Tuesday Roundup: Barkley chronicles more history for B-R, becomes 4th member into 1,000-point club in team’s 75-66 win over J-T; Fillmore girls outlast C-R in OT, GV/Belfast goes past B-R

BOLIVAR — There is absolutely no doubt that Bolivar-Richburg’s Landon Barkley will go down in history as one of the best to put on the Wolverines uniform.

In what is his final hurrah donning the black and red colors, he has rewritten the school’s history books with three new high marks, establishing new ground in three-pointers made in one game with 10 in a 41-point performance against C.G. Finney back in the IAABO Tournament in mid-December.

The others, numbers that continue to ascend higher and higher on the scale after each and every game, becoming the new titleholder for most three-pointers over the course of a season, as well as a new threshold for a player’s entire career.

Not only has Barkley risen the ranks to become Bolivar-Richburg’s leader on the hardwood, but he has risen to the top as a leader in the classroom, where right before their Tuesday night battle against Jasper-Troupsburg, he was awarded a scholarship from the Allegany County IAABO Association alongside his parents, Katie and Aaron.

But that wasn’t all. There was something else even bigger than that.

In fact, it was something of immense magnitude that it remained a closely-kept secret. After delivering dynamic performance after dynamic performance across the 18 games building up to a date on the calendar that head coach Justin Thomas had circled for quite some time, the Bolivar-Richburg senior was just 10 points away from even more history for his impeccable basketball resume.

What makes it even more special, is that the very last person did it, was family — his cousin, Aydin Sisson. A person he’s shared the hardwood with so many times over the years.

It was only right for the stars to align, for the two to share it together once again. This time on a banner on the gym's walls.

Forever in Bolivar-Richburg basketball lore.

After being held off the scoresheet until the second half of their double-overtime victory against Jasper-Troupsburg on the road earlier this winter, it was much different this time around. Instead, just the consumption of the opening eight minutes allowed him to break the ice and make way towards a 1,000-point career, cementing his legacy by becoming the second straight Wolverine to gain passage into the school’s elite club and the fourth overall in the program’s storied history, as they avoided a giant 4th quarter response from the Wildcats to seal the game with a victorious stamp — a 75-66 triumph to keep them red hot with what is now their 10th of the last 12 games.

“It’s been incredible to watch. If you go back to Jeff Mountain back in 1995, and then not again until Landon Danaher just a few years ago, guys like him and Aydin and Landon have really bought into the culture we’ve established here. It’s a testament to all the guys before them to become these prolific scorers that I’ve been blessed to have coached,” Wolverines coach Justin Thomas said. “Hitting 1,000 is an incredible accolade in itself, but at the end of the JV game, he was honored with a scholarship from the IAABO board. Landon is a leader and even more so, a phenomenal young man, which is so much more important. To be able to coach a kid of his caliber, it has made my job easier over the years. I’m super proud of him and what he’s been able to do to make Bolivar-Richburg basketball such a big deal.”

Barkley would total a game-high 33 points to pace the Wolverines (13-5) — making his mark early on in the opening eight minutes, scoring all 10 of the required points he needed to smash through the 1,000 point facade to aid in the establishment of a 12-1 advantage out of the gate against the Wildcats.

Little by little as time went on, the visitors in black and silver chipped away at Bolivar-Richburg, especially in the second quarter where they found a groove to close the gap to at least six points at the start of the frame. Since that juncture, the Wolverines were able to provide the corresponding responses to maintain their advantageous position, led by Barkley down low.

The double-digit buffer zone created by the Wolverines ultimately settled across the entire frame leading up to closing time when Landon Zver fired back a big three to knock it down to a 34-26 deficit at the break.

In the third quarter, the two foes then went back-and-forth in consistent fashion, with Bolivar-Richburg continuing to maintain the upper-hand each time, garnering a lead by as much as 15 along the way. But in the last eight minutes, it was a rocky road ahead after Jasper-Troupsburg assembled their best performance on the attack yet.

There were two spurts consisting of six consecutive points that allowed the Wildcats to apply the pressure down the stretch. The latter of the pair, making its inception with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, as they transformed a 62-54 Wolverines lead into a miniscule degree of separation. But one thing that remained unwavered — Bolivar-Richburg’s lead, as they used a series of free throws, especially from their senior leader in Barkley, who went a perfect 9-for-9 in the quarter, to help keep the Wildcats in the rearview mirror once and for all.

“I’m really thankful to not have the knock-down drag out this time, but Jasper-Troupsburg played just as hard as the first time we played them,” Thomas said. “We had a chance to put them away early in the fourth, but they responded with everything we could handle and just started to hit shots and apply pressure. But Landon did what Landon always does, he’s the kid that knows how to put away games. It’s like he was made for these kinds of situations. We had a couple of threes to help us out along the way, and then we did enough to manage the game from them to take it right to the line and finish it out.”

Finishing right behind Barkley in the Bolivar-Richburg ledger was Kingston Loucks, who provided 17 points of his own. Waide Karnuth bucketed 11 points.

On the other side, Jasper-Troupsburg saw Landon Zver battle right alongside Barkley for much of the night, as he posted a team-high 30 points.

The Wolverines will now look to transition the momentum out on the road coming up on Friday, as they put their nose back onto the grindstone with a colossal 7:30 p.m. showdown at The Rock in Fillmore, visiting the host Eagles.

Jasper-Troupsburg 8 18 14 26 – 66

Bolivar-Richburg 15 19 18 23 – 75

JASPER-TROUPSBURG: James Ainsworth 5 2-4 14, Nolan Vallieres 1 1-2 4, Jackson Hayes 1 2-2 4, Landon Zver 11 5-5 30, Xavier Remchuk 4 1-2 10, Gage Hall 1 0-0 2, Matt Foster 1 0-1 2. Totals: 24 11-16 66.

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Julian Weekley 1 0-0 3, Landon Barkley 9 11-13 33, Braden Zilker 1 0-0 3, Ryder Iantorno 1 1-2 3, Dylan Abdo 2 0-0 5, Waide Karnuth 5 1-1 11, Kingston Loucks 7 1-2 17. Totals: 26 14-18 75.

3-point goals: J-T 7 (Zver 3, Ainsworth 2, Vallieres, Remchuk), B-R 9 (Barkley 4, Loucks 2, Weekley, Zilker, Abdo).
Total Fouls: J-T 15, B-R 12. Fouled out: Remchuk (J-T).

Houghton Academy 35, The GOW School 26

SOUTH WALES — It was an early fight they had to battle through right from the start. But once the engine began to fire on all cylinders at the start of the second half, the Panthers of Houghton Academy would not be denied, as they rode the coattails of Jack Prentice and his explosive back half of battle to help find the win column at The GOW School with a 35-26 victory on Tuesday.

After the two foes fought tooth and nail across a first half that permitted a one-point lead for the Panthers (5-12) going into the break, the time to break away came almost immediately at the start of the third quarter, where the visitors in blue and white pieced together a tremendous 14-point response — 11 of those points off the hand of Prentice, who found his rhythm from three-point range with three humongous bombshells to give them extra room to work.

With The GOW School looking to climb their way back into the game in the last eight minutes, Houghton Academy slammed the door shot with a heavy presence at the free throw line from Prentice, who proceeded to go 6-for-8 at the charity stripe to keep their advantage permanently intact.

Prentice finished with a game-high 25 points for the Panthers. Following behind was Hoang Phung, who had six points. Gavin Martino had the team’s last four.

Houghton Academy is back on the floor on Friday, hosting Friendship/Scio at 7:30 p.m.

Houghton Academy 4 9 14 8 — 35

The GOW School 8 4 8 6 — 26

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 7 6-8 25, Gavin Martino 2 0-0 4, Hoang Phung 2 0-2 6. Totals: 11 6-10 35.

GOW SCHOOL: Jack Gazzard 4 0-0 10, Cailum Irwin 1 0-0 3, Jaiden Singleton 1 0-0 3, Jackson Lariano 4 1-2 10. Totals: 10 0-0 26.

3-point goals: HA 7 (Prentice 5, Phung 2), GOW 5 (Gazzard 2, Irwin, Singleton, Lariano).
Total Fouls: HA 3, GOW 12. Fouled out: None.

Andover/Whitesville 102, Alfred-Almond 39

ANDOVER — When you find your rhythm, the smooth sailing upon the waters will usually come right behind it. For the Andover/Whitesville boys, Tuesday night was their night with visiting Alfred-Almond in town, as every single scorer, including a gargantuan career-night from Brody Vance, all registered points to produce a complete 102-39 victory over the Eagles.

“It was one of those games where everything the guys threw up, it just seemed to find the bottom of the basket,” said Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce. “We fed off of each other nicely tonight on both ends. Brody couldn’t miss, and other than some poore defense early on by us, I thought it was a pretty complete game. We certainly have some tightening to do with Sectionals coming up, but I think we are rounding into form very nicely.”

Vance assembled the performance of a lifetime for Andover/Whitesville (12-6), as he caught fire from every single angle possible on the hardwood behind his career-high 43 points — an effort that saw 23 of those points come directly in the team’s 35-point first quarter haymaker. That also consisted of nine of the team’s 13 total three-pointers from downtown, as the hosts used a 35-5 lead after the opening frame to set the tone right away.

Following behind Vance was Vinny Joyce, who pitched in 18 points of his own. Colton Calladine had 13 points to add, while James Miller-Young had nine points.

Alfred-Almond was led by Liam Ruthven, who scored a team-leading 17 points.

Andover/Whitesville is now off until next Thursday night on the road, as they visit the Hinsdale Bobcats in a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Alfred-Almond 5 11 15 8 — 39

Andover/Whitesville 35 26 20 21 — 102

ALFRED-ALMOND: Evan Hess 0 0-2 0, Jackson Jusianiec 2 1-2 6, Magnus McMichael 6 0-1 13, Liam Ruthven 6 1-2 17, Easton Welch 1 0-0 3. Totals: 15 2-7 39.

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Gage Putnam 1 0-0 3, James Miller-Young 4 1-2 9, Trey Kent 3 0-0 7, Ethan Warriner 2 0-0 4, Vinny Joyce 9 0-0 18, Brody Vance 15 4-5 43, Jon Vallieres 2 0-0 5, Colton Calladine 6 0-0 13. Totals: 42 5-7 102.

3-point goals: A-A 7 (Ruthven 4, Jusianiec, McMichael, Welch), A/W 13 (Vance 9, Putnam, Kent, Vallieres, Calladine).
Total Fouls: A-A 8, A/W 10. Fouled out: None.

[PHOTOS BY JASON MUCHER]

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 54, Cuba-Rushford 49 (F-OT)

CUBA — With Fillmore having already claimed victory over Cuba-Rushford one time before, Tuesday night brought about an opportunity for the Lady Rebels to level the playing surface to close out their regular season-series in the Wighthouse.

With the two teams trading blow for blow through much of the first half’s time, the second half saw the action intensify to a brand new level. After building a fierce third quarter run to put the visiting Lady Eagles on their feet down the stretch, a great deal of resilience allowed the team in gray and green to fight right back, forcing the Lady Rebels to tie the game and ultimately clinch an extra session of basketball.

In what was the last four minutes the night had to offer, a big boost off the glass, along with some humongous shots at the free throw line from Emalyn Mucher, allowed Fillmore to complete their fourth quarter comeback, as they edged their way towards the winner’s circle with a 54-49 overtime victory.

“As a whole, I have to be happy with how we played tonight, especially after how things went in Fillmore earlier in the year,” Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight said. “We didn’t do a very good job of playing with a lead down the stretch. I have to give Fillmore credit, they hit some big free throws later when they needed them, and they really hit the offensive glass, which hurt us even more. They had some huge second chance points off of those that really swayed the momentum in their favor.”

The first half witnessed a back-and-forth exchange on all angles of the floor between the two clubs, beginning in the opening frame where a 9-6 lead for the Lady Eagles (14-1) was erased in favor of Cuba-Rushford’s first advantage of the game, as they closed the session with six consecutive points to lay claim on a 12-6 lead of their own.

With the momentum in their hands going into the second quarter, the Lady Rebels (10-7) saw it siphoned from their possession by the Lady Eagles, who found some wiggle room to work with down the stretch of the frame with an advantage as high as seven before a long inside shot from Brynn Lavery beat the buzzer and helped close the gap back down to within striking distance going into the locker room.

The shot from Lavery also gave Cuba-Rushford a burst of propulsion they needed to keep their position out front of Fillmore, as she reignited her hand from downtown with her third and fourth triples of the game — the latter of the pair stemming with 10 seconds left in the stanza to grant a 39-34 lead heading down the home stretch.

But the Lady Eagles soon took over the game underneath the rim, as they were provided with many opportunities off the glass to dig away at Cuba-Rushford’s lead. As a result, with a 40-36 lead for the Lady Rebels on the board, the Lady Eagles went on to net the next five points off a clutch Emalyn Mucher three, and then, a big offensive rebound cashed in by Mylee Miller to jump ahead into the driver’s seat.

Some more aid at the charity stripe allowed the hosts in white and blue to tie the game at 41, but the last two baskets of regulation came in the final 23 seconds, with the Lady Eagles climbing out front off another massive offensive rebound collected and registered by Mattie McCumiskey next to the rim before a hard drive down below by Lily Tompkins allowed the Lady Rebels to tie the game at 43 with 14.5 seconds left.

That, to force overtime.

To close out the fight, Fillmore maintained their momentum with the overtime period’s first six points, as they captured enough room to stay ahead, adding more cushioning off a perfect 4-for-4 outing from Mucher at the stripe along the way to secure a thrilling victory over the road.

McCumiskey and Mucher led the way for Fillmore on the attack, posting 18 and 17 points respectively. Lily Sisson had six points to chip in.

For the Lady Rebels, it was Lavery that lit the path forward on the offensive end, as she posted a game-high 19 points — 15 of those points incepting off five of the team’s six total threes from outside. Lily Tompkins and Aubrey Williams each had nine points.

Both teams are back on the floor on Thursday, with Fillmore heading back home to host Friendship/Scio in a 7:30 p.m. contest, while Cuba-Rushford hits the road for a 6 p.m. battle in Hinsdale.

Fillmore 9 19 6 9 11 — 54

Cuba-Rushford 12 11 16 4 6 — 49

FILLMORE: Mylee Miller 2 0-0 4, Tenlee Miller 2 0-0 4, Lily Sisson 2 2-2 6, Morghyn Ross 0 1-4 1, Emalyn Mucher 5 5-5 17, Mattie McCumiskey 6 6-10 18, Kelsie Songster 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 14-21 54.

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Aubrey Williams 3 2-6 9, Cloey Larabee 1 0-0 2, Kendall Tompkins 2 0-0 4, Lily Tompkins 3 3-4 9, Brynn Lavery 7 0-0 19, Lilly Farwell 2 2-4 6. Totals: 18 7-14 49.

3-point goals: Fillmore 2 (Mucher), C-R 6 (Lavery 5, Williams).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 17, C-R 19. Fouled out: Farwell (C-R).

Genesee Valley/Belfast 54, Bolivar-Richburg 38

BELFAST — Bayleigh Tallman made her presence felt across all four quarters of play for Genesee Valley/Belfast on Tuesday, as she assembled a team-leading 18-point performance to aid the team towards a first half lead they held onto all the way to the finish line, securing what ultimately shaped into a 54-38 victory over visiting Bolivar-Richburg in the Paul Vienna Memorial Gym in Belfast.

It started with a first quarter edge out of the gate against the Lady Wolverines, with Tallman planting six of the team’s nine points down low while the defense in transition kept their opposition away from the basket, accounting for an early 9-2 run heading into the second quarter.

In the frame leading up to the end of the first half, Genesee Valley/Belfast (9-7) pieced together their strongest outing of offense to come alive and extend their lead over Bolivar-Richburg, with five different scorers, including Tallman, all posting at least a basket to seize a 26-14 lead at the break.

The hosts went on to trade even barbs with the Lady Wolverines (7-9) in the third quarter before solidifying their victory for good in the last eight minutes with a 16-point fourth quarter outing, led by six more points by Tallman and a big three-pointer from Whitney Young.

Following up behind Tallman was Sophie Zillgitt, who had nine points of her own to add into the mix. Young and Ava Aronson each had eight points to chip in.

Bolivar-Richburg was paced by a team-high 16-point performance from Carmen Crowley. Emma Sisson had eight points, while Nadia Baldwin had six points off a pair of threes from outside. The Lady Wolverines are back on the road tonight, visiting Avoca-Prattsburgh in a 6 p.m. tip-off.

Up next for Genesee Valley/Belfast is a trip down the road to the Jungle in Belmont to their second home, where they now host Andover/Whitesville in a 7:30 p.m. contest of their own on Thursday.

Bolivar-Richburg 2 12 12 12 — 38

Genesee Valley/Belfast 9 17 12 16 — 54

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 2 0-2 6, Emma Sisson 4 0-0 8, Jaelyn Kinnicutt 2 0-0 4, Raegan Giardini 1 1-2 4, Sydney Faulkner 0 0-2 0, Carmen Crowley 7 2-4 16. Totals: 16 3-10 38.

GV/BELFAST: Bayleigh Tallman 9 0-0 18, Sophie Zillgitt 3 1-2 9, Whitney Young 3 0-0 8, Addisyn Ely 1 0-0 2, Kate Calanni 1 0-0 2, Ava Aronson 4 0-0 8, Jenna Hill 1 5-6 7. Totals: 22 6-8 54.

3-point goals: B-R 3 (Baldwin 2, Giardini), GVB 4 (Zillgitt 2, Young 2).
Total Fouls: B-R 12, GVB 14. Fouled out: None.

Friendship/Scio 29, Hinsdale 19

HINSDALE — A quick start to their game, followed by some added punctuation at the start of the second half allowed the Friendship/Scio girls to rocket their way to the finish line in victorious fashion over the road in Hinsdale on Tuesday, as they soared towards a 29-19 win to navigate their path back into the win column.

There was an even balance across the board to aid Friendship/Scio (3-12) throughout the course of battle, as they flew out of the gates strongly behind an early 8-0 run of Hinsdale in the first eight minutes. After the Lady Bobcats responded in strong fashion of their own, the visitors in black and gold ensured their lead remained glued together behind an 11-point frame to claim a 27-15 lead going into the fourth quarter.

In the midst of their well-rounded efforts, Emily Lamberson led the way for Friendship/Scio with a team-high seven points. Kaydence Sadler, Avery Lamberson, Alexiss Herring and Mandi Hale all had four points each to chip in.

The Lady Bobcats (0-13) were led by Lily Bushnell and her game-high 10 points.

Both teams are back on the floor Thursday night, with Friendship/Scio heading to Fillmore for a 7:30 p.m. contest, while Hinsdale stays home to welcome in Cuba-Rushford at 6 p.m.

Friendship/Scio 8 8 11 2 — 29

Hinsdale 0 9 6 4 — 19

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Emily Lamberson 3 0-0 7, Kaydence Sadler 2 0-0 4, Huntar Hint 1 0-0 2, Serenity Gadley 0 2-4 2, Avery Lamberson 1 2-2 4, Alexiss Herring 1 2-4 4, Courtney Button 1 0-0 2, Mandi Hale 2 0-0 4. Totals: 11 6-10 29.

HINSDALE: Kaylie Foskit 3 0-0 6, Sarah Easterly 1 1-4 3, Lily Bushnell 5 0-0 10. Totals: 9 1-4 19.

3-point goals: F/S 1 (E. Lamberson).
Total Fouls: F/S 8, Hinsdale 14. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

County Playoffs: 1st Round

Wellsville 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

WELLSVILLE — Despite being taken the distance across the second set of the evening with visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast on Tuesday, it did not deter Wellsville from their path towards reaching the Semifinal round of the Allegany County Playoffs, as they used the momentum to the absolute fullest to deliver a straight-set, 25-18, 27-25, 25-16 sweep in front of their home crowd.

Leading the way for the Lions (10-3) was Xavier Scott at the front of the net, as he produced a team-leading seven kills to pair with four aces. From the back line, Lucius Griggs was outstanding, adding in seven more aces of his own to pair alongside five kills. The team’s setter, Nolan Kozlowski, was busy getting the offense all set up for business, handing out 12 assists to go alongside his two additional aces.

Genesee Valley/Belfast was led by Lawson Ector and his six kills, two blocks and two assists. Jack Southwick-Powers chipped in with four blocks, three kills and one ace, while Noah Miller handed out 12 assists to pair with four kills and three aces of his own. The team concludes their 2024-25 campaign on the court with a record of 0-14.

Wellsville now slides into the Semifinal round of the Playoffs, as they now prepare to face either Bolivar-Richburg or Cuba-Rushford after the weekend ahead. Date and time for the contest is yet to be determined.

The Wolverines and Rebels square off tonight in Cuba, beginning at 6 p.m.