In close quarters battle with Avo-Pra, Lions use key 4th quarter offerings from Vogel, Brockway to break away towards rebounding 61-48 win at Keuka College; Wellsville at Corning tonight

KEUKA PARK — There was no doubting that despite the eight-point loss to Hornell in the Sheriff’s Classic this past Friday at Alfred State College, the Lions of Wellsville remained poised and hopeful to progress even further with the construction of their foundation towards a fourth Section V championship in seven years.

That began with discussing how to proceed. For head coach Tom Muska, it was perfecting the art of doing the little things on both ends of the floor, right.

Back to the basics, if you will.

“We talked about playing a Wellsville brand of basketball and what that means today,” he said. “Taking care of the ball, sniffing out a defensive stop every possession, it goes on. The things that our program is known for. The game against Hornell is definitely a great building block for it. I see the kids work in November, December paying off for them in January. I see kids buying into roles they may have not anticipated. I see a team slowly determined to get better, and I don’t see it stopping.”

His vision for the foreseeable future ahead was a bright one, and in order for the stars to align, the next game of their four-game gauntlet over the road would witness them clash with a defending two-time State Champion in Keuka Park — Class D superpower, Avoca-Prattsburgh.

In each of the first three quarters, Wellsville would build a lead against the Titans, including a first quarter that saw them net a scoreless run to set up shop. But it wasn’t until the fourth quarter when the pressure began to mount, with Avoca-Prattsburgh racing right behind the coattails for the Lions.

Despite it, Cooper Brockway and Ty Vogel helped Wellsville rise to the occasion in the midst of their 21-point fourth quarter jamboree against Avoca-Prattsburgh, as the two combined to record 16 of those points to further ensure their lead would remain intact to officially provide a bounce back victory at Keuka College with a 61-48 win over the Titans.

The lead was established right in the first eight minutes of play by the Lions (5-8), as they ran out with eight straight points before the Titans were able to fire back a strong response of their own, closing out the quarter with eight of the last 10 points to trim the deficit down to a pair. The teams would exchange baskets at a constant before the team black and orange wiggled their way free once again with five more points in a row to break a 15-15 tie, claiming a 24-21 halftime lead to control.

Wellsville and Avoca-Prattsburgh would re-engage in another back-and-forth duel to start the second half, but in the same swing, the Lions would find another opening to push through the Titans defense along the way. With a 29-28 lead approaching midway, an enormous Cooper Brockway triple allowed the Lions to embark on another run. This one seeing them score nine of the next 11 points to extend their advantage to nine.

In the fourth quarter, the victory was cemented behind the guidance of Brockway and Vogel, as the two Lions combined to record 16 of the team’s 21 points, with Brockway providing a humongously clutch 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the waning minutes, while Vogel took to the inside game to post eight big points to close up shop.

Brockway led all Lions scorers with his team-high 18 points. Vogel concluded with 14 points, while Alex Green provided an inside presence of his own with 13 additional points. For Avoca-Prattsburgh, Macoy Putnam posted 18 team-leading points. JJ Crowder and Dan Stilson each had eight points to add for the Titans.

Wellsville is right back at it tonight back east over the road, this time with a 7 p.m. visit to the Corning Hawks, led by eighth grade superstar Nolyn Proudfoot.

“He is exceptional,” Muska said of the Corning sharpshooter. “They have a lot of talent over there and played a really great five-out motion. They have an atmosphere on par with the colleges we have been lucky enough to visit. We’re excited to get another chance at them, and it should be a great game to be a part of.”

Wellsville 10 14 16 21 – 61

Avoca-Prattsburgh 8 13 12 15 – 48

WELLSVILLE: Karson Grover 0 4-4 4, Cooper Brockway 5 6-6 18, JJ Howard 2 4-6 8, Ty Vogel 7 0-2 14, Ethan Bailey 2 0-0 4, Alex Green 4 5-10 13. Totals: 20 19-28 61.

AVOCA-PRATTSBURGH: Landon White 1 0-0 2, JJ Crowder 3 0-0 8, Macoy Putnam 6 6-9 18, Chris Abbott 2 1-2 6, Dan Stilson 4 0-0 8, Collin Hammond 2 2-2 6. Totals: 18 7-13 48.

3-point goals: Wellsville 2 (Brockway), A-P 3 (Crowder 2, Abbott).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 16, A-P 22. Fouled out: Stilson (A-P).