Tuesday Roundup: Ark-Can outlasts Wellsville in tough straight-set sweep to advance to County Finals; GV/Belfast wards off And/Whi, Fillmore rolls past Fri/Scio in ladies hoops action

ARKPORT — The Lions of Wellsville did everything possible to stay right alongside No. 2 Arkport-Canaseraga all throughout the night. After a seven-point win for the Wolves to open the match, the action between the two squads intensified more and more as time went on, with what were the last two sets of action being decided by no more than two points.

But in the end, the two sets were claimed by the same team that built the momentum in the opening set to help set the tone, as Arkport-Canaseraga managed to stay out in front with all three victories after a tough fight with the No. 3 Lions, as they ended their season while advancing to the Allegany County Championship match with a 25-18, 25-23, 25-23 home win in Arkport, Tuesday night.

Leading the way for the Wolves was Noah Drouin, who recorded a game-high 15 kills to pair with four aces and a pair of blocks. Aydan Button chipped in with five more kills to go with two aces and a denial, while setter Salim Ford had 11 assists to hand out in the center of the floor.

Wellsville witnessed Xavier Scott take the lead on offense behind his 12 kills, one ace and one block. Following behind was Brody Heaney, who had two blocks, one kill and one ace, while the team’s setter in Nolan Kozlowski had nine assists to aid the attack, pairing them with a duo of aces and a kill. The Lions have reached the end of their 2023-24 campaign, as they finish up with a record of 11-5 overall.

As for Arkport-Canaseraga, they now move into the Championship round where they will face either No. 5 Genesee Valley/Belfast or top-seeded Allegany-Limestone for the right to become this year’s County champion. Date and time for the final match of the season has not been announced upon publication.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Genesee Valley/Belfast 42, Andover/Whitesville 38

ANDOVER — On back-to-back nights, the Genesee Valley/Belfast ladies went straight down to the wire, this time back over the road in a visit to Andover/Whitesville on Tuesday.

It was as close quarters of a battle as advertised when the time ticked away to the waning moments of their battle, with the visitors in black clinging to a narrow lead and Andover/Whitesville looking to strike with a game-tying basket. But their attempt would just miss the rim and into the possession of Genesee Valley/Belfast, where the foul game soon commenced to close the game out on what was their 42-38 victory in Andover.

After going down by a point after a defensive first quarter, Genesee Valley/Belfast (14-4) was able to capture the go-ahead lead in the second quarter over Andover/Whitesville behind the ascension of Mary Hamer, who posted seven of the team’s 13 points in the frame, while the defense limited the hosts to just one shot from the field in the process, forcing them to the charity stripe with a 7-for-10 outing at the line.

In the third quarter, Hamer’s takeover would hit all strides in the midst of a close back-and-forth exchange with Andover/Whitesville (3-15), as she posted all 10 of the team’s points to maintain their lead going into the fourth quarter, despite the pressure beginning to ramp up right behind them.

All that was left for Genesee Valley/Belfast was to continue hanging on, and after a late chance to tie the game came with under two minutes remaining, the defense would ultimately shine through and deliver to force the foul game into effect for Andover/Whitesville, as they used some key assistance at the charity stripe to lock up the four-point win in narrow fashion.

Hamer would go on to finish the night with a game-high 24 points for Genesee Valley/Belfast. Abby Sullivan and Sophie Zillgitt each had six points to chip in.

For Andover/Whitesville, Olivia Waters paved the way towards a 17-point performance at the front of the pack. Stella Bledsoe chipped in with eight points of her own. The team is now off until next Wednesday night for their final regular season home game in Whitesville, playing host to Fillmore in a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Genesee Valley/Belfast will now head back home to Belfast on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. battle with Bolivar-Richburg.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 7 13 10 12 – 42

Andover/Whitesville 8 9 12 9 – 38

GV/BELFAST: Abby Sullivan 2 0-2 6, Sophie Zillgitt 3 0-2 6, Kendra Bigelow 1 1-1 3, Whitney Young 0 1-2 1, Mary Hamer 10 4-10 24, Ava Aaronson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 6-17 42.

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Stella Bledsoe 1 6-10 8, Graci Lewis-Ellison 2 2-8 7, Makaila Brewster 0 1-2 1, Lilly Harrington 1 0-0 2, Olivia Waters 6 5-6 17, Katrina Lewis 1 1-2 3. Totals: 11 15-28 38.

3-point goals: GVB 2 (Sullivan), A/W 1 (Lewis-Ellison).
Total Fouls: GVB 21, A/W 18. Fouled out: Sullivan (GVB).

Fillmore 70, Friendship/Scio 28

FRIENDSHIP — With a colossal and titanic showdown with the Lady Lions of Wellsville upon the horizon in just a few days time, the Lady Eagles of Fillmore continued to move full steam ahead into their first of five straight games on the road to close out their regular season, Tuesday night.

Their first stop was in Friendship to take on host Friendship/Scio, where their high-flying offense soared to big heights by accounting for at least 19 points in the first three quarters of play, garnering 10 big three-pointers in the same swing to aid in setting the tone to keep their flame ablaze with a 70-28 road win.

Right out of the gate, Fillmore (15-1) set the tone against Friendship/Scio with their largest frame of offense of the game, capitalizing on both ends of the floor to produce a 23-6 run that they never looked back in the rearview mirror on. Aiding the efforts was a strong three-point game that saw them score 10 of them in all along with a team-high 17-point performance from Mattie McCumiskey down low.

Following behind McCumiskey was Hope Russell, who chipped in four three points to put towards her 16-point effort. Amelia Rose added three more within her 10-point night, while Emalyn Mucher finished with eight points, including two triples of her own.

Friendship/Scio (9-6) was led by both Nevaeh Ross and Emily Lamberson, as each scorer posted a team-high eight points.

Both teams are back in action Thursday night over the road, with Fillmore heading to the Lion’s Den to face Wellsville in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, while Friendship/Scio heads north to take on the Lima Christian Lady Saints in a 6 p.m. contest.

Fillmore 23 20 19 8 – 70

Friendship/Scio 6 10 6 6 – 28

FILLMORE: Hope Russell 6 0-0 16, Grace Russell 4 0-0 9, Rachel Hatch 2 0-0 4, Amelia Rose 3 1-3 10, Kylee Ellsworth 1 0-0 2, Mattie McCumiskey 8 1-2 17, Emalyn Mucher 3 0-0 8, Preslee Miller 2 0-0 4. Totals: 29 2-5 70.

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Grace Drumm 2 0-0 5, Emily Lamberson 3 0-0 8, Nevaeh Ross 3 2-3 8, Hunter Hint 1 0-0 2, Avery Lamberson 1 0-0 2, Morghyn Ross 0 3-4 3. Totals: 10 5-7 28.

3-point goals: Fillmore 10 (H. Russell 4, Rose 3, Mucher 2, G. Russell), F/S 3 (E. Lamberson 2, Drumm).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 9, F/S 5. Fouled out: None.

Steuben County Tourney: Canisteo-Greenwood 64, Addison 19

CANISTEO — The Steuben County Tournament helped provide a spark for the Canisteo-Greenwood Lady Chargers to start the regular season-ending gauntlet on a high note Tuesday night in the Canisteo Valley, using an electric first quarter to bring the hammer down immediately against visiting Addison to set up shop for a 64-19 home win.

Contributions from four different Lady Chargers (10-8) allowed them to kick the tires on a massive 20-point quarter to start the night, using a strong presence down underneath along with a perfect 6-for-6 outing at the charity stripe to their utmost advantage in their 20-6 run against the Lady Knights, garnering a lead they did not relinquish from that point forward.

Peyton Peters and Bailey Mullen were two big reasons behind the success for the hosts in white and red, as they combined to score 34 of the team’s 64 points, with Peters leading all scorers with a game-high 18 points, pairing them with 10 rebounds to complete a double-double. Mullen finished with 16 points of her own along with seven steals and six assists, while McKenna Ferris grabbed 10 additional rebounds off the glass to further the special teams cause.

Addison was paced by Sadie Strauss and Bregan Jones, both scoring five points.

Canisteo-Greenwood will now travel to Avoca on Thursday for the Semifinal Round of the Steuben County Tournament, where they will face the Jasper-Troupsburg Wildcats in a 5:45 p.m. tip-off.

Addison 6 4 3 6 – 19

Canisteo-Greenwood 20 15 13 16 – 64

ADDISON: Caidyn Jones 1 0-0 2, Fine Arning 1 0-0 2, Julia Benton 1 1-4 3, Sadie Strauss 2 1-2 5, Bregan Jones 2 0-0 5, Aurora Jacobson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 8 2-6 19.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 3 0-3 7, Bailey Mullen 7 2-3 16, Mackenna Mullen 2 1-2 6, McKenna Ferris 3 1-1 7, Anna Mitchell 2 0-0 4, Harlie McCaffery 3 0-4 6, Peyton Peters 7 4-4 18. Totals: 27 8-17 64.
3-point goals: Addison 1 (Jones), C-G 2 (Button, M. Mullen).
Total Fouls: Addison 14, C-G 7. Fouled out: None.