Friday Basketball: Fillmore boys capture 5th straight Allegany County crown, light up 2nd half with strong start to key 71-47 win over B-R; C-R holds off GV/Belfast, Fillmore girls edge past A-P

FILLMORE — The regular season officially reaches its conclusion next week. And for the Eagles of Fillmore, Friday night brought about an opportunity to claim two big pieces to their puzzle — the Allegany County title, and the No. 1 seed for the Class D Sectional picture.

To do it, a win against one of the County’s hottest teams right alongside them, Bolivar-Richburg — winners in 10 of their last 12 contests, would give them the entire kit and kaboodle. But the Wolverines did not make it easy on them, one bit.

That was known in not just the first quarter, but in the entire first half alone, as they engaged in back-and-forth battle with the Eagles across all 16 minutes of action on the hardwood, with Kingston Loucks finishing off the half with a highlight reel block on an attempted three-pointer at the buzzer to prevent even more damage from being added to their one-point lead heading into the break.

But the Eagles would not allow the Wolverines to build off that momentous occurrence. Instead, they reversed the power and assumed total command of everything, beginning in a third quarter where the Eagles found the basket left and right, pasting a 24-point stanza into the scorebook to set the tone for the remainder of the game to seal a 71-47 victory over Bolivar-Richburg to claim their fifth straight Allegany County League title and Class D’s No. 1 seed for the Sectional Tournament shortly over the horizon.

“The score really doesn’t reflect the nature of the game tonight. Justin (Thomas) had B-R ready to play, and even when we got off to a great start, they really battled and came back to get the lead. From there, it was a back-and-forth first half, with Loucks and (Landon) Barkley really taking it to us. They were in it.” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch.

There was little room for error in the midst of a back-and-forth affair between the two foes in the opening eight minutes, as the high octane offensive battle witnessed no advantage ever maximize over six points. As the exchange elongated all the way down to the wire, leading up to a Landon Barkley buzzer-beating triple, it would allow the Wolverines to capitalize first and foremost with a 19-17 lead on Fillmore (14-2) following what was an 8-0 quarter-ending jaunt.

The furious exchange carried over into the second quarter from start to finish once again, as the foes kept the same pace of play on the hardwood. With the Eagles laying claim on a narrow advantage following a big block from Kingston Loucks on an attempted buzzer-beating three from Jameson Rhett to try and branch their lead back out before heading back into the locker room.

Inside the locker room, Crouch issued a challenge.

“I’m glad we won our fifth straight County title and the No. 1 seed for Sectionals, but we need to keep rolling and close out the season strong. I challenged the guys at halftime to refocus and take care of the loose balls and tighten up their defensive focus. They really stepped up in the second half, holding both of those guys (Loucks and Barkley) in check. We need to find ways to play that way for complete games, if we want to play deep into March.” he said.

A complete flip of the script was performed by the Eagles, and as a direct result, the scoring for Bolivar-Richburg (13-6) going forward, was limited. In turn, the offense reignited from all angles of the floor to jumpstart what was a 24-8 run of the Wolverines in the third quarter — a frame that saw them initially roll out of the gates with 12 consecutive points for the night’s largest advantage. All the momentum that was built off their third quarter start, was harnessed completely to keep a 58-41 lead over their opposition intact to close out the night.

Leading the scoring for Fillmore was Jonah Bialek, who was busy outside and down low for the Eagles with his game-high 28 points. JD Bialek chipped in with 12 points of his own, while Isaiah Sisson had nine points.

The Wolverines were powered by Loucks as a dual-threat to the Eagles defense, as he posted a team-high 22 points. Barkley followed with 15 points — 12 of which, stemmed in the first half of play, while Braden Zilker and Waide Karnuth helped round off the scoring with six and four points, respectively.

Both teams are back on the hardwood Tuesday night, with Fillmore heading over the road to Scio for a 7:30 p.m. clash with Friendship/Scio, while Bolivar-Richburg heads back home to host Houghton Academy at 6 p.m.

Bolivar-Richburg 19 14 8 6 — 47

Fillmore 17 17 24 13 — 71

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Landon Barkley 6 1-1 15, Braden Zilker 1 3-4 6, Waide Karnuth 2 0-2 4, Kingston Loucks 8 1-1 22. Totals: 17 5-8 47.

FILLMORE: Carson Sanasith 0 0-2 0, Isaiah Sisson 2 4-6 9, Jonah Bialek 11 3-3 28, Ezra Knapp 1 0-0 2, Jameson Rhett 2 0-0 5, Cam Mucher 4 6-8 15, JD Bialek 5 0-0 12. Totals: 25 13-19 71.

3-point goals: B-R 8 (Loucks 5, Barkley 2, Zilker), Fillmore 8 (Jo. Bialek 3, JD Bialek 2, Sisson, Rhett, Mucher).
Total Fouls: B-R 11, Fillmore 8. Fouled out: None.

Marcus Whitman 66, Wellsville 58

RUSHVILLE — The Lions of Wellsville have become road warriors down the stretch, having navigated their way towards victory in each of their first three games against Hornell, Palmyra-Macedon and Fillmore. Friday night, they shifted their focus and momentum into their next trip up north to face the Marcus Whitman Wildcats for the first time since last year’s Class B2 Semifinal round in Sectionals.

Like their previous battle in the penultimate stage leading to the big dance last winter, it was another close determination straight down to the wire.

With Wellsville using a big second quarter run to jump ahead for a halftime lead, the momentum turned into a back-and-forth battle between both squads throughout much of the second half. Marcus Whitman found enough room to flip-flop positions with the Lions in the third quarter, as they maintained their advantage despite some added pressure down the stretch, using free throws to help lock down a 66-58 home victory.

The Wildcats were the first to possess momentum following a close 10-9 lead on the board over the Lions (10-7). For the remainder of the quarter, the hosts escaped from their opposition off a couple of key turnovers, building a run that saw them score eight of the next 10 points to help put towards an eventual 22-16 first quarter lead.

But the balance of power shifted into Wellsville’s direction for the second quarter, as they blazed their way into the driver’s seat off a 14-2 run of the Wildcats, with a trio of three-pointers — two from Aiden Cowburn and one from JJ Howard, charging the efforts. Back-and-forth exchanges were dealt between the foes with the Lions lead shrinking from five down to a single point after a strong first half finish from Marcus Whitman.

The back-and-forth pace settled back in for the second half, with a 50-47 lead for the Wildcats seeing level playing ground following a big Nick Germain-Tardieu three-pointer to tie the game with 60 seconds remaining. Shortly following the score, the hosts found a narrow exploit past the Lions to regain the upper-hand, netting the last four points to take the lead heading into the fourth.

Derek Coleman and a big heads-up jumper just inside the paint for the Lions allowed them to close the gap down to four points — the closest Wellsville would reach to Marcus Whitman with two minutes remaining, as the Wildcats proceeded to utilize the free throw line down the stretch to finish off their victory.

Cowburn wound up leading all Wellsville scorers with a team-high 21 points — 19 of them stemming in the first half. Trent Green added in 13 points, while JJ Howard finished with nine.

The Lions will continue their road trip on Monday, visiting Greece Olympia at 7 p.m.

Wellsville 16 20 14 8 — 58

Marcus Whitman 22 13 19 12 — 66

WELLSVILLE: Aiden Cowburn 8 1-1 21, Karson Grover 1 1-2 3, JJ Howard 4 0-2 9, Ty Vogel 0 1-2 1, Nick Germain-Tardieu 1 0-0 3, Trent Green 6 0-1 13, Derek Coleman 4 0-0 8. Totals: 24 3-8 58.

MARCUS WHITMAN: Logan Storms 3 4-6 10, Myles Prendergast 4 0-2 9, Brody Royston 6 10-12 23, Brayden Amadeo 4 1-2 9, Tariku Blueye 5 1-2 15. Totals: 22 16-24 66.

3-point goals: Wellsville 7 (Cowburn 4, Howard, Germain-Tardieu, Green), Whitman 6 (Blueye 4, Prendergast, Royston).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 20, Whitman 13. Fouled out: Howard (WLSV), Green (WLSV), Prendergast (MW).

Cuba-Rushford 64, Genesee Valley/Belfast 59

BELFAST — In their second and final battle of the season on Friday, Cuba-Rushford and Genesee Valley/Belfast came together to deliver perfection from the charity stripe all night long, combining to net a 15-for-15 outing.

With Genesee Valley/Belfast riding high on a massive fourth quarter run, it would take free throws to finish off. After drawing a massive foul with seconds to spare, Dean Frank came in through the clutch for the Rebels with his only two points of the game at the most important time, sinking two huge shots to branch Cuba-Rushford’s lead out to five as time expired to ice what was a 64-59 victory at the Paul Vienna Memorial Gym in Belfast.

The Rebels (14-5) broke the ice and fired away with two gargantuan runs of Genesee Valley/Belfast in the opening eight minutes of play, traversing through their first groove following two minutes of scoreless basketball, assembling a 7-0 start before the hosts found their way onto the board a short time later. After a 7-4 lead for the visitors, Cuba-Rushford caught fire once again with 13 straight points to put towards an eventual 20-6 lead entering the next frame.

Genesee Valley/Belfast (9-8) shook it off and delivered a deficit-cutting start of their own with a 7-0 run of the Rebels, climbing back to within striking distance. But towards the tail end of the quarter, a monstrous and nifty play from Adam Roe underneath to push the Cuba-Rushford advantage back into double-digit territory going into the locker room.

Both teams engaged in close quarters battle through the third quarter, with Genesee Valley/Belfast closed the gap to as little as five points near midway. Their 39-34 deficit would be as close as the hosts got to the Rebels, as the team in blue and maroon rolled on a 16-6 run to claim a 15-point lead entering the final eight minutes.

The pressure was put on for one last push from Genesee Valley/Belfast, with two consecutive baskets just seconds from one another by both Logan Rice and Ian McKenzie, along with a massive triple from Lannden Tilton started a run with 12 straight points in the final moments. But with 3.1 remaining, the outcome of the game rested solely on Dean Frank’s shoulders, as he knocked down two incredible shots from the free throw line to give the Rebels just enough room to close out the night on top.

Pacing the offense for Cuba-Rushford was Carter Brown, who helped issue the team’s massive third quarter run behind his game-high 25 points — 16 of those, stemming at the inception of the second half. Zach Deck added in 11 points of his own, while Finn Ricketts had 10 points.

Genesee Valley/Belfast was powered by McKenzie, who finished with a team-high 19 points. Shultz concluded with 16 points. Logan Rice had eight points. The team will look to bounce back coming up on Thursday back in Belfast, as they host C.G. Finney in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

The Rebels will look to continue full steam ahead on Tuesday, visiting the Hinsdale Bobcats in a 6 p.m. contest.

Cuba-Rushford 20 13 22 9 — 64

Genesee Valley/Belfast 6 15 19 19 — 59

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Dean Frank 0 2-2 2, Adam Roe 3 0-0 6, Donovan Breckenridge 3 0-0 6, Eli Sleggs 2 0-0 4, Zach Deck 4 0-0 11, Carter Brown 8 6-6 25, Finn Ricketts 4 2-2 10. Totals: 24 10-10 64.

GV/BELFAST: Logan Rice 4 0-0 8, Will Guilford 2 0-0 5, Cal Tallman 1 1-1 3, Ian McKenzie 8 2-2 19, Lannden Tilton 2 0-0 6, Kenton Shultz 7 2-2 16, Riley Rogers 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 5-5 59.

3-point goals: C-R 6 (Deck 3, Brown 3), GVB 4 (Tilton 2, Guilford, McKenzie).
Total Fouls: C-R 8, GVB 12. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 42, Avoca-Prattsburgh 38

PRATTSBURGH — It was a stagnant first quarter start for the Lady Eagles that allowed host Avoca-Prattsburgh to capitalize early. But when the second half arrived, the boat was turned back around after a massive third quarter outing saw them battle with the Lady Titans back-and-forth down the stretch.

With no room for mistakes, the outcome of the contest came down to the biggest special teams aspect of all — the free throw line. In the last three minutes and change remaining on the clock, Mattie McCumiskey and Emalyn Mucher came through large for the Lady Eagles, combining to hit three massive shots while keeping the Lady Titans absolutely scoreless along the way to ward off their final push with a close 42-38 victory on Friday in Prattsburgh.

“We had to overcome a bit of a sluggish start. We were getting beat pretty badly on the boards and getting out-hustled for a large portion of that first half. I give the girls a ton of credit for coming to life at halftime, and playing with a lot more energy,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “That led to a nice third quarter and a lead heading into the fourth. It came down to a one-possession game late and we were able to get a couple of big stops, and make our free throws to lock it up.”

Fillmore (15-1) had to overcome a red hot start right away from the Lady Titans in the opening quarter, as they assembled a fiery 12-3 start behind their presence off the glass, cashing in on a bulk of the rebounds to jump ahead. The Lady Eagles fired back with a strong finish to the frame, cutting the deficit with six of the final eight points.

Following the picking up of a 17-10 lead from the hosts in white and gold, the Lady Eagles found a slight groove with six consecutive points to close the deficit to a single point before both offenses froze in place down the stretch. Right before the half closed up, the Lady Titans regained their rhythm and extended their advantage going into the locker room, going up 23-18 on the Lady Eagles.

In the third quarter, the visitors in gray and green took over with a 17-7 run, beginning with five straight points finding Fillmore’s section of the scoreboard to tie the game at 23. After a couple of possessions for each team allowed multiple deadlocks along the way, Fillmore skyrocketed back out front with another scoreless run of Avoca-Prattsburgh — a 7-0 jaunt to capture an advantage that proceeded to never lose.

The Lady Titans made one more push in the last eight minutes off some assistance at the free throw line, trailing by as little as a single point. But just past the midway mark, it would be the last time they scored in the game, as Fillmore used three massive shots of their own at the charity stripe to put away the victory.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game, but just like everyone this time of year, we are dealing with injuries, illness and the grind of the winter season. Match those factors with a good defensive team like Avoca-Prattsburgh, and we figured to have a slugfest. The girls are finding ways to figure it out and I think a lot of it has to do with how resilient they are as a team. They don’t quit, and they keep themselves in a position to win games.” said Parks.

McCumiskey and Mucher both led the scoring for the Lady Eagles, each posting a team-high 12 points. Tenlee Miller chipped in with seven points, while Morghyn Ross had six.

For Avoca-Prattsburgh, Breanna Jorritsma had a game-high 14 points. D’Mariannah Hinson-Pike posted 11.

Fillmore is back on their home floor Monday night, as they welcome the Warsaw Lady Tigers to The Rock for a 7 p.m. visit.

Fillmore 9 9 17 7 — 42

Avoca-Prattsburgh 14 9 7 8 — 38

FILLMORE: Mylee Miller 1 0-0 3, Tenlee Miller 3 1-1 7, Lily Sisson 1 0-0 2, Morghyn Ross 2 2-2 6, Emalyn Mucher 3 5-6 12, Mattie McCumiskey 5 1-2 12. Totals: 15 9-11 42.

AVOCA-PRATTSBURGH: D’Mariannah Hinson-Pike 4 0-0 11, Breanna Jorritsma 5 2-4 14, Avery Reagan 3 0-0 6, Alydia McIntyre 3 1-1 7. Totals: 15 3-5 38.

3-point goals: Fillmore 3 (M. Miller, Mucher, McCumiskey), A-P 5 (Hinson-Pike 3, Jorritsma 2).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 11, A-P 12. Fouled out: None.

Cuba-Rushford 43, Genesee Valley/Belfast 21

CUBA — There was absolutely no slowing down the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford on Friday, as they provided two red hot starts across the first half to bring the hammer down on visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast, rolling towards a massive advantage that was never relinquished from start to finish in a 43-21 home victory in the Wighthouse.

Cuba-Rushford (12-7) roared out of the gate right away with seven straight points to claim the game’s opening advantage before a back-and-forth exchange with Genesee Valley/Belfast closed out the opening frame. In the second quarter, the Lady Rebels rolled once again with 10 consecutive points to extend their advantage even further going into the break with a dominant 25-13 lead.

The hosts proceeded to hold Genesee Valley/Belfast (10-8) near frozen in their tracks in the second half, as the Lady Rebels allowed just eight more points to find its way through the twine while formulating a game-ending 19-8 run to pull away for good.

Leading the scoring for the Lady Rebels was Kendall Tompkins and her team-leading 11 points. Aubrey Williams, Brynn Lavery and Lilly Farwell each had seven points to chip in.

Genesee Valley/Belfast was paced by Ava Aronson, as she recorded 11 points. Bayleigh Tallman had four points. The team will hit the road once again on Monday with a 7:30 p.m. stop in Scio to take on host Friendship/Scio.

Cuba-Rushford will look to continue their winning ways on Wednesday, hosting Andover/Whitesville at 7:30 p.m.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 6 7 5 3 — 21

Cuba-Rushford 12 13 11 7 — 43

GV/BELFAST: Bayleigh Tallman 2 0-2 4, Sophie Zillgitt 1 0-0 3, Addisyn Ely 0 1-8 1, Kate Calanni 1 0-0 2, Ava Aronson 5 1-4 11. Totals: 9 2-14 21.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Aubrey Williams 2 1-2 7, Kendall Tompkins 5 0-0 11, Lily Tompkins 2 0-0 4, Brynn Lavery 2 1-2 7, Mireya Rutkowski 1 0-0 3, Arlah Shaffer 2 0-0 4, Lilly Farwell 3 1-2 7. Totals: 16 3-6 43.

3-point goals: GVB 1 (Zillgitt), C-R 6 (Williams 2, Lavery 2, K. Tompkins, Rutkowski).
Total Fouls: GVB 9, C-R 11. Fouled out: None.

C.G. Finney 58, Canisteo-Greenwood 53 (F-OT)

CANISTEO — Just like their first battle earlier in the winter, both C.G. Finney and Canisteo-Greenwood went toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow, using up the entire 32 minutes until even more time was required for overtime. In the final four minute session of the night, a clutch outing from the charity stripe for the visiting Lady Falcons allowed them to stay one step ahead with what was a 58-53 victory, Friday night.

The opening quarter saw each team make a run to break open the floodgates, with the Lady Chargers (9-9) fronting the efforts first with nine of the game’s first 13 points up against their opposition in just over five minutes time. In return, the Lady Falcons shelled out a quarter-closing jaunt of their own, pulling ahead with the advantage in their possession off a 9-2 run to keep Canisteo-Greenwood at bay.

Later on, the advantage was expanded upon by the Lady Falcons at the start of the quarter, the hosts in white and red pieced together a powerful response of their own, netting the next 12 points off four consecutive three-pointers — one off the hand of McKenna Ferris, and then back-to-back-to-back triples from Bailey Mullen to aid the Lady Chargers ahead with a 26-19 lead past midway.

The Lady Falcons would go on to shake it off and close out the first half with the final seven points to tie the game.

After the visitors in green and yellow smashed a third quarter tie going into the last eight minutes, the Lady Chargers worked their way back with two minutes remaining after some assistance at the charity stripe trimmed their deficit down to a single point. Both teams eventually charted their course towards a regulation-ending 43-43 deadlock following an absolutely clutch triple from MacKenna Mullen with 17 seconds remaining, forcing overtime as a result.

Both teams traded back-and-forth exchanges in the early stages of overtime before multiple trips to the free throw line were made to close the curtain on the contest, as the Lady Falcons took care of business with a 9-of-15 outing at the line to secure their season series-sweep of the Lady Chargers in the Canisteo Valley.

Despite the loss, Canisteo-Greenwood saw Bailey Mullen ignite the attack with four of the team’s nine three-pointers from outside, paying them forward towards a team-high 19-point performance to go with eight rebounds. Harlie McCaffery had 11 points of her own, while MacKenna Mullen had seven points and seven rebounds to chip in.

The Lady Chargers will now await Steuben County Tournament play, beginning next week.

C.G. Finney 13 13 9 8 15 — 58

Canisteo-Greenwood 11 15 5 12 10 — 53

FINNEY: Lainy Vargas 3 1-2 7, Kate Frederickson 1 0-0 2, Lucy Broome 8 5-7 21, Sydney Davis 1 0-0 2, Kiley Knittle 2 1-2 6, Allie Frederickson 6 8-12 20. Totals: 21 15-23 58.

CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 1 0-0 2, Bailey Mullen 7 1-2 19, MacKenna Mullen 2 1-2 7, McKenna Ferris 2 1-2 6, Paris May 1 0-0 3, Anna Mitchell 2 0-0 5, Harlie McCaffery 5 1-1 11. Totals: 20 4-7 53.

3-point goals: Finney 1 (Knittle), C-G 9 (B. Mullen 4, M. Mullen 2, Ferris, May, Mitchell).
Total Fouls: Finney 13, C-G 20. Fouled out: Mitchell (C-G).

Hinsdale 31, West Valley 17

WEST VALLEY — For the first time this season, the Lady Bobcats of Hinsdale navigated their way into the win column on Friday, as they hit the road and returned home victorious against host West Valley with a 31-17 victory.

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

The Lady Bobcats (1-14) are now off until Wednesday night for another road trip, visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast at 7:30 p.m. in the Paul Vienna Memorial Gym in Belfast.