Lady Lions find home opener success with 65-28 win over Addison

Wellsville sophomore Marley Adams (10) puts away a lay-up, as the Addison defense looks to contest during Monday’s home opener in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

WELLSVILLE – After splitting a pair of games down below the border at Cowanesque, Pa. to begin their season this past weekend, only two days passed before the Lady Lions of Wellsville stepped on their home floor for their first time on Monday.

To say there was a bit of energy in the building, is an understatement. That all stemmed when a technical issue during the pregame ceremonies saw 10th grade English teacher, and Lady Lions announcer Matt Warren perform the National Anthem, receiving a thunderous applause at its conclusion.

From there, it was gametime. For the Lady Lions, they made no mistake striking while the iron was hot, as they held visiting Addison to single digits across the board while capitalizing on well-rounded offense themselves, picking up a huge 65-28 home-opening victory over the Lady Knights.

“I thought they worked wonderfully.” said Wellsville coach Michelle Alvord. “I was very pleased with how we were as a team. We had high energy, we rebounded well, and that was something we struggled with in our tournament this past weekend. Our ball movement was excellent, and we weren't selfish with the ball. This was a game that was fun to watch.”

Wellsville senior Kayla Day (13) looks to work around the Addison defense during Monday’s home opener. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

The Lady Lions (2-1) outscored Addison 34-14 at the half, all powered by sophomore star Marley Adams, who wreaked havoc from the floor from start to finish, recording 20 of her game-high 24 points all in the first 16 minutes of play, finishing the night having only missed a single shot from the field.

“I talked to Coach (Morgan) McNeill after the game, and she told me that she missed one basket all game long.” Alvord said of Adams. “She was on point tonight, and you can't ask for much more than that. She had a couple rebounds, couple assists. She provided a real complete game.”

She was not alone in the effort however, as Jaylynn Mess delivered a huge shot at the first quarter buzzer, dribbling her way to half-court to let a shot hit nothing but twine on the way down, ending what was a momentous 19-8 run of the Lady Knights heading into the second quarter. Mess would finish with 10 points.

“I don't know how long it was until they scored the first basket, but our defense was outstanding from the first quarter on.” Alvord said. “It sets a tone, and then the buzzer beater from Jaylynn gave us even more momentum. The girls were pumped for that, and there is a great energy with this team.”

Wellsville sophomore Kaylee Coleman, off-center, looks to jar the ball loose from Addison during Monday’s home opener. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

In the next set of eight minutes, Wellsville took time to establish their double digit lead while holding the Addison offense in check, recording a 15-6 run along the way while coming out of the gates red hot again in the third quarter with a 20-5 run to ultimately put the stamp on their home-opening victory.

Emily Robbins helped the Lady Lions cause with nine points of her own, while Kaylee Coleman was busy under the glass, providing nine team-high rebounds. Regan Marsh had six points, and six rebounds respectively, while Ashley Sexton grabbed six rebounds in her Wellsville debut after transferring from Scio.

Earlier in the evening, the Lady Lions JV squad collected a win of their own by a 35-26 count over Addison. Leading the charge was Makenna Dunbar, who had a team-high 14 points. Sara Reitz had 13 points of her own to add.

Wellsville now hits the road once again this Thursday, as they head for Christmas Tournament action at Allegany-Limestone, as they get set to take on Cattaraugus-Little Valley for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Addison 8 6 5 9 – 28

Wellsville 19 15 20 11 – 65

ADDISON: Anna Carlineo 1 4-6 7, Rachael Miller 2 0-0 4, Hannah Pierce 2 1-2 5, Hailee Stuart 3 0-0 6, Gabby Coletta 1 1-2 3, Bella Benjamin 1 0-0 3. Totals: 10 6-10 28.
WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 8 6-7 24, Jaylynn Mess 4 1-1 10, Emily Costello 3 0-0 6, Kayla Day 0 0-2 0, Ashley Sexton 0 1-2 1, Emily Robbins 3 3-4 9, Kaylee Coleman 2 0-0 4, Milla Litzburg 2 0-2 5, Regan Marsh 3 0-2 6. Totals: 25 11-20 65.

3-point goals: Addison 2 (Carlineo, Benjamin), Wellsville 4 (Adams 2, Mess, Litzburg).
Total Fouls: Addison 17, Wellsville 11. Fouled out: None.