Friday Basketball: Wellsville boys avenge IAABO loss to C-R, use strong beginning and end to garner 50-37 win at DeCerbo Showcase; Fri/Scio boys, Lady Lions collect wins to close respective tourneys
ALLEGANY — In their last game leading into the Christmas recess, the Lions of Wellsville were able to get the tires kicking on their first win of the season. With it, all momentum would remain on their side when their return to action came on Friday for the Joe DeCerbo Holiday Showcase at Allegany-Limestone.
Their first appearance of two on The Swamp’s hardwood: A grudge match from the IAABO Tournament at the beginning of the month against Cuba-Rushford.
It was a 56-38 victory that went the Rebels’ way the first time around in Wellsville, paid in part by a strong start through the opening quarter that allowed Cuba-Rushford to maintain firm control of the contest and clinch a spot in the tournament’s title game against C.G. Finney. This time however, fortune favored the Lions with a first half start of their own.
Across the majority of the first quarter, Wellsville helped set up shop with some big assistance from Ty Vogel, JJ Howard and Aiden Cowburn, as the three Lions converged together to develop a first quarter run that laid down the foundation for the foreseeable future ahead, gaining the upper-hand and never letting go of it to claim the 50-37 victory over the Rebels.
“We needed some games to come together, but it does feel like we are finally out of the off-season and back ramping up to speed,” Lions coach Tom Muska said. “We had some effort, a sense of urgency and more importantly, more reps playing together. Our starting five tonight played more minutes in this game together than they did this entire past off-season. You have to build chemistry and familiarity at some point. It’s taken us a few games to get here, but it feels good to keep seeing progress.”
Wellsville (2-5) was able to establish their ground while using much of the opening quarter’s time in the same swing to get the start they wanted to have against Cuba-Rushford, as they accounted for an early 12-6 lead. The Rebels were able to score six of the last 10 points to climb back to within four of the Lions, but another lengthy run by their opposition came into fruition in the second quarter to help close out the first half.
In the second stanza, a slew of Lions chipped in with some help from all angles of the floor, ranging from inside the arc to the charity stripe. In the midst of it, all five of Alex Green’s points helped charge an 11-5 run of Cuba-Rushford (5-3) to extend their advantage to 10 going into the locker room.
The bar was set for the second half, but not before the Rebels and their re-emergence, as they came out swinging with one big punch — eight straight points to open the third quarter to close what was a double digit gap, down to a single possession. Despite the pressure out of the gate, the Lions were able to stave it off with a turnaround of their own, netting seven of the frame’s next 10 points to remain on top.
The 34-28 lead held by Wellsville going into the fourth quarter would soon become out of reach for the Rebels, as the Lions used a clutch three-point barrage to further distance themselves in the driver’s seat, netting three altogether to ensure their advantage remained intact until the final buzzer.
Paving the path towards triumph for the Lions were JJ Howard and Ty Vogel, as the two shooters combined to record 31 of the team’s 50 points, with Howard’s team-high 17 fueling the offense. Vogel followed behind with 14 of his own, while Aiden Cowburn had 11.
Cuba-Rushford saw Braeden Wight take charge of the attack with his game-high 19 points, including three of the team’s six triples from downtown — two in the third quarter to help ignite the team’s fast start to the second half. Finn Ricketts chipped in with nine points, while Luke Brooks, Adam Roe and Peyton Joy rounded off the scoring with three points each.
Both teams will close out their tenures at the Joe DeCerbo Showcase right back at Allegany-Limestone today, as the Lions look to finish off a perfect weekend with a 12:45 p.m. tip-off against the Bradford Owls, while the Rebels help close out the showcase in its entirety with the 7:45 p.m. nightcap against the host Gators.
Wellsville 16 11 7 16 – 50
Cuba-Rushford 12 5 11 9 – 37
WELLSVILLE: Aiden Cowburn 3 3-4 11, Cooper Brockway 1 0-0 3, JJ Howard 6 4-12 17, Ty Vogel 5 2-2 14, Alex Green 2 1-2 5. Totals: 17 10-20 50.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Braeden Wight 7 2-2 19, Luke Brooks 1 1-1 3, Finn Ricketts 4 0-0 9, Tristan Clayson 0 0-2 0, Adam Roe 1 0-0 3, Peyton Joy 1 0-0 3. Totals: 14 3-5 37.
3-point goals: Wellsville 6 (Cowburn 2, Vogel 2, Brockway, Howard), C-R 6 (Wight 3, Ricketts, Roe, Joy).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 9, C-R 14. Fouled out: None.
Scio Christmas Tournament
Friendship/Scio 49, Alfred-Almond 38
SCIO — Behind the stellar shooting of Aiden Golden from all angles on the floor, along with some huge contributions from their depth on the bench, a fast start was created by host Friendship/Scio right in the opening eight minutes, as they cruised behind their tone-setting jaunt of visiting Alfred-Almond and towards what was a 49-38 victory on Friday to officially split their annual Christmas Tournament right down the middle.
Friendship/Scio (2-7) struck while the iron was hot against the Eagles, as they found every groove across the first quarter to develop a lead they would never lose, holding Alfred-Almond to just three points while conducting a 15-3 run to springboard on top. Despite falling behind in the early stages, the visitors in blue would remain step for step with the hosts from start to finish to keep the pressure on. But in the end, the first quarter deficit would prove to be too much to overcome.
“It was a good game. We got some good shots to go early, and that set the tone,” Friendship/Scio coach Dillon McFall said. “That was our best offensive output of the season. Aiden's only a sophomore but he's capable of doing some damage on the offensive end, especially when he's knocking down the jumper. He's shooting it well, and that really helps our cause. I have to give credit to some of our guys off the bench too. Charles (Taylor) was reliable for us, and Matt (Donohue) had a nice stroke from outside. That's big to have that.”
Jackson Jusianiec was a big reason behind the offense’s success for the Eagles, as he launched six of the team’s seven triples to put towards a game-high 25-point performance.
Friendship/Scio was led by Aiden Golden, who sank four triples out of seven total for the team downtown, as he finished with a team-high 19 points to couple with three assists and three steals. Matt Donohue had the last three triples outside, for nine points, while Jerome Harmon chipped in with eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals to help round off the scoring.
Coming up on Tuesday, Friendship/Scio will hit the road and look to keep the momentum rolling with a 6 p.m. tip-off at Hinsdale.
Alfred-Almond 3 10 13 12 – 38
Friendship/Scio 15 12 10 12 – 49
ALFRED-ALMOND: Jackson Jusianiec 8 7-9 25, Will Denninger 1 0-0 3, Brogan Donlon 1 0-0 2, Noah Heffley 0 0-4 0, Liam Ruthven 4 0-2 8. Totals: 14 7-15 38.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Aiden Golden 7 1-3 19, Jerome Harmon 4 0-2 8, Charles Taylor 2 2-6 6, Jerimiah Brown 0 2-4 2, Matt Donohue 3 0-0 9, Deacon Brown 2 1-1 5. Totals: 18 6-16 49.
3-point goals: A-A 7 (Jusianiec 6, Denninger), F/S 7 (Golden 4, Donohue 3).,
Total Fouls: A-A 17, F/S 18. Fouled out: Donlon (A-A).
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Coaches v. Cancer Consolation
Wellsville 38, Bath-Haverling 31
BATH — One thing that the Lady Lions of Wellsville wanted to emphasize loud and clear to close out their two-day stay at the Coaches v. Cancer Tournament in Bath, was being aggressive.
After Newark Valley applied early first quarter pressure against the Lady Lions in their opening round battle the previous day, it established an advantage they would hang onto from start to finish. Despite the defeat to the eventual champions of the tournament, it would allow the Lady Lions to mirror the same image they witnessed, against Bath-Haverling to close out the week Friday night.
Right from the get-go, Wellsville wasted absolutely no time against the Lady Rams, as they constructed a dominant run across the first quarter to set an immediate and resonating tone across all four quarters of play, finishing the day on a victorious note with a 38-31 victory to earn Consolation round honors.
“It's a good indicator of where we are. It was nice to bounce back after Newark Valley, and we played aggressive right from the beginning,” said Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord. “Size wise, they outmatched us and we got into some foul trouble early on. But I liked the way we came out like that. It's getting better, and it's a great way to end the calendar year. We've got Olean, Gananda, Hornell all coming up next on the schedule, so we've got time to prepare for even tougher games ahead.”
The Lady Lions (6-2) set up shop with a 4-2 lead of the Lady Rams bright and early in the opening quarter, finding their groove soon after to score the next nine points in a row to further establish their lead. They would ultimately wind up recording a massive 15-4 run to keep their lead well intact going forward, as they maintained one step ahead for the remainder of the battle.
A big reason behind it: Natalie Adams, who provided a ferocious 23 points to lead all scorers on the floor for the Lady Lions, chipping in three assists along the way to put towards her All-Tournament nomination. Makenna Dunbar chipped in with nine points and eight rebounds, while Averee Palmatier rounded off the scoring with six points.
As for the JV Lady Lions, they would capture the tournament’s crown with a 29-14 win over Bath-Haverling behind an All-Tournament nomination from Raegan Vogel and a team-leading nine-point performance from Hailey Cowburn.
Wellsville returns to action for the first time in the New Year on Thursday, paying a visit to the Olean Lady Huskies at 7:30 p.m.
Wellsville 15 4 7 12 – 38
Bath-Haverling 4 9 7 11 – 31
WELLSVILLE: Natalie Adams 10 0-0 23, Averee Palmatier 3 0-0 6, Makenna Dunbar 3 2-2 9. Totals: 16 2-2 38.
BATH-HAVERLING: Leah Krelie 1 0-0 3, Sierra Haight 2 0-2 4, Emma Luckenbach 3 0-0 6, Allison Elmore 3 0-0 6, Lola Coots 5 1-1 12. Totals: 14 1-3 31.
3-point goals: Wellsville 4 (Adams 3, Dunbar), B-H 2 (Creeley, Coots).
