Thursday Roundup: And/Whi survives teeter-totter State-ranked battle with GV/Belfast to record 12th win in last 14; Lady Lions post 2nd quarter run to fuel defensive road win at C-R

Written By Chris Brooks

WHITESVILLE — Want another Game of the Week worthy matchup to reminisce about? How’s this one?

Both Genesee Valley/Belfast and Andover/Whitesville come into their second and final matchup of the season scorching hot. Just how hot exactly? — the Lady JagDogs gathered wins in 11 of their last 12 games, including the first game of the series back in Belfast, while Andover/Whitesville has scored wins in 11 of their last 13.

At this stage of the game, positioning for Sectionals could very well be put on the line, and one of team’s streaks was going to see a slight extinguishing by the end of the night from within the confines of Whitesville on Thursday.

Just like their previous clash, the war between two State-ranked Class D schools in Allegany County was everything you would expect it would be. It was your typical old school battle right down to the very end. Physical offensive and defensive presences, multiple runs being exchanged, as well as a plethora of lead chances that occurred in the last eight minutes.

Probably the most exciting eight minutes of basketball of the season.

It was your metaphorical Muhammad Ali/Joe Frazier heavyweight fight to the final bell between both Genesee Valley/Belfast and Andover/Whitesville, and only one team could stand tall at the end of the night. As for who it was, the hosts made sure it was them.

Despite multiple miscues on both ends of the floor all night, Andover/Whitesville somehow and some way found a way to overcome a multitude of adversity against a pressurized Genesee Valley/Belfast defense, using some absolutely clutch shots in the game’s final minutes to create an opening led by Vanessa Hall, who scored two enormous points from the charity stripe with seconds remaining to put a bow on their 48-44 season-splitting triumph over the Lady JagDogs in thrilling fashion.

“What an intense game tonight. It had a Sectional feel to it, and both teams played extremely well and hard the entire time,” said Andover/Whitesville co-coach Aaron Rawady. “Jim (Schneider) does a really good job with his girls, and he makes them hard to play against. I am really happy with the energy and effort we played with, but it wasn’t our best executed game for sure. We had way too many turnovers and gave up far too many rebounds. A huge credit to them for making it happen.”

The teeter-totter battle sank in across all 32 minutes of action, and it began right in the first eight minutes of play with a fast 10-0 run by Andover/Whitesville (14-3), engineered by Hall and Serena Ainsworth from downtown with a three each to ignite their offense.

Basketball in general, is a game of runs, and Genesee Valley/Belfast (13-4) helped provide a run that was one of many on display, as they ended the first quarter with nine of the last 12 points to close what was once a 10-point gap down to four, ending with a buzzer-beating basket from Alicia Borden down low at the end of the frame.

A fairly defensive second quarter would then enter the picture for both sides, as Genesee Valley/Belfast closed the gap down to two right at the frame’s conclusion, which saw them capitalize on multiple miscues by the Andover/Whitesville offense on one end of the floor, shutting their attack off at the same time in the last minutes.

To start the second half with a bang, the momentum that the Lady JagDogs had built by ending the opening half with four of the last five points, turned into more exclamation points on defense, forcing a turnover immediately after an inbound deep in Andover/Whitesville’s defensive zone, scored by Adison Grusendorf. It would force an and-one on the way up to the basket, which saw two more points go down after a big offensive rebound.


That would give the Lady JagDogs the lead, two minutes in.

“When we do the things we do the best, and do them on the floor, we can be a tough team to beat,” said GV/Belfast coach Jim Schneider. “I can only imagine the Fillmore game coming up, and I hope tonight’s experience will enlighten them a little bit, and give them the idea that they can be a great team. Was this a bad loss? I don’t think it was, but it may have been a good thing for us. Hopefully we can lick our wounds and keep chugging along. They never gave up, five girls registered nearly all 32 minutes on the floor. They left it all out there.”

From the Lady JagDogs and their four-point play that gave them a 21-19 lead to begin the second half, the teeter-totter would begin to swing in every other direction for the remainder of the game, as both teams exchanged multiple baskets, multiple runs, multiple lead changes. But that would come after Andover/Whitesville started toward a five-point, 33-28 lead at the end of the third with a 7-0 run propelled by Hall, who scored some help at the line to go with a pair of baskets down low, including a three-point capitalization.

The fourth quarter was perhaps the most exciting basketball of the night, by far and away, as the back-and-forth war engulfed the gym’s hardwood for the final eight minutes. In the first 120 seconds, it saw the Lady JagDogs take the first of many leads away from Andover/Whitesville with a three-point jab led by two big offensive rebounds to send the help to the charity stripe.

With a 36-35 lead in hand, Andover/Whitesville fought back with back-to-back three-pointers off the hand of Serena Ainsworth coming into effect to give them a five-point advantage to work with. For the last two minutes of the contest, the majority of the remaining points came from the charity stripe, as both teams continued to fight and claw with more lead changes to exchange.

Genesee Valley/Belfast got to within one with 35 seconds left after Anna Drozdowski delivered some clutch help at the line, but on the other side for Andover/Whitesville, Hall came through with as clutch of an effort to keep the hosts in white and purple out front, recording a runner after breaking through the Lady JagDogs defense and on the way into the basket to give them the lead.

That basket came with eight seconds left.

But just as momentum began to turn, Genesee Valley/Belfast was provided a chance to make it interesting once more on what would be the team’s final possession of the night, as Drozdowski went to the line for three massive shots after being fouled from outside by the Andover/Whitesville defense. Fortunately for the hosts, Drozdowski only made one shot for their lead to remain in tact.

At that point, the foul game was on, as the Lady JagDogs wrapped up the nearest attacker with possession to force them to the line with less than five seconds left. That defender was Hall, who went on to hit both shots at the stripe to push Andover/Whitesville’s lead to four, allowing them to hang on for dear life until the final buzzer sounded to complete an incredible neck-and-neck battle through adversity to come up with their 12th win in the last 14 games.

“It was nice to see our girls respond positively to those mistakes that we had,” said Rawady. “They really tried hard to not let it get the best of them. I am really proud of our girls for that. I think we also really learned a lot about ourselves after this really intense battle. We need to build off of this, and continue to improve.”

On the other side, Schneider said of the poignant defeat, noting that “It stings. We didn’t really shoot well, and normally we can make that difference up with defense. Tonight, they were better than us. The last game we had with them, the same thing happened. We chipped away and chipped away, but the difference in that game compared to this one tonight was, we stopped Vanessa and he shot well. Tonight, we didn’t do any of that.”

Hall’s last two points from the stripe would wrap up a game-high 27 point performance to lead the Andover/Whitesville offense. Ainsworth would finish with all three of her triples, for nine points. Rachel Jackson added two more threes, for six points to further the cause.

On the other side, Genesee Valley/Belfast was led by Kaitlin Sadler down low, as she provided a presence that saw her net a team-high 12 points. Drozdowski would follow behind with 11 points of her own, while Borden concluded with nine. The Lady JagDogs are now off until Saturday morning back home, as they host a 10 a.m. battle in Belfast against incoming Houghton Academy.

Andover/Whitesville will receive a top seed for Class D2 after the victory over Genesee Valley/Belfast, but can officially clinch the top seed if they win out themselves, beginning on Saturday, as they prepare to take on Friendship/Scio in a 5 p.m. tip-off right back in Whitesville.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 9 8 11 16 – 44

Andover/Whitesville 13 6 14 15 – 48

GV/BELFAST: Alicia Borden 4 0-0 9, Anna Drozdowski 3 4-8 11, Adison Grusendorf 3 0-0 7, Mary Hamer 1 3-4 5, Kaitlin Sadler 5 2-2 12. Totals: 16 9-14 44.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Gabbi Hall 1 0-0 2, Vanessa Hall 7 11-13 27, Serena Ainsworth 3 0-0 9, Rachel Jackson 2 0-0 6, Maria Riloba 2 0-0 4. Totals: 15 11-13 48.

3-point goals: GVB 3 (Borden, Drozdowski, Grusendorf), A/W 7 (Ainsworth 3, V. Hall 2, Jackson 2).
Total Fouls: GVB 11, A/W 14. Fouled out: Riloba (A/W).

Wellsville 36, Cuba-Rushford 26

CUBA — There was a fair amount of balance for the Lady Lions of Wellsville to wrap up their road swing on Thursday. For most of the contest against host Cuba-Rushford, each defense provided some stout showings. But when an opening needed to be created, the visitors made sure it was them that engineered it.

After a duel through the opening quarter, the Lady Lions kicked their game into gear in the second quarter to conclude the first half with a big lead they assumed control over, as they held the Lady Rebels to just four points while using their balance to their utmost advantage to create a run that would lead to a 36-26 victory inside the Wighthouse.

“I thought we played pretty well defensively. Wellsville is tough, and they have so many scorers and are well-rounded,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “We just couldn’t get those makes when we really needed them the most to get back into the game. It felt like we were right there at times, and they are just very hard to break down.”

Balance played a key role in Wellsville’s (14-3) victory over the road, with almost every Lady Lion having a hand in the scoring. The Lady Lions would start out by outlasting Cuba-Rushford with a narrow two-point lead after the first eight minutes, extending it further to double digits with a 13-4 run that ultimately decided the game going forward. Four different scorers all had a hand in setting the early tone.

The Lady Rebels (6-11) would attempt to comeback later on, despite falling behind by as much as 11 after the third, as they saved their best spurt of offense for last with Taylor Searle recording eight of the team’s 10 points to outscore Wellsville by a 10-7 count. But the early first half deficit would wind up being too much to overcome in the end, as the visitors in black and orange managed to hang on.

Leading a balanced offensive attack was Marley Adams, who posted a team-high nine points for the Lady Lions. Jaelyn Knapp, Kaylee Coleman and Makenna Dunbar all had six points to chip in. For the Lady Rebels, Searle would finish with a game-high 21 of the team’s 26 total points.

Both teams will have the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg up next on their schedules, with Cuba-Rushford getting first crack back on their home floor Saturday afternoon in a 12 p.m. tip-off. The Lady Lions will then play host to the Lady Wolverines for their Senior Night celebration back home on Tuesday, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Wellsville 7 13 9 7 – 36

Cuba-Rushford 5 4 7 10 – 26

WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 4 0-0 9, Jaylynn Mess 1 0-0 2, Emily Costello 1 0-0 3, Jaelyn Knapp 3 0-0 6, Emily Robbins 0 1-2 1, Sara Reitz 1 0-0 3, Kaylee Coleman 2 2-5 6, Makenna Dunbar 3 0-0 6. Totals: 15 3-7 36.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Lillian Forward 1 0-0 2, Shae Maples 1 0-0 2, Brynn Lavery 0 1-2 1, Taylor Searle 9 2-2 21. Totals: 11 3-4 26.

3-point goals: Wellsville 3 (Adams, Costello, Reitz), C-R 1 (Searle).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 12, C-R 15. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 59, Bolivar-Richburg 15

FILLMORE — Everything worked out to the favor of the Fillmore Lady Eagles on Thursday, as they celebrated Senior Night in style with a first half start that saw them bolt away, finishing the night with a fourth quarter shutout to record a 59-15 home win inside The Rock over visiting Bolivar-Richburg.

There were tons of highlights across a night filled with great success for the Lady Eagles (18-0), including an 17-8 run through the first eight minutes that saw them take the lead, ultimately for good. Among the others: a strong night from Jadyn Mucher outside, knocking four of the team’s six three-pointers to wrap up a game-high 16 point performance, as well as a Varsity first for Hannah Tanner, as she recorded her first career basket along the way.

Mucher was one of four different Fillmore scorers that eclipsed double figures, as Emma Cole and Hope Russell each helped the cause with 12 points each, with Russell pitching with four assists and four steals, while Preslee Miller added in an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double. Zoe Beardsley handed out four additional assists to help the cause.

For the Lady Wolverines (3-14), Kayli Giardini knocked down all three of the team’s treys from downtown, finishing with a team-high nine points. Jessica Majot and Destiny Cantrell rounded off with the team’s last six points, netting four and two respectively. Bolivar-Richburg will visit Cuba-Rushford to kick off a Saturday afternoon twinbill featuring both basketball squads, starting at 12 p.m.

Fillmore will now get set to close out their regular season over the road with a pair of road trips in store beginning on Tuesday, visiting Cuba-Rushford in a 7:30 p.m. battle before traveling to Belmont the following night to a fellow State Rank in Class D — the Lady JagDogs of Genesee Valley in a 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night season finale.

Bolivar-Richburg 8 4 3 0 – 15

Fillmore 17 17 13 12 – 59

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Raegan Giardini 0 0-2 0, Destiny Cantrell 1 0-0 2, Kayli Giardini 3 0-0 9, Jessica Majot 1 2-2 4. Totals: 5 2-4 15.
FILLMORE: Hope Russell 5 0-0 12, Grace Russell 1 0-0 2, Jadyn Mucher 6 0-0 16, Emma Cole 6 0-1 12, Zoe Beardsley 1 0-0 2, Hannah Tanner 1 0-0 2, Preslee Miller 4 1-4 11, Amelia Rose 1 0-4 2. Totals: 26 1-9 59.
3-point goals: B-R 3 (K. Giardini), Fillmore 6 (Mucher 4, H. Russell 2).
Total Fouls: B-R 10, Fillmore 9. Fouled out: None.

Friendship/Scio 32, Hinsdale 23

SCIO — For teams, the second half of play can be used as a fresh restart point coming back out for action. Both Hinsdale and Friendship/Scio battled their way through thick and thin across the opening half of play of their Thursday night contest in Scio.

That refreshment was provided by the hosts after they scored a three-point lead at halftime, extending it in the third quarter by as much as 10 over the Lady Bobcats and never letting go of it, as they were able to secure what was a 32-23 narrow decision on their home floor.

“We led the whole game. It was kind of a back-and-forth game for a little while, and then we started to get away,” said Friendship/Scio coach Ashleigh Lewis. “We went up by as much as 10 points in the third, and that’s when we started to get things going on offense. Then we built on it in the fourth quarter to keep it nice and easy. We’re still having trouble getting our shots to fall. It’s been a difficult time for those lately.”

That run came in the third quarter, after both squads tied up at six through the opening eight minutes, and then saw a 13-10 lead at the break arise for Friendship/Scio (7-10), as the offense began to string enough baskets together to provide a 12-6 doubling up of the Lady Bobcats to increase their lead insurmountably from three to nine heading into a fourth quarter, where the offense managed to build upon it.

Kadence Donohue was the biggest driver behind the Friendship/Scio offense, recording a game-high 16 points to couple with 10 rebounds to complete a double-double performance. Nevaeh Ross chipped in with nine points along with five rebounds and five steals of her own.

On the other side for Hinsdale (1-14), Hannah Sutton led all scorers with nine team-high points.

Both teams will have Andover/Whitesville up next on their slates, with Friendship/Scio going first on Saturday in a 5 p.m. tip-off set to begin in Whitesville. Hinsdale will have their trip to Whitesville later on, in a 6 p.m. contest on Wednesday.

Hinsdale 6 4 6 8 – 23

Friendship/Scio 6 7 12 7 – 32

HINSDALE: Hannah Sutton 4 1-4 9, Jaylee Jimerson 1 0-2 2, Jenna Sutton 2 0-0 4, Mikayla Miller 2 0-0 4, Sarah Tuttle 0 1-2 1, Kyla Jozwiak 1 1-2 3. Totals: 14 3-10 23.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Nevaeh Ross 4 1-3 9, Keely Sisson 1 0-0 2, Claire Calhoun 1 0-2 2, Kadence Donohue 7 1-2 16, Kiara Grover 0 1-2 1, Morghyn Ross 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 3-9 32.

3-point goals: F/S 1 (Donohue).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 16, F/S 16. Fouled out: Tuttle (HIN).

Canisteo-Greenwood 49, Arkport/Canaseraga 36

CANISTEO — The Lady Redskins of Canisteo-Greenwood moved one more step closer to ending their regular season on a brilliant note, as they knocked off Arkport/Canaseraga after a strong first half allowed them to set the tone for the remainder of the game with a 49-36 victory over the visiting Lady Wolves, Thursday night.

Canisteo-Greenwood (15-4) started out with a 24-13 first half run of Arkport/Canaseraga, led by both Brooke Byrd and Peyton Peters, who combined to record 13 of those points. In the second half, the Lady Redskins then rode the coattails of Lillian Mullen all the way to the end, as she posted 16 of her game-high 22 points in the last 16 minutes of play, including some big help at the line.

The win was sealed despite a late Arkport/Canaseraga rally back with their biggest stand of offense in the game, narrowly outscoring the Lady Redskins by a 15-12 count, but the early deficit would prove to be too much to overcome in the end of a gritty battle.

Following behind Mullen, who also recorded nine rebounds and five steals, was Byrd and her 10 points and nine rebounds. Peters would finish with nine points along with nine rebounds of her own.

The Lady Redskins have now moved into the Steuben County Tournament title game, as they now get set to square off with Avoca/Prattsburgh for all the marbles on their home floor Tuesday night, beginning at 7:15 p.m.

Arkport/Canaseraga 6 7 8 15 – 36

Canisteo-Greenwood 13 11 13 12 – 49

ARKPORT/CANASERAGA: Reese Payne 0 0-2 0, Caitlin O'Dea 1 0-0 2, Anna Dean-Prince 1 0-0 2, Emily Pfaff 1 0-0 2, Grace Carney 5 1-4 14, Chloe Herman 3 8-15 14, Caitlyn Gilman 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 9-21 36.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Bailey Mullen 4 0-1 8, Hailey Davis 0 0-2 0, Lillian Mullen 6 6-6 22, Peyton Peters 4 0-0 9, Brooke Byrd 3 4-6 10. Totals: 17 10-15 49.

3-point goals: A/C 3 (Carney), C-G 5 (L. Mullen 4, Byrd).
Total Fouls: A/C 18, C-G 21. Fouled out: Davis (C-G).

BOYS BASKETBALL

Avoca/Prattsburgh 95, Andover/Whitesville 39

AVOCA — 24 hours removed after one of the more epic clashes in the boys basketball scene this season in Section V against Class C’s top team in Lyons, the team’s top team in Class D went straight back to work with another win — their 18th in a row, continuing a New York State streak of 29 in a row by defeating Andover/Whitesville by a 95-39 count on Thursday.

Avoca/Prattsburgh started the game off red hot to fuel a double digit lead that they never looked back on, scoring 27 straight out of the gate in the opening eight minutes. The lead was pushed insurmountably in the second half, posting a massive 31-4 run in the third quarter. Five different scorers all recorded at least 10 points, with Macoy Putnam’s 22 points leading the charge.

Despite the defeat, Andover/Whitesville (6-11) was led by CJ Estep, and his team-high 15 points. Justin Waters chipped in with eight points, while Gavin Cutler and Spencer Mattison each had four.

Andover/Whitesville is back in action tonight over the road once more, visiting Friendship/Scio in a 6 p.m. tip-off in Scio.

Andover/Whitesville 12 15 4 8 – 39

Avoca/Prattsburgh 27 25 31 12 – 95

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Cormac Brown 1 0-0 2, CJ Estep 7 1-2 15, Gavin Cutler 2 0-0 4, Justin Waters 4 0-0 8, Dylan Acor 1 0-0 2, Spencer Mattison 2 0-0 4, Kohler Niedermaier 1 0-0 2, Will Kent 1 0-0 2. Totals: 19 1-2 39.

AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH: Sawyer DeVoe 4 1-2 9, Evan Campbell 5 1-1 12, Macoy Putnam 11 0-0 22, Tucker Gerych 5 0-0 11, Caleb Johnson 2 0-0 5, Hayden Abbott 7 0-2 16, Aiden Schlesing 1 3-4 5, Pacey Hopkins 5 0-0 11, Jamel Crowder 1 0-0 2, Jamie Reagan 1 0-2 2. Totals: 42 5-10 95.

3-point goals: A/P 6 (Abbott 2, Campbell, Gerych, Johnson, Hopkins).
Total Fouls: A/W 12, A/P 4. Fouled out: Brown (A/W).

Chris Brooks
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Friday Roundup: Wellsville celebrates Senior Night in style, compiling massive 2nd quarter run, 12 3-pointers to score 77-25 win over C-R; Fillmore boys outlast B-R in fight to the finish
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Wednesday Roundup: Lions survive 2nd half race to the finish, end Fillmore’s 7-game win streak with 76-66 road triumph; Fri/Scio, B-R, C-R boys all tally victories