Friday Basketball: Hornell’s McInerney hits 7 3’s to aid hot shooting night, perform season sweep of archrival Wellsville with 70-53 win; And/Whi & B-R boys, Fillmore girls score victories

HORNELL — Friday night was the night. The Lion’s Den against the Seneca Street Zoo. Part Two.

The most prominent rivalry in the surrounding area was renewed one final time in the Maple City, when Wellsville and Hornell met for their second and final clash of the campaign — their first meeting since their thrilling instant classic-esque finish in the Dan Barkley Showcase’s Sheriff Classic back in mid-January at Alfred State.

With the Red Raiders looking to officially put a bow on Class B1’s number one seed for Sectionals, and the Lions aiming to build momentum and maneuver through a tough Class B2 field, something between the two longtime archrivals had to most certainly give at the end of the night.

After a high octane opening quarter between both teams, the pendulum would begin to shift in one direction. In the midst of what was a fiery offensive night, the Red Raiders supplied the gasoline and lit the fire from all angles of the floor, especially from outside where they knocked down 12 big three-pointers — seven of them off the hand of Aaron McInerney that helped set a massive tone across the second quarter and into the second half, as Hornell knocked off Wellsville one last time with a 70-53 home win.

In the midst of a back-and-forth exchange across the opening quarter, Wellsville was able to jump out first with an early 13-9 lead of Hornell with time beginning to dwindle away off the clock. But despite the pressure against them, the Red Raiders were able to respond with a much larger jaunt, scoring nine of the frame’s last 11 points to claim an 18-15 lead led by four big three-pointers — one of them coming with 30 seconds left off the hand of Marco Picco.

With the lead over the Lions now in hand, Hornell was in a prime position to begin assembling what was a massive 21-9 run of their opposition behind benefactions from six different Red Raiders to push the lead out to 14 at the break. It would ultimately set the tone going into a second half where the Red Raiders ensured their lead would remain intact, as they pieced together another strong offensive outburst, despite Wellsville chipping away with their largest stand of attack, to claim a lead that would reach as big as 22 at one point.

Behind his seven three-pointers, McInerney would assume the role of Hornell’s leading scorer at the end of the night, scoring a game-high 22 points. Gennaro Picco was right behind him, netting 19 points of his own, while Wyatt Evingham had eight to add in.

Wellsville was paced by a strong offensive presence inside from Ty Vogel, as he bucketed a team-high 18 points. JJ Howard chipped in with 12 points, including a one-handed jam during the first half, while Alex Green recorded eight points.

The Lions will now await Sectional play in the Class B2 field beginning in two week’s time after putting a wrap to their regular season with a record of 7-13 overall.

Wellsville 15 9 18 11 – 53

Hornell 18 21 23 8 – 70

WELLSVILLE: Aiden Cowburn 1 0-0 2, Karson Grover 2 1-2 5, Cooper Brockway 1 0-0 3, JJ Howard 3 6-10 12, Ty Vogel 8 1-1 18, Trenton Green 2 0-0 5, Alex Green 4 0-0 8. Totals: 21 8-13 53.

HORNELL: Gennaro Picco 8 2-2 19, Quinn Mauro 1 0-0 3, Marco Picco 2 0-0 5, Xzaiver Patrick 3 0-0 6, PJ Picco 3 0-3 7, Aaron McInerney 7 1-1 22, Wyatt Evingham 2 3-4 8. Totals: 26 6-10 70.

3-point goals: Wellsville 3 (Brockway, Vogel, T. Green), Hornell 12 (McInerney 7, G. Picco, Mauro, M. Picco, PJ Picco, Evingham).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 11, Hornell 7. Fouled out: None.

Andover/Whitesville 67, Houghton Academy 40

WHITESVILLE — Following their rubber match loss in the hands of Genesee Valley/Belfast back on Wednesday, Andover/Whitesville head coach Jimmy Joyce noted that their Senior Night battle against Houghton Academy was one that they absolutely needed to have in their back pockets.

With the possibility of clinching Class D’s number one seed still up for grabs in the midst of a three-team battle at the top of the standings, the race to the finish line was indeed on.

Fortunately for Andover/Whitesville, the bounce back came alive in front of their home crowd in Whitesville beginning with a strong start that was powered by Vinny Joyce. That was followed by a balanced offensive effort from the second quarter onward, as they were able to garner advantages in all four quarters, including a big third quarter stand against the Panthers that helped set the tone, en route to a 67-40 win on Friday.

“That was definitely our most complete game we’ve played in recent memory. It’s something that we needed as we get closer to Sectionals. We got contributions from everybody tonight in one way or another,” said Joyce. “Vinny started strong with the first seven points and finished with a big night. Colton (Calladine) attacked the basket really well along with his normal assignment of (James) Adenuga. Brody had a great game too, even if it doesn’t show as far as points. He helped lead the offense with how he distributed the ball. There’s a lot to like, and against a team that Jeff (Prentice) prepares every time out. They have improved every single time we’ve played them the last several years.”

Andover/Whitesville (10-9) built the game’s first lead off behind the guidance of Joyce, who ignited the offense with nine of the team’s 13 points while the defense kept Houghton Academy held to just two field goals — a pair of three-pointers, to finish the frame with a 13-6 lead in hand. The hosts would continue to gradually add more momentum as time went on, including a 20-point third quarter frame that saw multiple contributions propel the jaunt.

That would give them all the wiggle room they needed to floor it home towards victory.

Colton Calladine would lead all scorers on the hardwood with his game-high 22 points for Andover/Whitesville, while Joyce followed with 19 of his own. Gage Putnam had 12 points.

As for the Panthers (6-11), James Adenuga led the scoring with his 15 team-high points. Jack Prentice had 13 points, while Josh Davidson had 11. Houghton Academy takes the floor again on Monday back home, hosting Cuba-Rushford in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Prior to the contest, Andover/Whitesville honored their lone senior in Derek Perkins, who also was the recipient of a $500 scholarship from the local IAABO committee.

Up next on Tuesday for Andover/Whitesville is a trip back over the hill and into Andover for a 7:30 p.m. clash with Bolivar-Richburg.

Houghton Academy 6 10 13 11 – 40

Andover/Whitesville 13 16 20 18 – 67

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 2 8-8 13, Josh Davidson 4 0-0 11, James Adenuga 5 2-4 15, Jack Qi 0 1-2 1. Totals: 11 11-14 40.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Ethan Warriner 1 0-0 2, Vinny Joyce 8 0-0 19, Brody Vance 2 1-3 5, Colton Calladine 9 2-4 22, Gage Putnam 3 5-9 12, Jon Valleries 3 0-0 7. Totals: 26 8-16 67.

3-point goals: HA 7 (Davidson 3, Adenuga 3, Prentice), A/W 7 (Joyce 3, Calladine 2, Putnam, Valleries).
Total Fouls: HA 13, A/W 12. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 58, Genesee Valley/Belfast 28

BELFAST — In what is their third game in three straight nights, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg went forth and delivered a perfect 72 hours of basketball to close out the week on Friday, as they hit the road for a visit to Genesee Valley/Belfast and came away with a powerful first half they used to set the tone in their 58-28 victory — their sixth in the last eight games, in Belfast.

The Wolverines (14-5) witnessed everything fall into place right away in the opening half of play, as they held Genesee Valley/Belfast to just 10 points. That would include a strong run across the opening eight minutes that ultimately served as the difference maker right out of the gate, producing a 12-4 lead that they never looked back on.

Three different Bolivar-Richburg scorers all eclipsed double figures to propel the offense towards success, with Aydin Sisson fronting the efforts with his 14-point performance. Behind him were Landon Barkley and Waide Karnuth, both scoring 10 points. Reiss Gaines had seven points.

For Genesee Valley/Belfast, Kenton Shultz posted 14 of the team’s 28 points to lead the offense. Kadin Logue had seven points. The team is now off until the start of Sectionals, as they now enter the Class C3 Field with a record of 10-10 overall.

Bolivar-Richburg will hit the road once again Tuesday night to Andover with a 7:30 p.m. visit to Andover/Whitesville to close out their regular season.

Bolivar-Richburg 12 14 16 16 – 58

Genesee Valley/Belfast 4 6 11 7 – 28

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 5 2-2 14, Landon Barkley 3 2-2 10, Brayden Zilker 2 0-0 6, David Abdo 2 0-0 4, Waide Karnuth 5 0-0 10, Trevor Pforter 1 0-0 2, Caden Giardini 1 0-0 3, Reiss Gaines 3 1-1 7, Kingston Loucks 0 2-4 2. Totals: 22 7-9 58.

GV/BELFAST: Kadin Logue 3 1-1 7, Matt Cater 0 1-4 1, Ian McKenzie 1 2-4 4, Kenton Shultz 6 2-2 14, Fisher Herdman 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 6-11 28.

3-point goals: B-R 7 (Sisson 2, Barkley 2, Zilker 2, Giardini).
Total Fouls: B-R 8, GVB 10. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 74, Bolivar-Richburg 23

BOLIVAR — After a tough defeat to the hands of the Wellsville Lady Lions a mere 24 hours ago, the Lady Eagles of Fillmore provided a rebound back into the win column over the road again on Friday, using every bit of the first half to their advantage at Bolivar-Richburg to claim a 74-23 victory over the host Lady Wolverines.

Four different scorers aided the offense in a tremendous night from the field for the Lady Eagles (16-2). Among them was Emalyn Mucher, who had her finest performance of the season with a game-high 21 points. Hope Russell was next in line with her contributions, as she posted 18 points of her own, while Mattie McCumiskey and Grace Russell chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The offense for the visitors in gray and green energized the first half of play in a hurry, beginning in the first quarter where they outlasted the Lady Wolverines (4-12) in a back-and-forth trading of baskets to finish the frame with nine consecutive points to construct the first burst of momentum. In the second, it all came to a boiling point when Fillmore ran off and finished the first two stanzas on a 25-4 run of the hosts in white and red to permanently cement their lead.

Leading the scoring for Bolivar-Richburg was Caitlyn Steiner, as she posted a team-high eight points. Raegan Giardini and Carmen Crowley each chipped in with four points. The Lady Wolverines will hop back onto their hardwood Monday night, hosting Friendship/Scio at 7:30 p.m.

The regular-season ending road swing for Fillmore will re-commence on Tuesday, as they prepare for a 7:30 p.m. visit to Cuba-Rushford.

Fillmore 15 25 17 17 – 74

Bolivar-Richburg 5 4 10 4 – 23

FILLMORE: Hope Russell 7 2-2 18, Grace Russell 3 2-2 10, Rachel Hatch 3 0-0 9, Kylee Ellsworth 1 0-0 2, Mattie McCumiskey 4 3-6 11, Emalyn Mucher 8 2-7 21, Preslee Miller 1 1-2 3. Totals: 27 10-19 74.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 1 0-0 3, Jaelyn Kinnicutt 1 0-0 2, Raegan Giardini 1 1-1 4, Sydney Faulkner 1 0-0 2, Carmen Crowley 2 0-0 4, Caitlyn Steiner 4 0-0 8. Totals: 10 1-1 23.

3-point goals: Fillmore 10 (Hatch 3, Mucher 3, H. Russell 2, G. Russell 2), B-R 2 (Baldwin, Giardini).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 11, B-R 18. Fouled out: None.