Friday Roundup: C-R’s Searle buckets game-high 30, leaps into 1,000-point club in team’s 61-54 win over Houghton Academy; Rebels, Wolverines boys garner wins to prepare for Monday showdown

[PHOTO PROVIDED]

CUBA — Lady Rebels head coach Aaron Wight has pretty much seen it all unfold before his very eyes. In his numerous seasons pacing the sidelines both inside and outside, Wight has had the distinct pleasure of coaching one of Allegany County’s stars on both the soccer pitch, and the basketball hardwood during the winter — Taylor Searle.

No matter which way you look at it, Searle’s impact in both realms of competition has resonated since the very beginning of her journey. Now in her final season donning Cuba-Rushford’s blue, maroon and white colors, it was now time to begin leaving an everlasting legacy behind in the school she will soon graduate from, this June.

How does a ticket into the 1,000-point club sound?

She only needed 27 points to gain entry at the beginning of the night. But Searle went on to take that extra step to make sure she got it all, as she posted 30 team-high points, with the millennium-clinching basket coming in the late stages of the fourth quarter on a drive down low, to assist in setting up what was a 61-54 win over visiting Houghton Academy on Friday to spring back to .500 on the season to close out the week.

“I’m really happy for Taylor. It’s been a privilege to coach her in both sports throughout her career,” Wight said. “Beyond just her ability on the court and on the field, she is a great student, person and teammate. I’ve never had a single issue with her as far as attitude and discipline. She just shows up every night and works so hard. And it’s been that way for the last four years. I’m so proud of her.”

Searle becomes the sixth member to gain entry into Cuba-Rushford’s exclusive club, and the 17th member altogether. The last to do so, was another prominent name in Lady Rebels lore — Kate Howe, the girls basketball program’s All-Time leading scorer who eclipsed that historic mark in the 2018-19 season.

To do it, the Lady Rebels (7-7) fed off a brilliant start that stemmed after Houghton Academy bucketed the first six points, answering back with 12 of the next 13 points to take an early, commanding lead across midway and to the end of the opening frame.

The lead for the hosts in white and blue was pushed out into double-digit territory, with Emma Retz inside and a pair of Cloey Larabee three-pointers helping set the stage up for a 36-23 lead to control after the break. Both teams would trade 10-point third quarters to start the second half. In the midst of it all, Cuba-Rushford pushed their advantage to as large as 19 over the Lady Panthers (2-11) with under four minutes left in the period.

But Houghton Academy would not back down, as they responded with their largest offensive outburst of the night — a 21-point frame to close the gap behind the Lady Rebels, garnering 11 straight points after a quarter-opening bucket from the hosts. But off the jaunt, the Lady Rebels were able to shake it off and outlast the Lady Panthers through a back-and-forth exchanging of pleasantries down the home stretch.

A stretch that saw Searle eclipse the historic 1,000-point mark in her career off an excellent in-bound pass from Retz on the baseline, taking one dribble towards the basket before letting it go with under four minutes left to play, helping keep Cuba-Rushford’s spot in the driver’s seat for the rest of the game.

After the shot, Searle was presented with multiple commemorations from her team, including a trio of banners and a pair of basketballs — one celebrating her 1,000 career points, and the other marking another significant achievement: A 38-point game against Friendship/Scio back on December 10, a performance that broke a Cuba-Rushford school record for most points in a game, in girls basketball history.

“Tonight’s game, Taylor needed 27 to get to 1,000 and the entire gym knew that,” said Wight. “There was lots of anticipation, and we kind of forgot how to play basketball at times during the second half. Houghton hit some huge shots. Thankfully, we got some big contributions from Cloey and Emma offensively, and Kendall (Tompkins) gave us some great minutes in her first game up from JV.”

Finishing behind Searle were both Larabee and Retz, as the two shooters both collected 10 points. Tompkins finished with four points.

On the other side, Jess Prentice pieced together an outstanding performance for the Lady Panthers. Despite the defeat, she posted a season-high 43 points to lead the offense, including all six of the team’s three-pointers. Laura Maya provided six points of her own, while Jessica Adenuga chipped in with five points.

Both teams are back on the floor Monday night, with the Lady Rebels re-entering the Wighthouse to take on Bolivar-Richburg in a 7:30 p.m. contest, while Houghton Academy looks to rebound on the road again with a 5:45 p.m. visit to Alfred-Almond.

Houghton Academy 9 14 10 21 – 54

Cuba-Rushford 18 18 10 13 – 61

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jess Prentice 17 3-4 43, Jessica Adenuga 2 1-2 5, Laura Maya 3 0-0 6. Totals: 22 4-6 54.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Cloey Larabee 4 0-0 10, Kendall Tompkins 2 0-0 4, Shae Maples 1 0-0 2, Emma Retz 4 1-2 10, Brynn Lavery 1 1-2 3, Taylor Searle 11 7-8 30. Totals: 26 9-12 61.

3-point goals: HA 6 (Prentice), C-R 4 (Larabee 2, Retz, Searle).
Total Fouls: HA 12, C-R 6. Fouled out: None.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 69, Andover/Whitesville 52

FILLMORE — Andover/Whitesville made a late attempt to chip away at their deficit to Fillmore, but a first quarter start was enough for the host Eagles to make a large amount of noise, as they posted a phenomenal start to build on over time to sustain what was a 69-52 victory inside The Rock, Friday evening.

“We came out of the gates well. Luke (Colombo) got us off to a great start with some early baskets, and our press got our transition going,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “But give Andover/Whitesville credit, Jimmy (Joyce) has them playing hard and they never gave up either. They made a couple runs in the second half, and knocked down some big shots. We will need to be better next time we see them.”

Six different Eagles (8-4) all contributed towards a 21-3 game-opening run against Andover/Whitesville, with 14 of the first 15 points going their way to pace it. Luke Colombo and his early stage baskets assisted in leading the charge, while the defense fed off the energy by holding their opposition shot-less from the field.

“Fillmore is quick and well-coached. They punched us in the face right away. I like how we responded but we fell into a big hole. We will learn from this,” Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce said. “I’m really proud of the way our guys battled throughout the game and never gave up. Fillmore plays so fast, we just couldn’t match their tempo in the early going. Will Kent and Brody Vance played exceptional basketball tonight. There are certainly a lot of things we can build on, despite the loss.”

The dominant start continued on for Fillmore as their double digit lead kept growing until the second half when Andover/Whitesville (7-9) started to chip away, especially in the fourth quarter with four three-pointers and a strong 7-for-7 outing at the line from CJ Estep to ignite a 21-point stanza — their largest of the game. But the Eagles were able to ward off the late push to seal the victory.

Zach Sisson fronted a brilliant night of offense for the Eagles with his game-high 27 points — 14 of them coming in the team’s 19-point third quarter, pairing them with eight rebounds along the way. Mitch Ward followed with nine points, while Colombo (10 rebounds) and Jair Bialek each had eight points. Brent Zubikowski added more help off the boards with nine more rebounds.

Andover/Whitesville was led by the attack of Brody Vance and CJ Estep, as the two combined for 28 of the team’s 52 points. Vance finished with 16 team-high points, while Estep followed with 12. Jack Belmont knocked down three triples, for nine points. The team will head back home to host Friendship/Scio in Whitesville, Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

Fillmore now heads into tonight’s showdown with the Elba Lancers with a full head of steam, as the two foes prepare for battle in a 6 p.m. tip-off at Houghton University.

Andover/Whitesville 3 14 14 21 – 52

Fillmore 21 15 19 14 – 69

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Jack Belmont 3 0-0 9, CJ Estep 2 8-9 12, Brody Vance 6 2-5 16, Will Kent 2 0-0 4, Colton Calladine 1 2-2 5, Gage Hall 1 1-1 3, Kohler Niedermaier 1 0-0 3. Totals: 16 13-17 52.

FILLMORE: Eben Schilke 1 0-0 2, Brent Zubikowski 1 0-1 2, Jair Bialek 4 0-0 8, Marcus Wolfer 1 0-0 2, Luke Colombo 3 1-2 8, Mitch Ward 4 1-5 9, Zach Sisson 9 5-7 27, Jonah Bialek 1 1-4 4, Layton Sanasith 1 2-2 4, Reid Cockle 1 1-2 3. Totals: 26 11-23 69.

3-point goals: A/W 7 (Belmont 3, Vance 2, Calladine, Niedermaier), Fillmore 6 (Sisson 4, Colombo, Jo. Bialek).
Total Fouls: A/W 16, Fillmore 13. Fouled out: None.

Friendship/Scio 48, Genesee Valley/Belfast 36

BELMONT — Ethan Davenport took control of one half while Brenden Loucks took over in the next for Friendship/Scio, as the dynamic duo set up shop for a successful night of basketball to spoil Genesee Valley/Belfast’s Senior Night celebration on Friday in the Jungle, capturing a big 48-36 victory on the road to get back on track.

“We’ve been getting better, and it’s showing. This is the most locked-in we’ve been all season. Ethan had a great first half. They adjusted to try and match him, with the (Kadin) Logue kid going up against him. He’s a solid defender, but Ethan helped us get things started. But in the second half, Brenden really stepped up, and carried us tonight,” said Friendship/Scio co-coach Dillon McFall. “All these guys did some great things. Hunter (Hill), Cooper (Greenman), Matt Donohue was in there in the first half. Those three guys did a great job on the defensive glass, and we’ve been stressing that the past couple weeks. We got a lot of loose balls tonight because of it.”

Friendship/Scio (5-10) established ground in the first half by providing yeoman’s service on defense to keep Genesee Valley/Belfast at bay, as Davenport first assumed totality in the opening half to establish a 24-13 lead that they would hold under wraps going into the break.

In the second half, it was Loucks’ turn for the visitors to make some noise with 14 of his game-high 21 points coming in the back half of the game, pairing them with 16 big rebounds off the glass to finish off a double-double performance that would propel the team over the top towards victory through a close quarters second half battle until the end.

Davenport finished with 15 points of his own, while Hunter Hill sank two threes, for six points to go with seven rebounds to further Friendship/Scio’s cause.

Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-9) was paced by Kyle McCumiskey and Ian McKenzie, as both scorers bucketed a team-high six points.

Both teams are back in action with a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests on Tuesday, as Friendship/Scio heads to Whitesville to continue their road trip with a visit to Andover/Whitesville, while Genesee Valley/Belfast travels over the road themselves for a meeting with Fillmore.

Friendship/Scio 14 10 12 12 – 48

Genesee Valley/Belfast 6 7 10 13 – 36

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Taylor Moore 0 4-9 4, Ethan Davenport 6 1-4 15, Brenden Loucks 8 5-8 21, Cooper Greenman 1 0-0 2, Hunter Hill 2 0-0 6. Totals: 17 10-21 48.
GV/BELFAST: Brayden Cooper 1 1-3 3, Kadin Logue 0 2-3 2, Owen Heaney 2 0-0 5, Kyle McCumiskey 2 1-4 6, Ian McKenzie 2 0-0 6, Max Wedge 0 1-2 1, Jacob Borden 2 0-2 4, Killian McKnight 1 0-0 2, Thai Norasethaporn 2 0-0 4, Ryan Daciw 0 3-4 3. Totals: 12 8-18 36.
3-point goals: F/S 4 (Davenport 2, Hill 2), GVB 4 (McKenzie 2, Heaney, McCumiskey).
Total Fouls: F/S 16, GVB 18. Fouled out: None.

Cuba-Rushford 83, Houghton Academy 34

CUBA — The Rebels of Cuba-Rushford were engulfed in flames across all angles of the floor on Friday.

Through a competitive first quarter battle to start the festivities, the hosts kicked it into high gear with a massive second quarter run that saw them stroll away behind an 83-point aerial attack, building momentum for Monday’s colossal showdown with Bolivar-Richburg with an 83-34 win over Houghton Academy.

“I was really happy with how well we shot the ball tonight. Jack Frank helped set everything up with 13 assists, and that was outstanding. It was great to see us making shots after struggling against Canisteo-Greenwood this past week. I’m hoping the energy level stays the same after the weekend.” Rebels coach Pat Wight said.

Cuba-Rushford (13-2) was a well oiled machine all across the 32 minutes on the floor, beginning with a close fight with Houghton Academy that saw the Panthers dig away at their lead. But a strong finish to the frame allowed them to build an overwhelming amount of momentum to rollover into the second, where they ran off behind Jacob Smith and Peyton Joy’s game down low, along with a pair of Hunter Scott three-pointers to record a 22-6 run.

The game was put away permanently by the Rebels with one final outburst against the Panthers (1-10), as Braeden Wight helped the team ignite their three-point game with six third quarter team three-pointers, four of them off his hand to provide a 25-5 run to break away towards their 13th win of the season.

Smith led all Cuba-Rushford scorers with a game-high 19 points, while Wight followed closely behind with 18 points. Finn Ricketts chipped in with eight points, while Scott, Joy and Jacob Linderman each had six.

Houghton Academy was led by James Adenuga and his 15 team-high points. Josh Davidson had 13 points. The Panthers head back home to welcome in New Life Christian for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday.

The Rebels will now begin preparations for a massive County showdown with Bolivar-Richburg — the first of two meetings in a span of four days next week, as the two rivals clash in Bolivar at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

Houghton Academy 12 6 5 11 – 34

Cuba-Rushford 21 22 25 15 – 83

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Josh Davidson 5 0-0 13, James Adenuga 4 4-4 15, Marco Zanini 1 0-0 2, Pedro Rebello 2 0-0 4. Totals: 12 4-4 34.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Braeden Wight 6 0-2 18, Jacob Smith 7 4-4 19, Kaden Bell 0 2-2 2, Luke Brooks 2 0-0 4, Jack Frank 2 0-0 4, Hunter Scott 2 0-0 6, Dom Bello 2 0-0 5, Finn Ricketts 4 0-0 8, Tristan Clayson 2 1-2 5, Jacob Linderman 2 0-0 6, Peyton Joy 3 0-1 6. Totals: 32 7-11 83.

3-point goals: HA 6 (Davidson 3, Adenuga 3), C-R 12 (Wight 6, Scott 2, Linderman 2, Smith, Bello).
Total Fouls: HA 12, C-R 11. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 66, Hinsdale 32

BOLIVAR — After engaging in a first quarter shootout with visiting Hinsdale, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg made sure they provided a strong finish to the frame, going ahead with a lead they would soon build insurmountably on, as they strolled towards victory behind a big second half push to lay claim on a 66-32 home decision on Friday.

Before the Bobcats began closing the gap down, Bolivar-Richburg (12-2) began the night red hot in the opening minutes with eight of the first 10 points, six of them being recorded by Aydin Sisson who went on to have another masterful night on the offense with a game-high 28 points.

The Wolverines marched forward to end the first with a 20-15 lead of Hinsdale (1-14) before rolling towards a runaway second quarter that kept them out in front for good — a 21-2 first half-ending run in all to garner the room possible to record the win.

Behind Sisson was Landon Barkley, who tallied 14 points to pair with five steals. Evan Pinney added in seven points, while Reiss Gaines had five to go with five rebounds and four helpers. Leading the work off the glass was David Baldwin, who grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Bobcats were led by Xander Pascucci and his 14 team-high points. Cody Barton had 10. Hinsdale will return to action back home next Friday with a 7:30 p.m. visit from Cuba-Rushford.

The Wolverines will have the same Rebels team first, as they meet Cuba-Rushford for the first of two colossal games in a span of four days next week, beginning on Monday in Bolivar at 7:30 p.m.

Hinsdale 15 2 8 7 – 32

Bolivar-Richburg 20 21 13 12 – 66

HINSDALE: Xander Pascucci 5 2-2 14, Joe Neubert 1 0-0 2, Cody Barton 5 0-5 10, Tyler Richards 2 0-2 6. Totals: 13 2-9 32.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 11 4-6 28, Cayden Gaines 2 0-0 4, Landon Barkley 4 4-5 14, Reiss Gaines 2 1-1 5, Trevor Pforter 1 0-0 2, Waide Karnuth 1 0-0 2, Caden Giardini 1 0-0 2, David Baldwin 0 2-2 2, Evan Pinney 2 3-4 7. Totals: 24 14-18 66.
3-point goals: Hinsdale 4 (Pascucci 2, Richards 2), B-R 4 (Sisson 2, Barkley 2).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 13, B-R 9. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Allegany-Limestone 3, Fillmore 0

ALLEGANY — On the final night of regular season action, Allegany-Limestone survived a close affair with visiting Fillmore in the early-going, as they built off the start to push forward towards what would be a straight-set triumph in the Swamp on Friday, rolling towards a 25-22, 25-17, 25-21 win to claim the No. 2 seed in the Allegany County Playoffs next week.

Fillmore (2-13) was led by Nathan Tanner on offense, garnering five kills. Henry Decker chipped in with six big blocks at the front of the net to go with three more kills.

The Eagles lock into the No. 8 seed and will travel to face top-seeded Cuba-Rushford for a 6 p.m. opening round battle of the County Playoffs on Tuesday.