Tuesday Roundup: Hornell, Wellsville trade big runs, but 4th quarter jaunt by Raiders stymies Lions again in Barkley rematch; And/Whi’s Calladine sinks buzzer-beating 3 to seal win over Fri/Scio

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WELLSVILLE — A couple of weeks removed from the Dan Barkley Showcase, the race for Class B2 supremacy in the Sectional picture has gotten even hotter than right now. With Dansville trailing both Hornell and Wellsville coming down to the last two weeks of the regular season, the stars are beginning to align.

Every game left remaining on the slate, has now begun holding a purpose. For the Raiders — maintaining their position at the top of the class, while for Wellsville? It presented an opportunity to turn up the heat drastically.

In the last battle up at the seventh installment of the Barkley Showcase, the game witnessed a strong second half showing from the Lions to turn the heat up on Hornell going into the last eight minute of play. But the momentum was erased by Raiders sharpshooter Gennaro Picco, who played a paramount role in finishing off the winning edge in Bath.

He came in through the most clutch of moments last time for the Raiders. On Tuesday, Picco did it again.

In a fourth quarter where every shot mattered, Picco made sure he would not miss, as the clutch resiliency kicked into gear in the late stages of the final eight minute period, going an incredible 10-for-11 at the stripe to overcome a late seven-point deficit and morph it into a 10-3 game-ending run for the Raiders to complete the season series with a 57-53 win over the Lions.

“We had another three great quarters. I’m especially proud of the first 24, 25 minuters tonight, but we have to keep our foot on the throat of these games if we want to take the win home,” said Lions coach Tom Muska. “Teams like Hornell don’t give you a chance to do that, and we ended up playing scared at the end, which allowed them to force turnovers. It really hurt us.”

Just like the previous battle, it was another true back-and-forth battle that unfolded between the two longtime rivals throughout the opening half, beginning in the first quarter where no lead was bigger than three — held by the Raiders, who garnered just enough of an edge to claim the lead going forward.

In the second, the pace would carry over, but only until Wellsville (10-6) was able to find an opening in Hornell’s defense to work through after the Raiders took a 24-20 lead. With under two minutes to go, the Lions provided clutch contributions to close out the opening half, accounting for the last six points in a row, led by Logan Dunbar, who connected from the stripe and off a jumper inside, and Asher Billings, who gave the green light for the hosts to go ahead with a runner stemming off a Hornell turnover.

“I feel we went on our runs when we were able to get the ball inside,” Muska said. “Hornell is a great team, but we are lucky to have a couple of kids they struggle to match up with, because of size. We need to take advantage of that if we are to see them again down the road.”

With Wellsville holding a 26-24 lead going into the second half, the advantage would slowly grow to as much as seven off a Cooper Brockway three-pointer, as the Lions accounted for nine of the quarter’s first 13 points to jump start the action. But with 1:45 to go, Hornell applied pressure to trim the lead back down, only for it to grow back out again with JJ Howard and Aidan Riley going back-to-back with a pair of jumpers before Dunbar provided one of his own a short time later.

A lead of 10 to work with going into the last eight minutes of the evening.

It was a similar situation that was faced between both squads last month at the Barkley Showcase, but this time, it was one that Hornell took complete control of.

A pair of back-to-back three-pointers from Gennaro Picco re-kindled the team’s flame, cutting the deficit from seven down to one before taking matters into his own hands once again with some big help at the line. After PJ Picco allowed the Raiders to gain the upper hand with a massive drive to the breadbasket, the free throw game would then take effect in the game’s last 90 seconds.

In it, Gennaro Picco was simply masterful for the visitors in red and blue, as he went on to net a 10-for-11 outing at the charity stripe to all but put the game away, bringing the brooms out on the season series with the Lions along the way.

Picco would finish with a game-high 26 points for the Raiders, while PJ Picco and Shawn Rose each followed behind with eight points.

The Lions were led by Dunbar and his team-high 17 points. Cody Costello and JJ Howard both pitched in 12 points of their own, while Billings concluded with seven.

Wellsville will look to turn things back around on Friday when they return to their home floor to host New Life Christian in a 6 p.m. tip-off.

Hornell 15 9 11 22 – 57

Wellsville 12 14 19 8 – 53

HORNELL: Gennaro Picco 7 10-14 26, PJ Picco 3 1-3 8, Shawn Rose 2 4-5 8, Wyatt Argentieri 1 1-2 4, Gates Miller 2 0-0 5, Aaron McInerney 1 1-2 3, Quinn Mauro 1 0-0 3. Totals: 17 17-26 57.
WELLSVILLE: Cody Costello 4 4-7 12, Aidan Riley 0 0-2 0, Cooper Brockway 1 0-0 3, Asher Billings 3 0-0 7, Ethan Bailey 1 0-0 2, Logan Dunbar 6 5-6 17, JJ Howard 6 0-1 12. Totals: 21 9-16 53.

3-point goals: Hornell 7 (G. Picco 2, PJ Picco, Argentieri, Miller, McInerney, Mauro), Wellsville 2 (Brockway, Billings).
Total Fouls: Hornell 19, Wellsville 17. Fouled out: Riley (WLSV), Billings (WLSV).

Andover/Whitesville 38, Friendship/Scio 35

WHITESVILLE — Basketball is known to become a game of runs. Within them, some pretty pivotal moments during the game can also arise. On Tuesday, everyone in Whitesville was on the edge of their seat to take in what was an electric grand finale.

After both teams found the majority of their baskets from inside, the search for some additional help from outside began. With Friendship/Scio having knocked down four three-pointers, host Andover/Whitesville had yet to find the right time to dial in from downtown themselves. If there was a chance to do so, they had to act quickly. Time was of the essence.

What better time to shoot your very first three of the game, than right at the very end of it. That’s exactly what Colton Calladine did for Andover/Whitesville.

With the game all square at 35 on each side, a series of passes around the arc would ultimately wind up in his hands with three seconds remaining, as he lifted off from downtown with a three-ball that put the team ahead, using the final ticks to keep Friendship/Scio at bay to finish off a heroic 38-35 win on their home floor.

“Obviously this game could have gone either way, but all I can say is wow,” said Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce. “To go the length of the court on the last possession of the game and execute the play exactly as we drew it up, it says a lot about our team. It was great to see CJ (Estep), Jack (Belmont) and Colton work together, and for Colton to hit that shot, it gave us a really nice win for our team and particularly, for our seniors on Senior Night. It was incredible.”

Before Calladine ended the game with one masterful finish for Andover/Whitesville (8-9), the team had to first overcome a hot start brought on by Friendship/Scio in the first quarter, as they posted their largest frame of the battle right in the first eight minutes behind an all-balanced attack led by four different scorers, recording a 16-8 lead after the first quarter.

Andover/Whitesville would respond to end the half, closing the gap to just a single point with a doubling-up of their own, as Calladine, along with Kohler Niedermaier, combined to record 10 of the team’s 14 points in the frame to dock a 14-7 run against Friendship/Scio (5-11) to narrow their lead down into the break.

“Cory (Hills) and Dillon (McFall) have their boys playing really well since the last time we played. Defensively, our boys executed a plan as good or better than I could have asked,” Joyce said. “I’m very proud of that work on that side of the ball. To keep (Brenden) Loucks and (Ethan) Davenport in check, is a huge accomplishment. Those are two of their best players. Offensively, we struggled throughout most of tonight, but credit to Friendship, they were ready to play and they weren’t giving us any easy looks.”

In the second half, Friendship/Scio would maintain their position at the front of the pack after a defensive third quarter spout, but in the fourth, a complete flip of the script by Andover/Whitesville. As the final response of the night, the hosts in white went on to post a 12-3 game-ending run highlighted by Calladine’s clutch and resilient three-pointer to give Andover/Whitesville the three-point victory at the end of the night, sending the bench into a complete frenzy.

Calladine would finish as the team’s leading scorer behind 12 team-high points. Niedermaier posted eight points, while Estep finished with seven. For Friendship/Scio, Brenden Loucks led the charge with a team-high 12 points. Ethan Davenport had eight points, while Hunter Hill sank a pair of threes, for six points.

Both teams are back on their home floors Friday evening in a pair of 7:30 p.m. tip-offs, as Andover/Whitesville heads over the hill to Andover to welcome in Genesee Valley/Belfast, while Friendship/Scio welcomes in Fillmore for a visit to Friendship.

Friendship/Scio 16 7 9 3 – 35

Andover/Whitesville 8 14 4 12 – 38

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Taylor Moore 1 1-2 4, Ethan Davenport 4 0-1 8, Cooper Greenman 1 0-0 3, Hunter Hill 2 0-0 6, Brenden Loucks 5 2-3 12. Totals: 13 3-6 35.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Brody Vance 2 1-3 5, Colton Calladine 4 3-3 12, CJ Estep 3 1-2 7, Will Kent 2 0-0 4, Gage Hall 1 0-0 2, Kohler Niedermaier 4 0-2 8. Totals: 16 5-10 38.

3-point goals: F/S 4 (Hill 2, Moore, Greenman), A/W 1 (Calladine).
Total Fouls: F/S 13, A/W 10. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 74, Genesee Valley/Belfast 59

FILLMORE — 10 three-pointers. Four double-digit scorers. Three 20-point quarters. Some quality defense.

Mix those ingredients together into the basketball cauldron and you have yourself one of the finest winning formulas a team can have. For the Eagles of Fillmore, they put it all to good use with an electric first quarter that set the tone immediately against Genesee Valley/Belfast on Tuesday in The Rock, as they strolled towards their fifth straight win behind a 74-59 decision.

“Our defense really got us off to a great start. Getting the early points in transition seems to get us in an offensive rhythm, and we feed off of that,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “Zach (Sisson) and Jair (Bialek) had great nights offensively, but it’s the little details like Brent (Zubikowski), Mitchell (Ward) and Luke (Colombo) doing the dirty work on the glass, and finding the open guys that has us on a bit of a roll. Our bench has really provided some great minutes, and that has helped us. Jack (Cool) and Layton (Sanasith) in particular, were effective tonight.”

The Eagles (10-4) wasted no time in the first eight minutes making a ton of noise against Genesee Valley/Belfast. Out of the team’s 10 total three-pointers they would land from beyond the arc, six of them came raining down to help set up shop for what was a 29-point offensive barrage, while holding the visitors to a near-complete freeze on defense in the midst of a 29-6 game-opening run to set a massive tone out of the gate.

A tone that allowed the hosts to remain out front from start to finish behind another outstanding performance on offense paced by Zach Sisson, who remains red hot with a game-high 25 points, including four three-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 outing at the charity stripe in the second quarter.

Jair Bialek added in efforts of his own behind 22 points, including three first quarter treys. Brent Zubikowski and Mitch Ward both collected 10 points to help round off the Fillmore scoring.

Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-10) was led by Jacob Borden and his team-high 13 points. Kadin Logue followed behind with 12 points, while Thai Norasethaporn concluded with 11 points. The team will look to rebound back on the road Friday night with a 7:30 p.m. visit to Andover, taking on host Andover/Whitesville — winners of four of their last six.

As for the Eagles, they hit the road themselves on Thursday for a massive clash up north, paying a visit to the Geneseo Blue Devils in a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 6 18 19 16 – 59

Fillmore 29 22 20 3 – 74

GV/BELFAST: Kadin Logue 4 3-3 12, Owen Heaney 2 0-0 4, Elden Aquila 1 0-1 2, Kyle McCumiskey 2 0-0 5, Ian McKenzie 1 0-0 2, Jacob Borden 6 1-2 13, Thai Norasethaporn 5 0-0 11, Fisher Herdman 1 0-0 2, Ryan Daciw 2 3-4 8. Totals: 24 7-10 59.
FILLMORE: Eben Schilke 1 0-0 3, Jack Cool 1 0-0 2, Brent Zubikowski 3 2-2 10, Jair Bialek 8 3-6 22, Mitch Ward 4 2-5 10, Zach Sisson 8 5-7 25, Jonah Bialek 0 2-2 2. Totals: 25 14-22 74.

3-point goals: GVB 4 (Logue, McCumiskey, Norasethaporn, Daciw), Fillmore 10 (Sisson 4, Ja. Bialek 3, Zubikowski 2, Schilke).
Total Fouls: GVB 17, Fillmore 10. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 54, Hinsdale 12

HINSDALE — Coming off a hard-fought defensive battle with Genesee Valley/Belfast the previous night, the Lady Eagles of Fillmore performed a quick turnaround over the road on Tuesday, and came back home victorious with a rebounding victory over host Hinsdale, using the first half to their utmost advantage to build what was a 54-12 win.

Fillmore (10-5) would have to ward off a back-and-forth battle with Hinsdale through the opening sequences before their game progressed to the next level, beginning in the second quarter, where they would find a massive edge on both ends of the floor to garner all the room they needed to pull away with a double-digit lead in hand.

Hope Russell was the main driving force behind the Lady Eagles attack, as she continues to put together a remarkable season for the squad with a game-high 21-point performance. Oakley Frazier tallied 10 more big points, while Grace Russell followed with seven of her own to further the team’s cause.

Hinsdale (0-16) was led by Mikayla Miller and Sarah Tuttle, who scored five points each.

Both teams are back on the floor Thursday night, as Fillmore now gets set for a 6 p.m. visit to Jasper-Troupsburg, while the Lady Bobcats stay home to host Cuba-Rushford.

Fillmore 12 17 13 12 – 54

Hinsdale 9 1 0 2 – 12

FILLMORE: Hope Russell 8 2-4 21, Grace Russell 3 0-2 7, Rachel Hatch 1 2-2 4, Kylee Ellsworth 2 0-2 4, Mattie McCumiskey 1 2-4 4, Oakley Frazier 5 0-0 10, Madi Geertman 2 0-0 4. Totals: 22 6-14 54.
HINSDALE: Alexa Saunders 1 0-0 2, Mikayla Miller 2 1-2 5, Sarah Tuttle 2 0-0 5. Totals: 5 1-2 12.
3-point goals: Fillmore 4 (H. Russell 3, G. Russell), Hinsdale 1 (Tuttle).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 6, Hinsdale 12. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

County Quarterfinals

No. 5 Wellsville 3, No. 4 Arkport/Canaseraga 1

ARKPORT — The Lions of Wellsville had to work the hardest they have worked all season to earn their fair share of points, as they opened their County postseason journey for local volleyball supremacy with a trip to Arkport/Canaseraga on Tuesday.

Not only did the host Wolves apply all the pressure in the world against the Lions, but they went forth to do it on three different occasions. All of which, were resiliently countered — in extra serves, as the visitors outlasted their opposition each time to string together the grittiest of wins over the road, taking the 26-24, 17-25, 26-24, 26-24 decision to claim a spot in this weekend’s Semifinal round.

Xavier Scott was one of Wellsville’s (8-7) main driving forces on the attack throughout the night, as he posted 16 team-high kills to pair with four aces, three digs and two assists. Brody Heaney followed suit with five more kills, coupling them with three additional digs, two aces and a helper, while setter Gavan Dickerson dished out 18 assists, adding them with three kills, three digs and two aces from the back line.

The Lions are now into the County Semifinal round, which begins on Friday with a 6 p.m. first serve slated against either No. 8 Friendship/Scio or No. 1 Cuba-Rushford.

No. 3 Bolivar-Richburg 3, No. 6 Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

RICHBURG — Joining Wellsville in the Semifinal round are the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg, who warded off two close pushes by visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast in the first two sets, laying claim to a dominant finish to record a straight-set, 25-19, 25-21, 25-14 victory on Tuesday in Richburg.

Jaeger Turybury paved the way for the Bolivar-Richburg (10-5) offense with five kills, three blocks and two aces. Hunter Walp was right behind him with five kills of his own, pairing them with three aces and two blocks, while Ian Unfus handed out five helpers to couple with five blocks, four aces and three more kills on the attack.

Genesee Valley/Belfast was led by Canaan Sullivan on the offensive with a game-high 14 kills. Zach Bourne furthered the offensive cause with five more kills of his own to pair with two blocks on the front line, while setter Dominic Marra handed out 24 helpers. As for the team, their 2022-23 regular season has come to a close, as they wrap up with a record of 5-10 overall.

The Wolverines will now get set to face either No. 7 Fillmore or No. 2 Allegany-Limestone in the Semifinal round, Friday night at 6 p.m.