Wednesday Roundup: Balanced offensive attack, strong defensive tone allows Lions to pick up sixth straight victory, roll past C-R at home

WELLSVILLE — The motto for the Lions when it comes to their success on the court — defense fuels the offense. Wellsville was able to do just that, and a whole lot more Wednesday night on their home floor, as all 11 Lions that saw action scored at least a basket while defense held the Rebels to just 14 first half points, as they rolled their way toward a massive 68-34 victory over Cuba-Rushford to obtain their sixth consecutive victory.

“This was a great team effort on both sides of the ball really,” said Lions coach Raymie Auman. “For the first time in a few games, we let our defense dictate and control the game. We executed better on offense, and that allowed us to have a strong defense to rely on. Liam (McKinley) and Sam (Schmidt) brought a lot of defensive and offensive energy early, which really helped us get going.”

Liam McKinley was responsible for fueling a five-point lead for Wellsville (6-1), as he knocked down two of his three treys on his way toward recording 10 of the team’s 14 points to set the pace. In the second, it was the defense that took over, as the Rebels (2-4) scored just two baskets within the frame - a Landon Wight three and Trent Chamberlain two, in the midst of a 20-5 run that the Lions strung together to finish the first half strong.

How strong? Try by 20 points.

In the second half, the game continued to point in Wellsville’s direction with another massive run in the third quarter that kept them out in the driver’s seat for good behind a 21-point third quarter that saw a slew of different Lions get involved in their balanced attack.

McKinley led all scorers with a game-high 15 points. Sam Schmidt turned up the heat himself starting in the second, and going into the third quarter, finishing with 12 points of his own. Connor Ferguson netted eight points.

Cuba-Rushford was led by Wight, who concluded with his team-high seven points. Chamberlain, Jack Frank and Austin Clement all had six points each to chip in for the Rebels, who will continue their road swing into Genesee Valley on Friday to face the Jaguars in a 7:30 p.m. contest.

The Lions will go for seven in a row when Saturday afternoon arrives, as they prepare to face perhaps their toughest task of the season — the Allegany-Limestone Gators, in a 2:30 p.m. contest.

“It's certainly going to be a tough test that will be presented to us, maybe our toughest of the season with Allegany-Limestone coming into here. They're the top seed in Class B over in Section VI, so we will have our hands full. We have to have our best game of the season if we want to have a chance to compete for that win.” said Auman.

Cuba-Rushford 9 5 8 12 – 34

Wellsville 14 20 21 13 – 68

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Jack Frank 2 2-2 6, Trent Chamberlain 3 0-1 6, Brayden Lavery 2 0-0 5, Landon Wight 2 1-4 7, Jacob Smith 2 0-0 4, Austin Clement 2 2-4 6. Totals: 13 5-11 34.
WELLSVILLE: Tyler Sands 4 0-0 8, Alex Perkins 3 1-1 7, Sam Schmidt 5 1-1 12, Liam McKinley 6 0-0 15, Dalton Ketchner 1 0-0 2, Logan Dunbar 3 0-0 6, Connor Ferguson 4 0-0 8, Aidan Hart 2 0-0 4, Brayden Delahunt 1 0-2 2, Kailob Phelps 1 0-0 2, Tim Jones 1 0-0 2. Totals: 31 2-4 68.
3-point goals: C-R 3 (Wight 2, Lavery), Wellsville 4 (McKinley 3, Perkins).
Total Fouls: C-R 12, Wellsville 15. Fouled out: None.

Scio 58, Friendship 46

FRIENDSHIP — If there was something that Scio’s senior leader Cam Loucks has not done yet this season, scoring 40 points in a game is one. That was an item that Loucks crossed off the list Wednesday night on the road in Friendship, as he dominated the paint down low for the Tigers, netting a career-high 46 points in the team’s 58-46 victory over the host Golden Eagles.

In addition to Loucks’ 40 points from the field, including a three, he would also go 5-for-9 at the stripe to finish off his career evening for Scio (3-2), who started out the night hot with a 19-5 run of Friendship in the first eight minutes. Helping the cause for the visitors in navy and gold, are Cory Bolzan, who recorded five points in his return to the squad. Brendan Loucks had four points, while Nate Ford finished with a three-pointer.

Friendship (0-5) saw three different Golden Eagles record double digits, with Ian Romero leading the way by sinking a trio of the team’s eight total three-pointers, on his way to a team-high 11-point performance. Taylor Moore and John Outman each recorded 10 points, while Dekota Stewart had two more threes to add, for six points.

Scio will continued their postponed game already in action with the Hinsdale Bobcats tonight, as they prepare for the road trip down I-86 with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. Friendship will continue the search for their first win back on the road Friday night at 6 p.m. against the Belfast Bulldogs.

Scio 19 14 14 9 – 58

Friendship 5 14 13 14 – 46

SCIO: Brendan Loucks 1 2-4 4, Cory Bolzan 2 0-0 5, Nate Ford 1 0-0 3, Cam Loucks 20 5-9 46. Totals: 24 7-13 58.
FRIENDSHIP: Taylor Moore 4 0-0 10, Jacob Golden 2 0-2 4, Ian Romero 3 2-2 11, Garrett Miller 2 0-0 5, Dekota Stewart 2 0-0 6, John Outman 5 0-2 10. Totals: 18 2-6 46.

3-point goals: Scio 3 (Bolzan, Ford, Loucks), Friendship 8 (Romero 3, Moore 2, Stewart 2, Miller).
Total Fouls: Scio 8, Friendship 9. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 64, Genesee Valley 52

BOLIVAR — A fast start and defense from the beginning to the end was the difference maker on Wednesday in Bolivar. It belonged to the host Wolverines, who made sure they provided the season sweep over visiting Genesee Valley, as they outlasted the Jaguars in the second half to record the 64-52 home win.

“It was an ugly game, and it was a defensive victory for the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg,” said Wolverines coach Jeff Margeson. “Offensively, we couldn’t get much going. Genesee Valley did a nice job hustling. Landon had a really big night, but most of his points were on fastbreaks. Wyatt (Karnuth) and Matt (Mitchell) really steamrolled on defense for us, and Landon benefited from them. It was a Genesee Valley/Bolivar-Richburg barnburner, two teams that don't have very many horses in the stable. But a win is a win, and this was a big four points for us in the league.”

Both teams would go back and forth through the next three quarters of play after Bolivar-Richburg (3-4) would put together a strong eight minute start in the first quarter that would prove to be one of the difference makers in the Wolverines coming out on top, as they assumed control of a 17-6 lead heading forward.

Margeson said that despite the big lead after one, that it was tight quarters as the game went on.

“You can expect that from Lintz (Bliven),” he said. “We were up 17-6 with Genesee Valley against the ropes, and they fought back. They never gave up, and they were really stingy. Brock Ellsessor gave us fits all night long on the glass, and it didn’t really matter what combination we tried on him. We did everything possible, but we couldn’t. We were getting the ball down low ourselves, and we couldn’t make the shots.”

Ellsessor had his best game of the season for the Jaguars (0-6), as he scored 12 of his team-high 21 points frequently on second chance buckets throughout the first half to keep the team within reach of the Wolverines when halftime came around, as the hosts in white and red wound up with a 28-22 lead at break.

Later on, the Jaguars would attempt to make a late run after the Wolverines in the fourth quarter behind the guidance of Riley Gordon, who brought his three-game to life, scoring all three of his triples, 13 points of his 21 team-tying points in the final eight minute period to keep the pressure on. But it was the defense that continued to prevail for Bolivar-Richburg, as they managed to stick right with Genesee Valley until the end, keeping their 12-point buffer zone in tact for the win.

Danaher would finish with a career-high 38 points for the Wolverines, including both of the team’s three-pointers and an 8-for-12 outing at the charity stripe. Wyatt Karnuth had his best game of the season, pitching in a season-high 12 points, while Camdyn MacDonell chipped in with 10 points of his own.

Helping the offensive cause for the Jaguars behind Ellsessor and Gordon, was Austin Murphy, who pitched in with five points of his own.

Both teams will have 7:30 p.m. contests coming up Friday night, with the Wolverines looking to keep their winning ways chugging along with perhaps their biggest County game of the season in Fillmore, looking for a big four-point gain against the Eagles, who remain red hot with wins in five of their last six.

As for the Jaguars, they will continue the search for their first win of the season back home in The Jungle, as they prepare to welcome in the Cuba-Rushford Rebels.

Genesee Valley 6 16 11 19 – 52

Bolivar-Richburg 17 11 17 19 – 64

GENESEE VALLEY: Christian Tuttle 1 0-0 3, Austin Murphy 2 1-4 5, Brock Ellsessor 8 5-8 21, Devin Cline 1 0-0 2, Morgan Torrey 0 0-1 0, Riley Gordon 7 4-4 21. Totals: 19 10-17 52.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Landon Danaher 14 8-12 38, Wyatt Karnuth 5 2-5 12, Matt Mitchell 1 1-2 3, Evan Pinney 0 1-2 1, Camdyn MacDonell 4 2-4 10. Totals: 24 14-25 64.

3-point goals: GV 4 (Gordon 3, Tuttle), B-R 2 (Danaher).
Total Fouls: GV 17, B-R 15. Fouled out: None.

Belfast 64, Whitesville 38

WHITESVILLE — Belfast and Whitesville exchanged blows across the first half of play in their contest, Wednesday evening. It resulted in a one-point differential by the time halftime arrived. But in the second half, the game was blown wide open. That by the visiting Bulldogs, as they pushed all their chips to the center of the table with a massive third quarter run that saw them speed by the Blue Jays for good with a 64-38 victory over the road.

“Tonight was a perfect example of a team still learning to win,” said Blue Jays coach Scott Bledsoe. “We were within striking distance at halftime, only down nine, and then Belfast came out in the third quarter and punched us in the mouth. Unfortunately, we could not find a way to answer the bell. We couldn’t find an answer for the (Stephen) Struckmann kid down low in the post, and we let their outside shooters go off from three-point range. I told my guys that we can learn from this one, especially against good teams. You have to play four quarters of basketball. Now, we have to regroup and get ready for Saturday. We’ll be ready to play.”

The dynamic tag team of Devin Harriger and Stephen Struckmann were the story all game long for the Bulldogs (5-1), as they combined to score 46 of the team’s 64 total points on the hardwood, with Harriger catching fire from three-point range from start to finish, netting seven of the team’s 10 in all to compile a season-high 25 points, while Struckmann led the gameplay inside with his 21 points down low.

Harriger would net two of his seven treys in the third, while getting some assistance from Nick Ellison, who netted two of his three triples inside the massive 25-point third quarter for Belfast, setting up shop for what came to be a 25-9 run of Whitesville (3-4) that pulled them ahead for good, after trailing at halftime by one point.

Ellison would finish with nine points for the visitors in black and red, while Tony Logue added in six points. The Blue Jays were led by CJ Estep, who tallied a team-high 15 points, recording three of the team’s six three-pointers along the way. Lucas Erdmann was not far behind, netting the remaining three triples to put toward his 14-point evening.

Belfast will go for their sixth win in their last seven games back home on Friday, as they host a 6 p.m. battle with the Friendship Golden Eagles. As for Whitesville, they will look to regroup Saturday afternoon back on their home floor with the Andover Panthers in town for a 1 p.m. matinee.

Belfast 10 10 25 9 – 64

Whitesville 10 11 9 8 – 38

BELFAST: Jason Drozdowski 0 3-3 3, Nick Ellison 3 0-0 9, Chris Fuller 0 0-2 0, Tony Logue 3 0-0 6, Devin Harriger 8 2-2 25, Matt Weaver 0 0-2 0, Stephen Struckmann 10 1-4 21. Totals: 24 6-13 64.
WHITESVILLE: CJ Estep 3 6-12 15, Lucas Erdmann 5 1-2 14, Colby Gaines 1 2-2 4, Dylan Acor 1 0-0 2, Spencer Mattison 1 1-4 3. Totals: 11 10-20 38.

3-point goals: Belfast 10 (Harriger 7, Ellison 3), Whitesville 6 (Estep 3, Erdmann 3).
Total Fouls: Belfast 16, Whitesville 12. Fouled out: None.

Andover 61, Hinsdale 29

ANDOVER — Coming off his season best performance just 24 hours ago in Friendship, Spencer Cook nearly had a mirror image performance back home with the Hinsdale Bobcats in town on Wednesday, as he found his groove from the inside perimeter all night long, netting a game-high 26 points to power up what became a 61-29 triumph.

“Spencer Cook and Chris Walker are both really starting to pick up their game, and behind those two senior leaders, we are really starting to put together some great basketball,” said Panthers coach John Dougherty. “I think we’re finally starting to get some legs under us after that minor bump in the road a little earlier in the season. We’re starting to run better, and we’ve pulled a couple of kids up from JV in Brody (Carlin) and Will Kent that are really helping provide some outstanding minutes to give some guys rest. That changed the dynamic of this team. Things are really coming around.”

The Panthers (4-2) used a pair of first half runs to power up their double digit victory, getting off to a strong start in the opening eight minutes with Cook and Kohler Niedermaier getting the offense going with 11 of the team’s 17 combined first quarter points to jumpstart their 17-6 lead of Hinsdale. In the second, it was the defense getting the job done, as they held the visitors in blue to a single point while establishing a 13-1 run to end the second half with a massive 30-7 lead, which allowed Andover to put the game on ice.

Finishing behind Cook in the scorebook was Niedermaier, who finished with 14 more points. Chris Walker finished with eight points to go with helping hand, as he dished out 11 assists in addition. Hinsdale (1-3) was led by Sam Cashimere and Parker Keenan, as they both sank a pair of three-pointers, for six team-high points.

Andover will return to action Saturday afternoon in Whitesville, as they face the Blue Jays in 1 p.m. matinee. As for Hinsdale, they will continue their game with the Scio Tigers that was postponed already in progress last week, tonight at 7:30 p.m. back home.

Hinsdale 6 1 12 10 – 29

Andover 17 13 12 19 – 61

HINSDALE: Zach Byrne 2 0-0 5, Ethan Cashimere 2 0-0 4, Sam Cashimere 2 0-0 6, Parker Keenan 2 0-0 6, Jeff Rossman 0 1-2 1, Cody Barton 2 1-2 5, Jake Elliott 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 2-4 29.
ANDOVER: Spencer Cook 10 4-8 26, Cormac Brown 1 1-4 3, Brody Carlin 2 1-3 6, Greg Reilly 2 0-0 4, Chris Walker 4 0-0 8, Kohler Niedermaier 7 0-0 14. Totals: 26 6-15 61.

3-point goals: Hinsdale 5 (S. Cashimere 2, Keenan 2, Byrne), Andover 3 (Cook 2, Carlin).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 11, Andover 4. Fouled out: Byrne (HIN).

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Scio 3, Bolivar-Richburg 1

SCIO — For the first time this season, the Scio Tigers are on the board with their first victory of the season. It was not an easy task with Bolivar-Richburg, with all the sets that were played being decided by no less than four points, but the Tigers would take the overall 3-1 advantage (25-21, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21) to end the night on a positive note, Wednesday night.

Benny Weimer led the way for the Tigers (1-4) with 18 service points to go with his eight aces from the service line. Joey Nickerson added in 11 service points of his own while adding two kills and two more aces. Austin Gowdy had nine more service points to pair with his two aces, while Jude Marion rounded off the home statsheet with his eight service points, three blocks at the net, two kills and one ace.

Bolivar-Richburg did not have stats to report upon publication.

Scio will look to continue their winning ways on the road at Cuba-Rushford on Saturday, taking on the Rebels in a 6 p.m. contest. The Wolverines will begin a home-at-home set with Wellsville beginning tonight over the road, also at 6 p.m.