Monday Roundup: Trailing after 1st half, Lady Bulldogs kick offense into high gear for big 2nd half, roll past Genesee Valley with 47-23 win

BELMONT — Like Saturday afternoon’s contest over the road in Friendship, the Lady Bulldogs of Belfast saw three different scorers lead the way with 45 of their 51 combined points in their victory over the Lady Golden Eagles. It was the same case scenario when they continued their road swing into Genesee Valley on a bitter, snow-covered Monday evening.

Emma Sullivan, Alicia Borden and Anna Drozdowski was Belfast’s terrific trio on the hardwood against the host Lady Jaguars, as the three Lady Bulldogs combined to record 37 of the team’s 47 total points, most of which came in a massive second half after finishing the first half with the momentum in their favor, en route to their third win in their first four games by a 47-23 count.

“Defense wins games for us, but we have to play all 32 minutes instead of 18 or 20 minutes,” said Lady Bulldogs coach Jim Schneider. “We started out slow, and we didn’t shoot well. After we took a timeout in the second quarter, these girls were starting to play the style of basketball that we’re used to playing. They were on fire, and they were incredible to watch. It was a great team effort from my girls, and I’m so proud of their non-stop work ethic. GV played a nice game, and they had a couple of guards cause us trouble. They made us work across all 32 minutes.”

It was a game early on that Belfast (3-1) had to battle their way back in, as they trailed early on in the opening eight minute period by an 8-2 count. After a timeout saw their deficit grow larger, a timeout was taken by the Lady Bulldogs to regroup. It was a timeout well spent, as they went on to finish the first half strong with an 11-6 outscoring of Genesee Valley (1-2), behind a pair of Sullivan three-pointers that saw the deficit shrink to just a single point heading into the break.

With the momentum now in their favor, Belfast came back out for the second half firing on all cylinders while the defense stood their ground on the opposite floor, holding the Lady Jaguars to just nine more points in the last 16 minutes of play, starting with an 18-4 offensive rush in the third that saw them pull away instantaneously behind the guidance of Borden and Drozdowski’s heavy efforts.

Sullivan would lead all scorers on the floor with a game-high 14 points, with Borden and Drozdowski following behind with 12 and 11 points respectively. Mary Hamer chipped in with eight points of her own, while Harley Proctor rounded off with her two-point basket. For the Lady Jaguars, Lizzy Bentley was the team’s leading scorer, netting eight team-high points. Adison Grusendorf had six points.

Next up, the Lady Bulldogs will look to keep the momentum swing moving onto Bolivar-Richburg, as they prepare for a Wednesday night visit with the Lady Wolverines, winners of their first three games of the season, in a 6 p.m. contest. Genesee Valley will look to regroup over the road themselves a day later, as they visit Andover for a 6 p.m. meeting with the Lady Panthers.

Belfast 2 11 18 16 – 47

Genesee Valley 8 6 4 5 – 23

BELFAST: Alicia Borden 5 2-2 12, Anna Drozdowski 4 3-5 11, Mary Hamer 4 0-0 8, Harley Proctor 1 0-0 2, Emma Sullivan 6 0-0 14. Totals: 20 5-7 47.
GENESEE VALLEY: Adison Grusendorf 3 0-0 6, Emera Aquila 1 0-0 2, Lizzy Bentley 4 0-0 8, Sierra Burrows 2 0-0 5, Ashley Burrows 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 0-0 23.

3-point goals: Belfast 2 (Sullivan), GV 1 (S. Burrows).
Total Fouls: Belfast 7, GV 11. Fouled out: None.

Portville 62, Cuba-Rushford 28

CUBA — Two massive first half runs started out the day for the Lady Panthers of Portville, starting off strong right out of the gate in the first quarter before stomping down on the gas pedal to finish out the half on the strongest of notes to take an enormous double digit lead they held onto for the remainder of the game, toward victory as they rolled past host Cuba-Rushford by a 62-28 count on Monday.

Despite the loss, the Lady Rebels (0-3) got a big afternoon from Taylor Searle, who lead the way for the offense with a game-high 19 points, including three of the team’s five triples from beyond the arc. Anna Belcer had two of her own to record six points, while Ella Jaffe added in a two-point basket.

Cuba-Rushford will continue the search for their first win Wednesday night right back on their home floor, when they host the Fillmore Lady Eagles in a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Portville 18 21 19 4 – 62

Cuba-Rushford 6 3 7 12 – 28

PORTVILLE: Teagan Kosinski 3 1-2 8, Mallory Welty 6 0-0 14, Mia Hlasnick 2 0-1 4, Mia Welty 1 0-0 3, Caleigh Zollinger 2 0-0 4, Hailey Keim 1 0-0 3, Matteson Fries 1 0-0 2, Courtney Lyle 1 0-0 2, Reggie Tkacik 3 0-0 6, Lillian Bentley 8 0-0 16. Totals: 28 1-3 62.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Anna Belcer 2 0-0 6, Ella Jaffe 1 0-0 2, Taylor Searle 7 2-3 19, Tara Duvall 0 1-2 1. Totals: 10 3-5 28.
3-point goals: Portville 5 (Ma. Welty 2, Kosinski, Mi. Welty, Keim), C-R 5 (Searle 3, Belcer 2).
Total Fouls: Portville 8, C-R 2. Fouled out: None.

Whitesville 72, Scio 9

WHITESVILLE — For the second time in the first three games of the young Lady Jays season, Vanessa Hall exploded for another 40 point game, as the Whitesville sophomore ran wild on their home floor Monday night scoring buckets left and right, finishing with a game-high 45 points to go with her 10 rebounds, six steals and five blocks to power up a huge 72-9 win over visiting Scio to move to a 3-0 start on the season.

Rachel Jackson helped the cause with 13 points of her own, including the remaining three-pointer to pair with her six rebounds and six assists. Aislinn Hamilton chipped in with six points, while Kennedy Bledsoe grabbed six boards off the glass along with six steals, and five assists for Whitesville (3-0), who started out with a 28-0 run of Scio in the first eight minutes.

The Lady Tigers (0-4) were led by Emily Stilson, who had a team-high four points.

Whitesville will go for their fourth straight win on the road Thursday night, as they visit the Belfast Lady Bulldogs, winners in three of their first four, in a 6 p.m. battle. Scio will return home to host the Andover Lady Panthers on Friday in a 6 p.m. contest of their own.

Scio 0 4 2 3 – 9

Whitesville 28 16 9 19 – 72

SCIO: Camryn Wiech 1 1-2 3, Emily Stilson 2 0-0 4, Jenn Dickens 0 2-2 2. Totals: 3 3-4 9.
WHITESVILLE: Kennedy Bledsoe 2 0-0 4, Rachel Jackson 6 0-0 13, Vanessa Hall 18 7-11 45, Aislinn Hamilton 2 2-2 6, Brynn Scholl 2 0-0 4. Totals: 30 9-13 72.
3-point goals: Whitesville 3 (Hall 2, Jackson).
Total Fouls: Scio 13, Whitesville 6. Fouled out: None.