night. With an 11-11 apparent on the board, the Lions (4-3) created a big run that ultimately sent them toward victory, netting five of the next seven points led by a trio of blocks from Xavier Scott at the net to give them the room they needed.

The Rebels (7-0) were able to shake it off just a short time later however, as they started the second set with a three-point lead of the Lions. With a slew of miscues, it would allow the hosts in blue and white to capitalize on a mass of points, seven of the next nine to be exact to double their lead over Wellsville.

The serves would then come into play, as Allen Fuller delivered four straight points from the service line for the Rebels to increase their advantage to double digits to help complete what was a dominant rebounding set. In turn, it would also set up two more massive runs for the hosts to run away from Wellsville and toward victory in the end to complete the four-set triumph, remaining unbeaten with their seventh straight win.

Nate Cole led the offense for Cuba-Rushford with a game-high 10 kills, pairing them with four blocks and three aces. Fuller dished out 12 helpers to go along with seven aces and two kills, while Haven Kellogg added in six assists of his own to couple with three more aces and one kill.

Wellsville was led by Mason Parks, who tallied four kills, four aces and one dig on defense. Lucius Griggs tallied 10 service points to go along with two kills and two aces. Xavier Scott finished with nine more service points, three blocks, two kills and one ace.

Both teams will now await Midseason Tournament action this weekend at Genesee Valley, which begins Saturday morning.

Scio 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

BELMONT — Corey Field had an excellent night of service to help Scio start their return to the court on the right foot, compiling a whopping 22 service points to pair with his two aces and two assists to fuel a straight-set win for the Tigers over host Genesee Valley/Belfast on Wednesday, taking the 25-12, 28-26, 25-16 decision.

Joey Nickerson added in special team efforts of his own with eight more service points along with three aces, while the offense was propelled by Jordan White and his six kills for the Tigers (3-4), who survived a back-and-forth duel in the second set against Genesee Valley/Belfast to push them to the brink in the night’s final set.

As for the hosts, Sean Mahon led the attack with a team-high five kills to go with an ace. Canaan Sullivan added in four more kills and four aces for Genesee Valley/Belfast (1-4), while setter Dominic Mara handed out seven helpers to pair with two more aces from the line.

Before the Midseason Tournament hits Genesee Valley this weekend, Genesee Valley/Belfast will host Fillmore in a 6 p.m. contest, Thursday night.

Arkport/Canaseraga 3, Bolivar-Richburg 2

RICHBURG — After overcoming a slow start against Arkport/Canaseraga, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg would have to win out to have a chance at victory on their home floor, Wednesday night.

With wins in the second and third sets against the Wolves in their pocket, they had pushed them to the brink. However, resiliency began to shine through for the visitors in black and teal, as they went on to tie the match to force a fifth set, one that they were able to roll away toward victory to finish the comeback by a 25-23, 22-25, 15-25, 25-20, 15-6 count.

No individual statistics for the Wolverines (2-6) were provided upon publication.

Bolivar-Richburg will now prepare for their trip to Genesee Valley to partake in Midseason Tournament action, Saturday morning.

Chris Brooks
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Tuesday Roundup: Rapid 1st quarter start, three-point game fuels Addison’s massive night in 64-32 win over And/Whi; Lady Rebels coast past Fri/Scio with scoreless 2nd quarter run