Friday Roundup: And/Whi, GV/Belfast boys use strong starts to set up Rotary Club Tournament title game; Lady Lions use key free throws to open season with 54-47 OT win at Letchworth

BELMONT — On the first day of the 2nd Annual Rotary Club Tip-Off Tournament in Belmont, both opening round games between Andover/Whitesville and Friendship, as well as Alfred-Almond and host Genesee Valley/Belfast, saw a common theme develop almost immediately — a rapid start.

On Friday, those advantages were garnered by both Andover/Whitesville and Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they used the first quarter to the absolute fullest to build a lead that was never relinquished, as they two squads collected their respective victories to set up the tournament’s championship game, Saturday afternoon.

In the Elementary gym, Andover/Whitesville (2-0) was red hot straight out of the gate with five different scorers all finding the stat sheet in the team’s 17-point opening quarter. The inside game was clicking across all facets against Friendship/Scio, while defense in turn held their opposition to just four points to claim a big advantage they never lost — a 69-32 victory at the final buzzer.

“We finally got the fast start we have been looking for,” Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce said. “The defense played extremely well again. Vinny (Joyce) and Colt (Calladine) led the way offensively, and Brody (Vance) was able to play facilitator from the point guard spot while still chipping in his usual load of points. James (Miller-Young) played with the aggression we needed and it showed. It was another one of those games where everyone did their part, and it allowed us to concentrate on more than one or two guys to help us score. We can really mix things up when we are able to.”

After Andover/Whitesville continued to further their lead going into the break, they would march forward and permanently cement their trip to the title game the following day with a 38-point second half — one that included a 20-10 run of Friendship/Scio (0-1) in the third quarter.

Paving the offense towards big success was Vincent Joyce and Colton Calladine, as each recorded 16 game-high points. James Miller-Young and Brody Vance were the third and fourth scorers for Andover/Whitesville to eclipse the double-digit plateau for the game, as each shooter bucketed 14 points.

For Friendship/Scio, Connor Blouvet tallied seven points to lead the offense. Aiden Golden and Jerimiah Brown each had five points to pitch in.

Through the double doors and into the High School gym, another fast start was to be had, this time by Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they pumped out an 16-6 lead through the first eight minutes of play to set up shop for success of their own with what morphed into a 58-24 victory at the end of the night over Alfred-Almond.

Genesee Valley/Belfast (2-0) established their presence right from the start, as they used a even distribution of offense to ignite their spark while the defense buckled down on the opposite end of the floor, holding the Eagles to single digits across all four frames of play to keep the upper-hand within their possession.

In the midst of their level attack, Kadin Logue led all Genesee Valley/Belfast scorers with a game-high 13 points. Following behind was Ian McKenzie and his 10 points. Jacob Borden and Kyle McCumiskey both chipped in with nine points, with McCumiskey hitting three of the team’s eight triples from downtown.

Alfred-Almond was led by Brogan Donlon, who sank a pair of triples for six points.

Today, Friendship/Scio and Alfred-Almond did battle in the tournament’s Consolation round, while Genesee Valley/Belfast and Andover/Whitesville went toe-to-toe in a battle of early unbeatens to determine this year’s champion.

Andover/Whitesville 17 14 20 18 – 69

Friendship/Scio 4 10 10 8 – 32

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Skylar Orpet 1 0-0 2, James Miller-Young 7 0-0 14, Derek Perkins 1 0-2 2, Ethan Warriner 2 1-2 5, Vincent Joyce 6 2-4 16, Brody Vance 6 0-3 14, Colton Calladine 7 2-3 16. Totals: 30 5-14 69.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Aiden Golden 2 0-1 5, Jerome Harmon 2 0-0 4, Connor Blouvet 2 1-2 7, Charlie Taylor 0 1-2 1, Sean Dieter 1 0-0 3, Kiernan Romero 0 0-1 0, Jerimiah Brown 2 0-0 5, Matt Donohue 1 0-0 3, Deacon Brown 2 0-0 4. Totals: 12 2-6 32.

3-point goals: A/W 4 (Joyce 2, Vance 2), F/S 6 (Blouvet 2, Golden, Dieter, Brown, Donohue)
Total Fouls: A/W 13, F/S 12. Fouled out: None.

Alfred-Almond 6 4 7 7 – 24

Genesee Valley/Belfast 16 8 24 12 – 58

ALFRED-ALMOND: Jackson Jusianiec 1 0-0 3, Ryan Washburn 2 1-1 5, Brogan Donlon 2 0-0 6, Noah Heffley 2 0-0 4, Sam Bensley 1 0-0 2, Liam Ruthven 2 0-0 4. Totals: 10 1-1 24.
GV/BELFAST: Kyle McCumiskey 3 0-0 9, Kadin Logue 6 0-0 13, Lannden Tilton 3 0-0 8, Matt Cater 1 0-0 2, Ian McKenzie 4 0-1 10, Jacob Borden 4 1-4 9, Kenton Schultz 2 0-2 4, Fisher Herdman 1 1-2 3. Totals: 24 2-9 58.
3-point goals: A-A 3 (Donlon 2, Jusianiec), GV 8 (McCumiskey 3, Tilton 2, McKenzie 2, Logue).

Total Fouls: A-A 7, GVB 8. Fouled out: None.

Mount Morris 61, Hinsdale 21

HINSDALE — Defending Sectional champion Mount Morris had a perfect start to their title defense over the road on Friday, as they used a powerful first quarter presence to pave the way forward towards victory by a 61-21 count over the host Bobcats of Hinsdale.

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

Hinsdale (0-2) will return to their home floor on December 13 when they face West Valley in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Wellsville 54, Letchworth 49 (F-OT)

GAINESVILLE — To headline their opening act of the brand new campaign on Friday, it was a case of clutch shooting for the Lady Lions of Wellsville. Wherever the opportunity presented itself, they were there to knock at the door. But for host Letchworth, they did the same exact thing with a big fourth quarter run that saw them force overtime.

As for that clutch shooting, there was no better time for it to come into play than in the last four minutes the night would see, when the charity stripe made the biggest difference of them all. Wellsville saw Natalie Adams and Averee Palmatier rise to the occasion in that special teams department, as the two Lady Lions combined to go for a perfect 6-for-6 at the line to help sway the momentum back in their favor permanently to collect their first win of the season by a 54-49 count.

“It’s going to be an interesting season. We’re young, and it’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve,” said Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord. “Tonight, free throws really helped us out big time in overtime, especially from Natalie and Averee. They didn’t miss a shot, they went 6-for-6. We were outscored in the fourth quarter and that kind of exposed some of our youth a little bit. But the girls came together and did enough in extra time to get us the win.”

For much of the first half, it developed into a close quarters battle between the two squads, with the Lady Lions (1-0) garnering the edge behind a mixed bag of offense that saw four different scorers find the basket inside, as well as a 5-for-6 outing at the stripe to power their special teams between Natalie Adams and Makenna Dunbar.

With Letchworth remaining right behind them, the balanced attack from Wellsville continued to kick into gear going into halftime with an 8-4 doubling up of the hosts, as the defense held their opposition to just two shots from the field to claim a 21-14 lead. The advantage grew instantly upon the team’s return to the court in the third quarter, as the Lady Lions recorded their largest frame of the night behind Adams and Dunbar once again from all angles.

In all, a 15-4 second half-starting spurt to more than double their lead in size.

But Letchworth would not let up one bit however, as they pulled together a tremendous fourth quarter comeback behind their 17-9 run of the Lady Lions that included a last-second triple to force the extra four-minute session right at the very end, tying the game at 45 in the same swing.

In overtime, Letchworth was able to build onto their lead, but the Lady Lions were able to break it back down one more time with some clutch free throw shooting — a 7-for-10 outing at the stripe, and 17-for-26 overall in the game. An element that allowed the Lady Lions to secure their first win over the road.

When it was all said and done, Adams led all Lady Lions scorers with a game-high 19 points, pairing them with six steals. Palmatier followed with 13 points of her own to couple with five assists, while Makenna Dunbar chipped in with 10 points, six rebounds and five steals. Caelyn Stevens added in six additional boards.

Up next, the Lady Lions are back home for their home opener Tuesday night, when they welcome in the Penn Yan Lady Mustangs for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off in the Lion’s Den.

Wellsville 13 8 15 9 9 – 54

Letchworth 10 4 4 17 4 – 49

WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 4 0-1 8, Natalie Adams 5 9-12 19, Alexa Hennessy 1 0-0 2, Averee Palmatier 4 4-6 13, Makenna Dunbar 3 4-7 10, Alexa Stuck 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 17-26 54.
LETCHWORTH: Sasha Bellamy 2 0-0 4, Charity Scott 6 1-6 14, Annika Milillo 6 2-4 14, Emily Perl 1 0-0 2, Abbie DeRock 4 1-3 9, Alyssa Milillo 2 0-0 6. Totals: 21 4-14 49.

3-point goals: Wellsville 1 (Palmatier), Letchworth 3 (Al. Milillo 2, Scott).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 13, Letchworth 18. Fouled out: An. Milillo (LET).

GV/Belfast garners win No. 1 for Ryan, And/Whi squeezes past Fri/Scio in Rotary Club Tourney

BELMONT — Before all four boys teams could take the floor to close out the night, the Andover/Whitesville, Friendship/Scio, Alfred-Almond and Genesee Valley/Belfast girls squads were up first to kick off the 2nd Annual Belmont Rotary Club Tip-Off Tournament from within the confines of the Jungle.

Both gymnasiums adjacent to one another were occupied at the same time, with Andover/Whitesville and Friendship/Scio taking the stage in the Elementary gym, while next door, Alfred-Almond and Genesee Valley/Belfast kicked off their battle in the High School gym.

As for the first battle in the Elementary gym, it was one that witnessed a strong start by one team and an even stronger end by the other. For Friendship/Scio, it was theirs to control right from the opening quarter, as they garnered an advantage over Andover/Whitesville that was held firmly for a vast majority of the battle.

But in the fourth quarter, Andover/Whitesville was able to perform a complete flip of the script, turning the tables on Friendship/Scio with their best frame of offense. Trailing by a single point, the team in black shaped a comeback victory to earn their spot in the tournament’s Championship round, as they floored it towards a 40-27 victory on Friday.

“It was not the start we wanted, but being down two starters in our first game, I was proud of the effort the girls gave,” Friendship/Scio coach Ashleigh Lewis said. “It's promising to say the least, but hopefully better things will come. This year should be a great season. This is a young team, and Andover/Whitesville is too. We had a great start in the first quarter, and we led all the way into the second half. We just got gassed in the fourth quarter and it got away from us.”

Friendship/Scio was the first to strike while the iron was still hot, capitalizing on both ends of the floor to keep Andover/Whitesville at an early standstill through the first eight minutes, garnering a 12-4 lead to control. But the lead they held was soon trimmed down to as little as a single possession by the time the first half reached its conclusion, as Andover/Whitesville (1-0) rebounded with a strong 10-4 run in the second quarter to cut the deficit to a pair of points.

As time progressed in the second half, the action would ramp up and become tighter across the board, as Andover/Whitesville continued to close in on Friendship/Scio (0-1) before the tide completely turned in the last eight minute quarter with an 18-4 game-changing run, officially solidifying their newly-garnered advantage for their first victory of the season.

Leading Andover/Whitesville was Olivia Waters and her game-high 16 points. Grace Fry chipped in with 12 points of her own, while Makaila Brewster had six. For Friendship/Scio, Morghyn Ross recorded 15 team-leading points. Avery Lamberson had five points, while Grace Drumm and Huntar Hint both collected seven rebounds off the glass.

Next door, Genesee Valley/Belfast was able to overcome a slow first quarter start to end the first half on a powerful note against the Lady Eagles of Alfred-Almond, as the dynamic duo of Abby Sullivan and Mary Hamer came alive to deliver masterful performances on offense to power the team’s 40-9 victory in their opening round battle of the Rotary Club twinbill.

“We had a bit of a slow start, but eventually we found our offensive rhythm, which was really propelled by our defense,” said first-year GV/Belfast coach Raegan Ryan. “They really took pride in their defense, and it was great to see. I am really proud of how our girls played together. It’s always great to see so many people score. I’m glad to have our first game under our belt as we continue to grow.”

Just eight combined points between both squads led off the action in the High School gym, as Genesee Valley/Belfast (1-0) spread the wealth all across the floor, using two-point baskets from three different scorers to grab a narrow 6-2 upper-hand on Alfred-Almond. It would help serve as the team’s foundation for what came to be in the second quarter — the game-changer.

The offense fired on all cylinders in the midst of their 20-4 run, as both Abby Sullivan and Mary Hamer aided the efforts for the hosts in white by combining to score for 13 of those 20 points, with Sullivan bucketing 10. In all, nine different Genesee Valley/Belfast scorers all had a hand in finding the statsheet, with Sullivan’s 16-point performance paving the way for the offense. Hamer dug in down low and delivered a 10-point effort, while Keanna Sands added in a three-pointer.

Alfred-Almond was led by Paige Marlatt, who had five points.

Today, the Consolation round between Friendship/Scio and Alfred-Almond will begin at approximately 12 p.m, while this year’s title game sees Andover/Whitesville and Genesee Valley/Belfast pinned against one another to help close out the final day of action from the Jungle with a 2 p.m. tip-off back inside the High School gym.

Andover/Whitesville 4 10 8 18 – 40

Friendship/Scio 12 4 7 4 – 27

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Graci Lewis-Ellison 1 0-0 2, Grace Fry 5 1-4 12, Makaila Brewster 2 2-5 6, Lilly Harrington 1 0-0 2, Olivia Waters 6 4-8 16, Katrina Lewis 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 7-19 40.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Grace Drumm 1 0-4 3, Morghyn Ross 7 0-0 15, Avery Lamberson 2 0-0 5, Emily Lamberson 1 0-0 2, Huntar Hint 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 0-4 27.

3-point goals: A/W 1 (Fry), F/S 3 (Drumm, Ross, A. Lamberson).
Total Fouls: A/W 11, F/S 18. Fouled out: Ross (F/S), Hint (F/S).

Alfred-Almond 2 4 1 2 – 9

Genesee Valley/Belfast 6 20 9 5 – 40

ALFRED-ALMOND: Noelle Emerson 0 1-2 1, Kaitlyn Diestler 1 1-2 3, Paige Marlatt 2 0-0 5. Totals: 3 2-4 9.
GV/BELFAST: Keanna Sands 1 0-0 3, Abby Sullivan 7 1-2 16, Sophie Zillgitt 1 0-2 2, Kendra Bigelow 1 0-0 2, Mary Hamer 5 0-0 10, Morgan Yackeren 1 0-0 2, Ava Aaronson 0 2-2 2, Kate Calanni 0 1-2 1, Whitney Young 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 4-8 40.
3-point goals: A-A 1 (Marlatt), GVB 2 (Sands, Sullivan).
Total Fouls: A-A 11, GVB 11. Fouled out: None.

Oswayo Valley 51, Bolivar-Richburg 13

BOLIVAR — The first quarter was a powerful one for Oswayo Valley to behold behind a lockdown of both ends of the floor in boisterous fashion to set a tone that host Bolivar-Richburg could not match on Friday, as they rolled towards victory by a 51-13 count to head into the weekend on a positive note.

Despite falling behind by a 14-2 count through the first eight minutes of play, the Lady Wolverines (1-1) chipped away at their early deficit with some big help outside from Nadia Baldwin, as she produced a pair of triples — two of three in all she would have in the game. But after halftime, the Lady Green Wave picked up right where they left off to push their advantage out insurmountably, as they held the hosts in white without a score in the midst of a 16-0 third quarter run.

Baldwin would finish with 11 points for Bolivar-Richburg, while Raegan Giardini followed with the team’s remaining two points on a basket inside.

Up next, the Lady Wolverines will look to bounce back over the road for the first time this season with a 7:30 p.m. visit to Friendship/Scio, in Friendship.

Oswayo Valley 14 7 16 14 – 51

Bolivar-Richburg 2 6 0 5 – 13

OSWAYO VALLEY: Charlotte Austin-Keech 7 1-1 15, Shayden Mesler 1 0-0 2, Eva West 7 0-0 14, Layken Enty 4 0-0 8, MaKenna Manning 4 0-0 9, Brooke George 1 1-2 3. Totals: 24 2-3 51.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 4 0-0 11, Raegan Giardini 1 0-0 2. Totals: 5 0-0 13.

3-point goals: OV 1 (Manning), B-R 3 (Baldwin).
Total Fouls: OV 10, B-R 9. Fouled out: Enty (OV).

ACE Tournament at Portville

Portville 46, Cuba-Rushford 18

PORTVILLE — Behind a forceful first quarter from Lillian Bentley down low, the Lady Panthers of Portville set up shop and took care of business right from the start, as they held visiting Cuba-Rushford in check to provide a massive tone that allowed them to remain in the driver’s seat, capturing a spot in the Championship round of their ACE Tournament with a 46-18 win on Friday.

Out of the 14 total points that Portville was able to garner right from the beginning, Bentley made her presence known to the Lady Rebels (0-1) inside with four big baskets. In turn, the Lady Panthers defense was able to keep their opposition in gray and blue off the board completely to claim an early 14-0 lead.

The advantage was held across the board by the hosts in white and maroon, as they held Cuba-Rushford below 10 points in each of the last three quarters to further cement their way to the Championship game the next day.

The Lady Rebels were paced by a team-high nine points from Brynn Lavery. Following was Cloey Larabee and Shae Maples, knocking down a triple each.

Cuba-Rushford will now partake in Consolation round action this afternoon back in Portville, taking on Ellicottville at 11 a.m.

Cuba-Rushford 0 6 8 4 – 18

Portville 14 11 11 10 – 46

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Cloey Larabee 1 0-0 3, Shae Maples 1 0-0 3, Lily Tompkins 0 1-2 1, Brynn Lavery 3 1-2 9, Lilly Farwell 1 0-2 2. Totals: 6 1-6 18.
PORTVILLE: Ashley Carls 1 0-0 2, Avery DeFazio 1 0-2 2, Ava Haynes 1 0-0 2, Jackie Scanlon 2 3-3 9, Ali Haynes 5 0-0 10, Meghan Lyle 0 1-2 1, Lillian Bentley 8 0-0 16, Emma Rhinehart 2 0-0 4. Totals: 20 4-7 46.

3-point goals: C-R 4 (Lavery 2, Larabee, Maples), Portville 2 (Scanlon).
Total Fouls: C-R 9, Portville 11. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Arkport/Canaseraga 3, Wellsville 0

ARKPORT — It was a tight battle through and through to open the volleyball season in Arkport on Friday, but in all three sets that the match would see, host Arkport/Canaseraga was able to take care of business with the upper-hand by claiming the straight-set decision over Wellsville by a 25-18, 25-17, 25-18 count.

Pacing the offensive front for the Lions (0-1) was Xavier Scott, who posted four kills to go with two aces and a block. Following behind was Brody Heaney with three more kills and a pair of aces, while Nolan Kozlowski chipped in four aces from the service line to go with four assists at the front of the net.

Arkport/Canaseraga was led by Noah Drouin with five kills and three blocks.

Wellsville is back on the floor Monday night with a 6 p.m. visit from Bolivar-Richburg in store for their home opener.

Cuba-Rushford 3, Friendship/Scio 1

SCIO — Friday night marked the beginning of a title defense for a second straight season for the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford. And it was one that began on the absolute right foot, despite splitting the night’s first two sets down the middle, as they prepared a strong finish to the end against host Friendship/Scio to claim the 25-21, 19-25, 25-19, 25-20 win in Scio.

Charging the Rebels (1-0) attack was Anderson Siegel, who recorded five aces to go with his one kill. Furthering the cause was Coen Kellogg, who also pitched in with five more aces of his own, dishing out five assists along the way, and one kill.

Friendship/Scio (0-1) was led by Lena Frost, who recorded 14 service points. They return to the floor on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. visit to Wellsville.

Cuba-Rushford will continue their road swing on Monday, when they hop on the bus and head for Allegany-Limestone for a 6 p.m. contest.

Allegany-Limestone 3, Fillmore 0

FILLMORE — A strong start right out of the gate by last season’s County runners-up was enough to set a massive tone on Friday to open their slate, as Allegany-Limestone connected on all angles to deliver a straight-set sweep of host Fillmore with a 25-15, 25-15, 25-21 victory inside The Rock.

Paving the way for the Eagles (0-1) on offense was Reid Cockle, who recorded eight service points to couple alongside six big kills and a pair of aces from the service line. Following up was Jayce Ashton and his eight additional service points, pairing them with four aces. Setter Anderson Wiltsey was active on the front line, handing out 15 assists.

Fillmore returns to the floor on Monday with a 6 p.m. visit in store from Genesee Valley/Belfast.