Lady Lions get one step closer to Coaches v. Cancer crown; GV boys set up big title clash with Prattsburgh
BATH — At the beginning of the season, Lady Lions head coach Michelle Alvord asked her team to rattle off their goals for the 2019-20 campaign. The main goal for most high school players is to get a chance to play for the Section V championship brick come March.
But for some of the Lady Lions, winning the Coaches v. Cancer Tournament in Bath after Christmas was on their list.
It’s a tournament that Alvord and Wellsville have come so close to capturing in recent years, finishing as runners-up in three of the past four seasons. But never have they once had the chance to call themselves champions. That may change when Saturday night comes around.
The Lady Lions got their chance to return to the Coaches v. Cancer Tournament title game, fueling a fast first quarter start to ultimately set the bar for the rest of the evening, despite a slow second quarter along the way, as they managed to knock off back-to-back tournament champion Penn Yan to advance with a 36-28 victory over the Lady Mustangs.
“We got off to a quick start offensively, and then we struggled quite a bit in the second quarter,” said Alvord. “But defensively, we’re playing solid as a team. We controlled the boards, and that was the big key in winning this game. It helped us control the game quite a bit. We did a great job on both sides of the floor, and it’s become a great balance with our overall team play. Everyone is doing their part, and when you give up only 28 points to a team like Penn Yan, that’s even better.”
The quick start stemmed right from the get-go for the Lady Lions (6-2), rolling their way toward a 16-6 run of Penn Yan behind some balanced scoring of the offensive side of the floor to jump out front. Even though the road looked a bit rocky through the second quarter, Wellsville came out of the locker room in the second half behind their defense to hold the Lady Mustangs still, holding them to seven points in each of the remaining pair of quarters left to play.
Leading the Lady Lions balanced offense was Marley Adams, who hit two of the team’s three pointers on her way to a game-high 11 points, adding four rebounds and three assists. Regan Marsh recorded eight points, and led the rebounding department with a team-high six boards. Emily Costello and Kaylee Coleman each tallied six points, and four rebounds to help the cause.
In the JV contest, the Lady Lions fell to Penn Yan by a 22-16 count. Brooklyn Stisser led the Wellsville offense with six points.
Saturday night, the Lady Lions will have a chance to win their first ever Coaches v. Cancer Tournament title, as they prepare to take on the host Lady Rams of Bath-Haverling, who defeated Section IV’s Odessa Montour in overtime, in the nightcap at 7:15 p.m.
"They’re always tough, and they’re different than they have been in years past,” Alvord said of Bath. “We actually match up better with them this year, and they have a complete player in the (Abby) Speiss girl. We’ve never won this tournament, and it was a goal on our girls’ checklist at the beginning of the season. Hopefully we can use this game to help us bring it home tomorrow.”
Wellsville 16 2 8 10 – 36
Penn Yan 6 8 7 7 – 28
WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 3 3-3 11, Jaylynn Mess 1 0-0 3, Emily Costello 3 0-2 6, Emily Robbins 1 0-0 2, Kaylee Coleman 3 0-2 6, Regan Marsh 3 2-4 8. Totals: 14 5-11 36.
PENN YAN: Hayley Andersen 1 0-0 2, Joddie Decker 2 3-4 7, Sierra Harrison 2 1-4 6, Jammie Decker 3 0-2 6, Ashley Sisson 2 3-8 7. Totals: 10 7-8 28.
3-point goals: Wellsville 3 (Adams 2, Mess), Penn Yan 1 (Harrison).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 12, Penn Yan 12. Fouled out: None.
Keshequa Holiday Tournament
Warsaw 43, Genesee Valley 13
NUNDA — In opening round action of the Keshequa Holiday Tournament on Friday, the Lady Tigers of Warsaw managed to come out on top to advance into Monday’s title game with a 43-13 victory over Genesee Valley.
Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report.
On Monday, the Lady Jaguars (1-6) will take on Campbell-Savona in the tournament’s consolation game. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. back at Keshequa.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Josh Palmer Holiday Classic
Wellsville 51, Elmira-Notre Dame 46
ELMIRA — It was a fair offensive exchange between both Wellsville and Elmira-Notre Dame at Friday’s Josh Palmer Holiday Classic. In a first half that saw the Lions jump out to a six-point lead, it was quickly erased in the third to set up an eventful fourth quarter that saw the Crusaders put the pressure on with their three-point game.
But for Wellsville, it was on their senior captain to put the game on ice, as Max Jusianiec accounted for nine of the team’s 15 points in the final eight minutes of play to allow the defense to put the finishing touches on what became a 51-46 victory for the Lions to advance further into the boys basketball bracket.
“It was a rough game, but we’ll take all the wins we can get,” Lions coach Raymie Auman said. “I didn’t think we did a great job committing to playing tough defense for the entire 32 minutes on the floor. But ultimately, we did a great job getting stops at the end of the game. It’s good for younger players to have these kinds of experiences to prepare for the long run in February and March.”
Both clubs found themselves in a 10-10 tie after the opening quarter of play, but Wellsville (4-3) found a little bit of breathing room to work with in the next frame of play, as Jusianiec recorded eight of the squad’s 16 points within the period to assist in a six-point lead at halftime.
The three-point game began to kick into gear for the Crusaders when the second half came around. Out of their 10 treys that found the twine, six were netted in the next 16 minutes, including three within a third quarter which became Elmira-Notre Dame’s biggest of the evening, seeing the Wellsville lead cut down from six to a single point entering the fourth.
“They certainly shot the ball well,” Auman said of Elmira-Notre Dame. “We often overcommitted on their players driving their way to the basket, but they also did a great job spreading the ball around to their outside shooters. Once they found that opening, they just couldn’t miss it.”
With Elmira-Notre Dame continuing to flare up from outside, Jusianiec countered with another big effort in the fourth quarter behind one of his two slam dunks to give Wellsville their extended lead back for good again behind a narrow 15-11 jaunt to close up shop.
In all, Jusianiec finished with a game-high 28 points to lead the Lions offense. Tyler Sands followed suit with eight points of his own, while Liam McKinley had seven to chip in.
Wellsville will have the weekend off before heading back to Elmira to finish off the Josh Palmer Holiday Classic on Monday, as they get set to take on North Penn-Mansfield. Tip off is slated for 3:15 p.m.
Wellsville 10 16 10 15 – 51
Elmira-Notre Dame 10 10 15 11 – 46
WELLSVILLE: Tyler Sands 3 0-2 8, Max Jusianiec 11 3-6 28, Eli Schmidt 0 2-2 2, Liam McKinley 2 1-3 7, Logan Dunbar 2 1-3 5, Noah Chaffee 0 1-2 1, Aidan Hart 0 0-2 0. Totals: 18 8-20 51.
ELMIRA-NOTRE DAME: Isiah McKay 1 0-0 2, Joseph Sheehan 4 0-0 12, Brody Nemier 5 0-0 14, Adam Ward 2 0-0 5, Erik Chamataki 3 0-1 6, Mark Tota 2 0-0 5, Sean Townsend 1 0-2 2. Totals: 18 0-3 46.
3-point goals: Wellsville 7 (Jusianiec 3, Sands 2, McKinley 2), E-ND 10 (Sheehan 4, Nemier 4, Ward, Tota).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 11, E-ND 18. Fouled out: None.
Prattsburgh Holiday Tournament
Genesee Valley 73, Wayland-Cohocton 65
PRATTSBURGH — A strenuous slate of games was presented before the Genesee Valley Jaguars at the start of this season. On it, it featured teams such as Allegany-Limestone, Wellsville, C.G. Finney, Fillmore and Scio thus far.
Out of those games, the Jaguars have won four of the first five entering Friday afternoon’s Holiday Tournament in Prattsburgh, where they took on their third Class B school this year in Wayland-Cohocton.
It was a tight close quarters battle through and through between each team. That was up until the fourth quarter when the floodgates broke open for Genesee Valley in the form of a gigantic fourth quarter run on the Eagles through half of the quarter that saw them roll away for good towards a 73-65 first round victory.
“Way-Co has a nice team, and they have some decent shooters too,” Jaguars coach Lintz Bliven said. “The second half came, and the kids blew it wide open. Cody (Schneider) was Cody again tonight, and Evan (Windus) was shooting lights out on the floor. We made some big defensive stops along with it when we needed them.”
That fourth quarter run? — A 19-4 jaunt of the Eagles through the first five minutes that saw Genesee Valley (5-1) control all facets to keep their lead in tact until the final buzzer. But that came after some tight battling in the first half, as both the Jaguars and Eagles provided strong starts to their game in the opening eight minutes, and later an 18-13 run in the second quarter that saw Wayland-Cohocton take a three-point lead at the half.
In the third quarter, the battle carried over with Genesee Valley sliding their way ahead of the Eagles with a 17-10 outscoring to provide some momentum that turned into an offensive explosion in the fourth quarter that sealed their lead for good. Each team provided an effective three-point game, combining to hit 22 in all, with both the Jaguars and Eagles recording 11.
Cody Schneider led all scorers on the hardwood with a huge 25-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Jaguars. Evan Windus was not far behind his senior teammate, netting 22 points that included a quad-feed of treys. Trevor Clark and Brock Ellsessor followed with 11, and 10 points respectively, while Riley Gordon rounded off the scorebook with five.
Next up on the docket for the Jaguars is a team they have become familiar rivals to since their 2015 Class D1 championship winning season — the Prattsburgh Vikings, as they battle for the Holiday Tournament crown Saturday night at 7 p.m. in their first of two meetings this season.
The next being the sixth annual Dan Barkley Showcase at Alfred State at the end of January.
“We’re going to get a little preview of the Showcase tomorrow night. Prattsburgh’s always a tough place to play, and we have to find a way to stop the (Mason) Putnam kid. The game we played tonight was huge to carry into this one. Prattsburgh’s defense is an item, and their offense shot lights out against Naples. If we can get through Wellsville and C.G. Finney one weekend, and get through Wayland-Cohocton and Prattsburgh in another, this is a big deal. It should be a fun game for everyone involved.”
Genesee Valley 22 13 17 21 – 73
Wayland-Cohocton 20 18 10 17 – 65
GENESEE VALLEY: Trevor Clark 4 0-0 11, Evan Windus 8 2-5 22, Brock Ellsessor 5 0-1 10, Riley Gordon 2 0-0 5, Cody Schneider 9 4-8 25. Totals: 28 6-14 73.
WAYLAND-COHOCTON: Ethan Trischler 5 0-0 12, DeAndre Green 0 1-2 1, Nate Smalt 1 0-0 3, Justin Horton 4 0-0 8, Justin Schwab 2 0-0 5, Logan Brown 2 0-0 4, Cam Huber 4 0-0 10, Jamie Carman 5 3-4 17, Thomas Mead 2 0-0 5. Totals: 25 4-6 65.
3-point goals: GV 11 (Windus 4, Clark 3, Schneider 3, Gordon), Way-Co 11 (Carman 4, Huber 2, Trischler 2, Schwab, Mead, Smalt).
Total Fouls: GV 10, Way-Co 13. Fouled out: None.
Scio Christmas Tournament
Alfred-Almond 45, Belfast 38
SCIO — The night between Alfred-Almond and Belfast at the Scio Christmas Tournament started out slow after the game’s first quarter. The Eagles took the lead entering the half, and they would keep it for good, putting together a strong 20-point fourth quarter led by Jonas Kays to pace a 45-38 edging of Belfast on Friday.
The Bulldogs (1-5) trailed by a single possession at the end of the half, as Nick Ellison found his groove with three of his four three-pointers coming in the first 16 minutes of play. At that point, the Eagles held the offense in check with some of their own offensive magic from Kays, who accounted for 11 of his 15 game-high points in the last eight minute period, including a trio of treys to keep Alfred-Almond in front for good.
Ellison led the Belfast offense with 12 team-high points, all from downtown. Stephen Struckmann added six points inside, while Matt Weaver pitched in with five.
Belfast will now move into consolation round action Saturday night, as they take on the Friendship Golden Eagles at 6 p.m. In the championship game, Alfred-Almond will face the host Scio Tigers in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m.
Alfred-Almond 4 13 8 20 – 45
Belfast 5 9 7 17 – 38
ALFRED-ALMOND: Blake McMichael 0 4-6 4, Ty Kenney 2 1-2 6, Isaac Little 5 0-2 10, Kevin Dunning 4 2-3 10, Jonas Kays 4 4-7 15. Totals: 15 11-20 45.
BELFAST: Nick Ellison 4 0-0 12, Max Miller 1 0-0 3, Jason Drozdowski 0 3-6 3, Matt Weaver 2 0-0 5, Devin Harriger 2 0-1 4, Hunter Enders 1 0-0 3, Stephen Struckmann 3 0-0 6, Carter Guilford 1 0-2 2. Totals: 14 3-9 38.
3-point goals: A-A 4 (Kays 3, Kenney), Belfast 6 (Ellison 4, Miller, Enders).
Total Fouls: A-A 12, Belfast 22. Fouled out: None.
Scio 82, Friendship 42
SCIO — A massive 29-point first quarter for the Scio Tigers paid dividends in their return to action inside an opening round matchup of their Christmas Tournament against Friendship on Friday, using it to set the bar on their 82-42 victory over the Golden Eagles to advance into Saturday night’s championship game.
Four different scorers recorded double digit figures to pace the Scio (4-1) offense, with Cam Loucks paving the way behind his game-high 26 points to go with 13 rebounds, five steals and four assists. Carl Finnemore had the team’s second double-double, netting 12 points to pair with his 10 rebounds. Brendan Graves tallied 20 points of his own, along with six assists. Jake D’Arcy was red hot from downtown, sinking five of Scio’s nine three-pointers, on his way to a 17-point performance.
Friendship (1-6) was led by Micah Hosley, and Donovan Breckinridge each, as they recorded 11 points. Dekota Stewart had seven points of his own to add.
Saturday night, the Tigers will do battle with the Alfred-Almond Eagles for the tournament’s crown at 7:30 p.m. Prior to the contest, the Golden Eagles will take on the Belfast Bulldogs in the consolation game beginning at 6 p.m.
Friendship 7 12 12 11 – 42
Scio 29 25 14 14 – 82
FRIENDSHIP: Micah Hosley 5 1-2 11, Blake Hewitt 1 0-0 2, Dekota Stewart 3 0-0 7, Donovan Breckinridge 4 0-0 11, Garrett Miller 2 0-0 5, Joseph Grooms 0 2-2 2, Devin Ross 1 0-0 2, Cameron Blouvet 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 3-4 42.
SCIO: Jake D'Arcy 6 0-0 17, Cory Bolzan 2 0-1 5, Brendan Graves 8 2-3 20, Cam Loucks 11 3-6 26, Carl Finnemore 5 2-5 12, Cam Kelsey 1 0-0 2. Totals: 28 7-15 82.
3-point goals: Friendship 5 (Breckinridge 3, Stewart, Miller), Scio 9 (D'Arcy 5, Graves 2, Loucks, Bolzan).
Total Fouls: Friendship 13, Scio 11. Fouled out: None.
Jasper-Troupsburg Christmas Tourney
Bradford 85, Whitesville 21
JASPER — Three different scorers netted at least 10 points for the Bradford Braves, as they propelled toward a big 30-4 run in the first quarter to power their 85-21 victory over the Whitesville Blue Jays in opening round action of the Jasper-Troupsburg Christmas Tournament on Friday.
Four scorers found the Whitesville (0-3) scorebook with Chris Gullett leading the way with nine points. Jessie Pensyl and CJ Estep each had five points, while Troy Cogar added a basket.
The Jays will now take on the host Jasper-Troupsburg Wildcats in the consolation round Saturday night at 5:45 p.m.
Whitesville 4 8 2 7 – 21
Bradford 30 10 26 19 – 85
WHITESVILLE: Chris Gullett 4 1-2 9, Jessie Pensyl 2 0-0 5, CJ Estep 1 3-4 5, Troy Cogar 1 0-0 2. Totals: 8 4-6 21.
BRADFORD: Jordan Sutryk 11 0-0 22, Logan Ayers 4 0-0 8, Steven Spina 1 0-0 3, Tyler Spina 2 4-5 8, Blai Crespo 6 0-0 12, Blaze Machuga 9 0-0 18, Mikey English 1 0-0 3, Caleb Wakeman 1 1-2 3, Lane Simpson 3 0-0 6, Joe Nowicki 1 0-0 2. Totals: 39 5-7 85.
3-point goals: Whitesville 1 (Pensyl), Bradford 2 (S. Spina, English).
Total Fouls: Whitesville 8, Bradford 9. Fouled out: None.
