Thursday Roundup: Paced by Barkley’s half-court buzzer-beater, B-R turns 1st half tide to exact revenge vs. C-R with 42-28 home win; Wellsville volleyball sweeps Fillmore, C-R wins vs. B-R

BOLIVAR — There are many ways for a half of basketball to reach its conclusion. Last chance free throws, a humongous block defending the rim, you name it. The momentum that was established in the waning moments, rumbled into a clamorous crescendo for the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg after trailing their arch-rival Cuba-Rushford across the second quarter.

They proceeded to claim their first lead down the stretch following a back-and-forth see-saw battle in the frame’s introductory stages, setting up shop for one final possession to close the half down. Traveling up court on the rush, the Wolverines were presented with an opportunity. With Landon Barkley leading the charge and time withering away on the board, he proceeded to lift off.

Despite being fouled on the way up to mid-court, Barkley still managed to let an attempt fly.

As the ball soared into the air, it went straight down through the twine with 0.1 ticks left on the clock, setting up what ultimately shaped into a four-point play to close the half out. That sequence allowed Bolivar-Richburg to flip the script and turn the tide completely against the Rebels, as they held them to just nine more points across the second half to finish off a victory filled with redemption following their last meeting at St. Bonaventure before the Christmas break, navigating towards a 42-28 home win on Thursday.

“That was a nice boost to end it. Time was running low and thankfully he hit that shot while he went down. That makes three pretty easy ones to finish the four-point play. That was a big momentum shift after capping off a pretty stellar second quarter,” said Wolverines coach Justin Thomas. “We were feeling things out at first and it felt like the classic C-R/B-R matchup. Pat’s (Wight) boys are tough and they played extremely tough, but we found some seams in that frame behind Landon to carry us into the second half. From there, we were challenged to play good defense. That’s been our mantra this season, because it can turn into some great offense. We were non-existent at St. Bonaventure, C-R outworked us in every facet. That cannot happen again, especially if we want to be a contender again this year. Tonight was one to have.”

A pair of runs — one from each squad, were established right from the start, with the Rebels laying claim first on an early 8-2 lead before the tables were flipped around in the Wolverines’ (8-5) favor down the stretch, securing eight of the frame’s last 10 points to trim their deficit down to a pair of points entering the second quarter.

The back-and-forth exchange carried on for Cuba-Rushford (9-4) and Bolivar-Richburg right in the beginning sequence of the second quarter, leading towards a Rebels lead that was ultimately trimmed back down by the Wolverines off several three-pointers in a row, with Julian Weekley and Landon Barkley aiding the efforts from the outer perimeter.

Barkley’s shot would come after a pass up court into his hands, as he was fouled from behind by the Rebels while letting a buzzer-beating half-court shot fly straight on target to set up a gigantic four-point play and what was a 27-19 halftime lead after ending the first half on a 15-2 run of Cuba-Rushford.

Bolivar-Richburg never lost the advantage again, as the defense locked down the Cuba-Rushford offense by holding them to just nine more points across the second half. Although their deficit was as little as four points on a couple of occasions, that would be as close the Rebels would get to the Wolverines, with the hosts holding their opposition to just a single point in the midst of a 9-1 game-ending run to further construct their victorious, rebounding finish.

Barkley went on to lead all scorers on the hardwood with his game-high 24 points. Kingston Loucks and Waide Karnuth each sank six points to further Bolivar-Richburg’s cause.

For Cuba-Rushford, Adam Roe led the scoring with eight team-high points. Donovan Breckenridge chipped in with six points, while Zach Deck and Finn Ricketts each posted five. The Rebels will now look to regain traction entering Saturday afternoon’s monster clash at the Dan Barkley Showcase in Wellsville, as they prepare to take on Canisteo-Greenwood to open the slate of contests at 1 p.m.

As for the Wolverines, they are now off until Wednesday night when they hit the road themselves to visit the Wellsville Lions for battle beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Cuba-Rushford 10 9 8 1 – 28

Bolivar-Richburg 8 19 6 9 – 42

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Adam Roe 3 1-2 8, Donovan Breckenridge 3 0-0 6, Eli Sleggs 1 0-0 2, Zach Deck 2 0-1 5, Carter Brown 1 0-0 2, Finn Ricketts 1 3-4 5. Totals: 11 4-7 28.

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Julian Weekley 1 0-0 3, Maddox Davison 1 0-0 3, Landon Barkley 9 1-1 24, Waide Karnuth 2 2-2 6, Kingston Loucks 2 1-2 6. Totals: 15 4-5 42.

3-point goals: C-R 2 (Roe, Deck), B-R 8 (Barkley 5, Weekley, Davison, Loucks).
Total Fouls: C-R 9, B-R 11. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 74, Genesee Valley/Belfast 36

BELMONT — Ever since their first loss of the campaign against Geneseo, the Eagles of Fillmore have turned it up another notch. With a big week of action beginning to eclipse over the horizon following this upcoming weekend, the Allegany County League leaders were looking to syphon and harness any momentous energy they could muster on Thursday.

In their latest contest over the road to the Jungle in Belmont, their presence was felt almost immediately, as they bucketed at least 20 points in each of the first three quarters, assembling a boisterous first half against host Genesee Valley/Belfast to pave the way towards what was a 74-36 victory — the team’s ninth in their first 10 games.

“The guys were really focused tonight. Ever since the loss to Geneseo, we have been working on dictating that teams play the way we want to play,” Eagles coach Randy Crouch said. “Though Jonah (Bialek) and Cam (Mucher) get a lot of the attention, we are balanced and we can get great offensive contributions from everyone on any given night. We showed that tonight with Jameson (Rhett), JD (Bialek) and Isaiah (Sisson) all getting involved. Our team defense was really solid as well. Genesee Valley/Belfast has a lot of talent, but we were able to limit open looks from the perimeter and still be spot on in our help.”

A massive game-opening jaunt was established right away by Fillmore (9-1) with an excellent three-point game displayed by Jonah Bialek and Cam Mucher, as the two went back-to-back from long range in the midst of an early 8-0 run of Genesee Valley/Belfast to kick the tires on what was a 21-point first quarter.

The Eagles remained hot going forward, perpetuating their momentum into the second quarter where the defense then stepped up to the plate to aid in delivering what was a 20-9 half-ending crusade to blossom their advantage even further. Those efforts were set in motion by Mucher, who was on fire from start to finish, netting 13 of his game-high 23 points within the frame.

The 41-20 halftime lead for the visitors in green would continue to hold in place overtime, as they proceeded to lockdown Genesee Valley/Belfast (4-5) in the third quarter behind a 22-11 doubling-up on the attack once again, with five different scorers all chipping in contributions to help set up the offense for great success — four of which, bucketing at least one three-point shot.

The three-point presence for the Eagles became a tone-setting generality in establishing their advantage, collecting 11 of them in total across their three 20-point stanzas to set an immediate tone.

Finishing behind Mucher for Fillmore was Jonah Bialek, who recorded 16 points. Jameson Rhett chipped in with 11 points, while JD Bialek had 10 to add into the mix.

For Genesee Valley/Belfast, Kenton Shultz set up shop for the offense behind his team-leading nine points. Cane Treusdell had seven points, while Cal Tallman had six. The team will now get set for Dan Barkley Showcase action in Wellsville come Saturday night, as they take on the Arkport-Canaseraga Wolves beginning at 5 p.m.

Fillmore will then have their crack at Arkport-Canaseraga next week, as they head back home to host the same Wolves team in The Rock on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Fillmore 21 20 22 11 – 74

Genesee Valley/Belfast 11 9 11 5 – 36

FILLMORE: Jordan Bialek 1 0-0 2, Carson Sanasith 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Sisson 1 4-6 7, Jonah Bialek 5 2-2 16, Ezra Knapp 1 1-2 3, Jameson Rhett 4 0-0 11, Cam Mucher 10 0-0 23, JD Bialek 5 0-0 10. Totals: 26 7-10 74.
GV/BELFAST: Cane Treusdell 3 0-0 7, Cal Tallman 2 1-2 6, Ian McKenzie 2 1-4 5, Brayden Cooper 0 1-2 1, Ethan Davenport 1 0-0 3, Tyler Wedge 1 1-2 3, Kenton Shultz 4 1-2 9, Ryan Daciw 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 5-12 36.

3-point goals: Fillmore 11 (Jo. Bialek 4, Rhett 3, Mucher 3, Sisson), GVB 3 (Treusdell, Tallman, Davenport).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 10, GVB 10. Fouled out: None.

Andover/Whitesville 67, Friendship/Scio 29

SCIO — With a Class C stalwart waiting patiently in the wings for the Andover/Whitesville boys in the Dan Barkley Showcase this weekend in Wellsville, there was business to attend to right beforehand on Thursday, beginning with a pit stop to take on Friendship/Scio.

Out of the gate with a high rate of speed, the Andover/Whitesville offense connected on all fronts while the defense held the opposition at a near standstill, as they used their first quarter lead to garner the room they needed to claim and possess an advantage they went on to never lose, rolling towards an eventual 67-29 victory in Scio.

“It was a solid effort from start to finish. Our defense picked it up a notch today and we rebounded a lot better than we had been recently,” said Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce. “The tempo was very good on offense, and it’s never easy playing in Scio. Dillon’s (McFall) guys continue to improve every time we get a chance to play them. We still need to be better on both ends, especially for this Saturday at the Showcase. Overall, we needed this. I’m pretty happy with tonight’s effort.”

Both teams traded a couple of quick exchanges in the early-going of the opening quarter, with Andover/Whitesville (8-4) holding the 4-2 edge. After Friendship/Scio was able to reach the scoreboard for the first time, they were immediately shut down by their visiting opposition, as the visitors in black shifted into cruise control to score 17 straight points to close out the frame with a 21-5 lead that was never relinquished.

Friendship/Scio (3-7) built a partial head of steam going into the break with a 7-0 run to end the first half, carrying the momentum into the third quarter. But Andover/Whitesville prevented any further development, as they went on to close out the victory with a massive 18-2 jaunt.

Brody Vance led all Andover/Whitesville scorers with his game-high 25 points. Colton Calladine chipped in with his 17 points, while Vinny Joyce had 12 points of his own.

For the hosts, Connor Blouvet led the scoring with his team-high 14-point performance. Friendship/Scio is back on the floor Tuesday night with a 7:15 p.m. visit to Alfred-Almond.

As for Andover/Whitesville, they now get set to partake in the second game of the 10th Annual Dan Barkley Showcase in Wellsville come Saturday afternoon, as they prepare to take on Dundee/Bradford in a 3 p.m. tip-off.

Andover/Whitesville 21 17 11 18 – 67

Friendship/Scio 5 13 11 2 – 29

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Trey Kent 0 0-2 0, Ethan Warriner 1 1-2 4, Vinny Joyce 5 2-2 12, Brody Vance 9 4-4 25, Jon Vallieres 4 0-0 9, Colton Calladine 6 4-6 17. Totals: 25 11-15 67.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Jerome Harmon 0 0-2 0, Connor Blouvet 6 0-0 14, Aiden Golden 3 1-1 7, Cooper Greenman 1 0-0 2, Zacoby Holder 1 0-0 2, Deacon Brown 1 2-4 4. Totals: 12 3-7 29.

3-point goals: A/W 6 (Vance 3, Warriner, Vallieres, Calladine), F/S 2 (Blouvet).
Total Fouls: A/W 9, F/S 15. Fouled out: None.

Houghton Academy 41, Hinsdale 28

HINSDALE — The Panthers of Houghton Academy proceeded to bookend their fight against host Hinsdale with two of their strongest outings of offense, using a major first quarter run to help set the tone in a rebounding victory over the round on Thursday — a 40-28 winning edge over the Bobcats.

In the first quarter, the bar was set by the Panthers (4-5), with four different scorers all presiding over the offense with at least a bucket each while the defense on the other end of the floor kept Hinsdale off the board from the field, as they allowed just two points from the charity stripe to finish off what was a 10-2 game-commencing run.

With the two foes trading back-and-forth barbs across the next pair of quarters, Houghton Academy maintained possession of their advantage each step of the way, as they fully cemented their victory in the last eight minutes of action with a 14-7 doubling-up of the Bobcats (2-10), led by an absolutely sublime 9-for-9 fourth quarter outing at the free throw line from both Josh Davidson and Jack Prentice, to help close up shop.

Leading the scoring for the Panthers was Prentice, who finished with a game-high 15 points while Davidson followed suit with 13 of his own. Hoang Phung had seven points to add into the fray.

For Hinsdale, Chris Forney led the way with his 11 team-high points. Cody Hand and Aiden Baird both recorded six points. The Bobcats will hit the road for a 6:30 p.m. visit to West Valley on Tuesday.

Houghton Academy will turn around and hit the road once more tonight, this time with a 6 p.m. visit to Campbell-Savona.

Houghton Academy 10 8 9 14 – 41

Hinsdale 2 8 11 7 – 28

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Josh Davidson 3 5-6 13, Jack Prentice 4 7-7 15, Gavin Martino 2 0-0 4, Hoang Phung 2 1-2 7, Joseph Chang 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 13-15 41.

HINSDALE: Cody Hand 2 1-2 6, Alex Dove 0 1-2 1, Chris Forney 4 2-4 11, Aiden Baird 3 0-2 6, Tyler Richards 1 1-4 3, Robert Childs 0 1-4 1. Totals: 10 6-18 28.

3-point goals: HA 3 (Phung 2, Davidson), Hinsdale 2 (Hand, Forney).
Total Fouls: HA 14, Hinsdale 15. Fouled out: Martino (HA), Childs (HIN).

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Wellsville 3, Fillmore 0

'FILLMORE — The Lions of Wellsville are beginning to get hot at the right time, and on Thursday, that fire remained fully ablaze in their latest trip over the road to Fillmore, as they used outstanding nights on the offensive front from both Xavier Scott and Lucius Griggs to set up shop for what was a straight-set victory over the host Eagles, claiming the 25-17, 27-25, 25-12 edge.

Griggs captained another strong outing of offense for the Lions (7-2), as he propelled the way forward with his eight team-high kills, pairing them with four aces from the service line along with an assist. Scott followed behind with seven kills of his own to go with one ace and one assist, while Nolan Kozlowski handed out 15 assists to aid the offense.

The Eagles (3-5) were paced by both Aiden Freeman and Anderson Wiltsey, who combined to record 25 total assists to set up the attack on the opposite side of the net. In addition to his 12 team-leading helpers, Freeman also provided six service points while Wiltsey had five to go with his two kills.

Both teams are back on the floor Tuesday night in a pair of 6 p.m. contests, with Wellsville hitting the road for a colossal showdown with Arkport-Canaseraga, while Fillmore looks to regroup with a visit from Portville.

Cuba-Rushford 3, Bolivar-Richburg 1

CUBA — With a colossal showdown with the Portville Panthers waiting on the other side, the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford proceeded to build a head-full of steam entering that match with a strong four-set, 25-18, 25-16, 22-25, 25-16 victory in the Wighthouse over the visiting Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg.

Individual statistics for each team were not made available to report upon publication.

The Rebels (5-3) will look to keep their winning ways rolling back on their home floor tonight with a 6 p.m. visit from Portville, while the Wolverines (2-9) take a break away from action until next Thursday night, when they complete the home-at-home series with Cuba-Rushford at 6 p.m. in Richburg.