Monday Basketball: Howard’s half-ending block lights spark, Vogel’s 5 2nd half triples provides flame in dauntless Wellsville road win in Fillmore; Letchworth edges out GV/Belfast, C-R rolls by Oswayo

FILLMORE — You can imagine whenever Wellsville and Fillmore meet up indoors when Old Man Winter wreaks havoc, the seats will usually find a way to fill up in a hurry.

Monday night, it certainly was no different when two of Allegany County’s basketball gladiators crossed paths in the arena, sparring for one night only from within the confines of The Rock — a venue that has become one of the more toughest places to settle the score in the County over the years.

In what was Wellsville’s third game of their six-game road stand to help close out the regular season, they had to dig in against a fiercely incendiary Eagles team that knows their way inside of the arc and out. Posthaste from the starting gates, it was as tightly knit of a commencement across the opening 16-minute sequence as you could envision.

With both teams providing scores one after another, there were countless responses that corresponded along with it.

The Lions were able to grab the upper-hand after a fiery start from three-point range allowed the Eagles to jump ahead. Since that particular juncture, the two teams traded blows across the remainder of the first half, including the final moments of the second quarter when Fillmore acquired the final possession.

Down by a pair and looking to draw even going into the locker room, a collection of the ball on a near-breakaway jaunt to the rim before the buzzer was gathered by Fillmore. Right behind it however, was JJ Howard.

You can probably fill in the rest of the blanks.

In one giant stride down the floor, the Wellsville senior prepared for lift-off and skyrocketed to the ball, spiking it directly off the glass to prevent Fillmore’s game-tying score from floating through the twine right at the end of the first half, allowing Wellsville to maintain their advantage. That single play served as the spark.

As for the flame? — Ty Vogel held onto the metaphorical matchstick, and with it, set ablaze a second half wildfire from downtown, landing five clutch three-pointers to keep Fillmore in the rearview mirror behind his game-leading performance and hand Wellsville their third straight win on the road — their fifth in the last seven games, all while ending Fillmore’s six-game win streak in one foul swoop with a 70-58 road victory.

“It was a great matchup tonight,” Eagles coach Randy Crouch said. “Wellsville has really found their stride since the start of the season, and Tom (Muska) has them playing really well. They are big and athletic all throughout the lineup, and their physicality really seemed to frustrate us. We did a good job of battling throughout the game, but every little run we made, they had an answer for. Tyler really hurt us in the second half by hitting five threes. Full credit goes to Wellsville, they really took it to us. We need to recover quickly and get ready for a matchup with Franklinville back here on Wednesday.”

The back-and-forth battle was on through the first four minutes between both squads, with an early three-point presence from Fillmore, led by JD Bialek and Jonah Bialek, and their four combined triples in the frame, helping establishing ground first and foremost before Wellsville (10-6) charted their course to the board themselves off a couple of forced turnovers on defense — one of them resulting in a tomahawking dunk from Howard to claim an 18-11 lead.

The advantage for the Lions blossomed to as much as seven down the stretch. But after a third and final Jonah Bialek triple in the frame cut the deficit down to within striking distance, it was cancelled out by a nifty play around a pair of defenders down low from Aiden Cowburn, who beat the buzzer on a circus-esque lay-up to pick up the 24-18 lead after the first quarter.

Once more, the back-and-forth exchanges resumed in constant fashion, with Nick Germain-Tardieu’s triple helping open the festivities in the second quarter before a nine-point Wellsville lead was knocked back down by the Eagles (12-2) behind a hard-earned three-point play to the rim from Cam Mucher. The gap continued to close and reopen again all throughout battle, with the Lions remaining on top in the midst of it all.

But when an opportunity arose for the hosts to create a brand new ballgame before the end of the opening half, Howard denied it with authority with a game-altering block that allowed the Lions to maintain their occupation of the driver’s seat.

Despite every attempt by Fillmore to try and tilt the balance any way they could, it was the red hot hand of Ty Vogel that allowed them to pull away, as the senior sharpshooter bucketed five momentous three-pointers — two in the third and three more in the fourth, with the latter of the bunch creating Wellsville’s largest advantage of 14 in the last eight minutes, ultimately sealing up the victory for good.

Vogel finished as the night’s leading scorer with a game-high 19 points for the Lions. Howard, along with Karson Grover and Trent Green, pitched in 14 points.

For the Eagles, who will look to rebound at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday back on their home floor against Franklinville, it was Jonah Bialek and JD Bialek that each produced a team-high 16 points to pave the way for the attack. Right behind them, Cam Mucher concluded with 12 points of his own.

Wellsville will now seek their fourth straight win on the road coming up on Friday, as they pay a visit to the Marcus Whitman Wildcats for tip-off at 7:30 p.m. — their first meeting since last season’s Class B2 Semifinal round.

Wellsville 24 11 16 19 – 70

Fillmore 18 15 11 14 – 58

WELLSVILLE: Aiden Cowburn 2 0-0 4, Karson Grover 7 0-2 14, JJ Howard 7 0-1 14, Ty Vogel 7 0-0 19, Nick Germain-Tardieu 1 0-0 3, Trent Green 7 0-0 14, Derek Coleman 1 0-0 2. Totals: 32 0-4 70.

FILLMORE: Isaiah Sisson 4 0-0 9, Jonah Bialek 6 0-0 16, Jameson Rhett 2 0-0 5, Cam Mucher 5 1-1 12, JD Bialek 7 0-0 16. Totals: 24 1-1 58.

3-point goals: Wellsville 6 (Vogel 5, Germain-Tardieu), Fillmore 9 (Jo. Bialek 4, JD Bialek 2, Sisson, Rhett, Mucher).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 4, Fillmore 8. Fouled out: None.

Letchworth 60, Genesee Valley/Belfast 58

GAINESVILLE — Tensions were at an all-time high on Monday with Genesee Valley/Belfast jousting in a back-and-forth engagement from the opening tip at mid-court to the sound of the final buzzer with host Letchworth to start the homestretch before Sectionals.

After the furious battle set up shop for a thrilling final eight minutes of battle, everyone in the stands moved even closer to the edge of their seat for the last 60 seconds following a massive run from Genesee Valley/Belfast to tie the game. But in the waning seconds, five gigantic points were mustered by the Legends to keep their way out in front, avoiding one more fouling game with their opposition along the way to secure a 60-58 home win.

Both teams dug in right away, with no degree of separation eclipsing more than three points at all times in the opening eight minute sequence. With an 18-16 lead behind handled by Genesee Valley/Belfast (8-7), along with the quarter’s final possession, the advantage branched out to five off a buzzer-beating triple off the hand of Ian McKenzie from long range just outside the right wing.

Stemming off the trey, the visitors in black built off the momentum to start the second quarter, carrying over the bucket to continue what was an 8-0 scoreless run. Letchworth would find a way to shake off the dry spell and provide an equal response to Genesee Valley/Belfast to close out the first half, as they trailed by a 31-24 count going into the locker room.

The Legends re-emerged red hot to start the final 16-minute concatenation of the evening, as they caught fire with a 9-0 run to reclaim the advantage from Genesee Valley/Belfast, setting up for another back-and-forth closure to the frame, with both teams hitting a pair of shots at the line on back-to-back drives to put a wrap on a 42-40 Letchworth lead heading into the fourth.

In the last eight minutes, the Legends sprawled out towards an eight-point lead with 3:20 remaining — the largest margin separating both sides in the contest. But Genesee Valley/Belfast responded with one of their biggest yet, firing back another 8-0 scoreless run to put Letchworth on their feet entering crunchtime.

Those efforts were led by Ethan Davenport, who connected with a big defensive rebound before making a solo trip up the floor to work around the defense down low, beating one man on the right side of the arc to float an off-balanced teardrop through the twine to tie the game at 55.

But like all baskets that have come across a vast majority of the battle, they came with responses. Letchworth supplied perhaps the largest of the entire kit and kaboodle, as they collected five straight points within one minute remaining in play — their first off a go-ahead triple just under the designated time, and later, a clutch jumper inside to extend the advantage to five with 17 seconds left.

Genesee Valley/Belfast was granted two more opportunities to draw even with the Legends to close the game out, connecting on their first off a wide-open McKenzie three-pointer with 5.4 remaining, quickly drawing a timeout to preserve time shortly after.

With the hosts in white and red controlling what ultimately became the final possession when the two teams returned to the floor, the Legends forced the ball deep outside their defensive end and to the other end of the floor where they avoided any attempt for the visitors to foul, letting the clock run dry to foil Genesee Valley/Belfast’s late comeback efforts and escape with the victory.

Despite ending the game on a 13-5 run of the Legends, Genesee Valley/Belfast saw three different scorers all plateau into double-digit territory, with McKenzie and his team-high 14 points leading the charge. Kenton Shultz chipped in with 13 points of his own, while Davenport collected 12.

Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to rebound back home inside the Jungle in Belmont on Wednesday, as they host the Avoca-Prattsburgh Titans at 7:30 p.m.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 21 10 9 18 – 58

Letchworth 16 8 18 18 – 60

GV/BELFAST: Will Guilford 1 0-0 2, Cane Treusdell 3 2-3 9, Cal Tallman 3 2-5 8, Ian McKenzie 4 4-4 14, Ethan Davenport 5 0-0 12, Kenton Shultz 5 2-4 13. Totals: 21 10-16 58.

LETCHWORTH: Brody Beachel 8 0-0 20, Justin Flint 1 0-0 2, Adam Webster 5 2-3 12, Isaac Hansen 2 4-4 8, Darren Abbott 3 0-0 6, Hayden Schroeder 4 2-5 10, Ben Hibbard 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 8-12 60.

3-point goals: GVB 6 (McKenzie 2, Davenport 2, Treusdell, Shultz), Letchworth 4 (Beachel).
Total Fouls: GVB 14, Letchworth 12. Fouled out: None.

Cuba-Rushford 61, Oswayo Valley 40

CUBA — In the game of basketball, controlling the glass can help go a long way. With four different scorers wedging their way onto the statsheet with nearly 40 rebounds combined, the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford were in good hands behind many pairs of good hands on Monday, as they used a fast and furious end to the opening quarter to set up shop for what was a 61-40 home win over visiting Oswayo Valley.

“We were able to get some easy buckets off our press to get us going. We didn’t really shoot great from the perimeter, but we really controlled the glass against Oswayo Valley. I was very pleased with every guy that stepped on the floor. Our defensive energy was pretty solid again for us tonight.” Rebels coach Pat Wight said.

It was a beginning that saw the visiting Green Wave spring out early with the contest’s first pair of buckets. But the momentum changed hands in a massive way to close out the last chunk of time remaining on the clock, as the Rebels (13-5) pulverized the breadbasket with 15 unanswered points on the counterattack to claim the advantage.

Both teams proceeded to create a level playing surface across the second quarter, with the Rebels branching their advantage to 10 points right before a nifty move underneath the rim from Adam Roe near the end of the frame allowed them to push it out to 13 — a 30-17 edge in the catbird’s seat going into the locker room.

To make sure they remained out front, Cuba-Rushford ignited the third quarter nearly the same way they finished the first eight minutes, as they catapulted out of the gate with 14 of the stanza’s first 16 points to create a game-sealing shockwave to aid in locking down the home victory in the Wighthouse.

Another brilliant night from Finn Ricketts helped the offense’s cause once more, as the Rebels senior posted a game-high 19 points to pair with 10 rebounds — completing one of two double-doubles for the hosts in white and maroon. The other belonged to Adam Roe, who had 11 points and 10 more rebounds to chip in. Donovan Breckenridge had nine rebounds, while Eli Sleggs had eight to add into the mix. Zach Deck handed out eight assists.

Cuba-Rushford is out on the road coming up on Friday, as they visit the Paul Vienna Memorial Gym in Belfast for a 7:30 p.m. meeting with host Genesee Valley/Belfast.

Oswayo Valley 4 13 7 16 – 40

Cuba-Rushford 15 15 19 12 – 61

OSWAYO VALLEY: Dawson Welch 1 0-0 3, Landon Flurschutz 1 0-0 2, Hunter Worthington 2 1-2 5, Sage McCleaft 1 0-0 2, Leelynn Welch 2 0-0 5, Ridge Mesler 3 1-2 10, Conner Resig 2 0-0 4, Owen Bryant 2 1-2 5, Isaac Vincent 2 0-0 4. Totals: 16 3-6 40.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Carter Getz 1 0-0 2, Adam Roe 5 0-0 11, Donovan Breckenridge 2 4-5 8, Zach Deck 3 1-2 7, Carter Brown 5 3-4 14, Finn Ricketts 8 3-5 19. Totals: 24 11-16 61.

3-point goals: OV 5 (Mesler 3, D. Welch, L. Welch), C-R 2 (Roe, Brown).
Total Fouls: OV 16, C-R 8. Fouled out: Bryant (OV).

Friendship/Scio 52, Alfred-Almond 44

SCIO — As one team proceeded to find the basket, the other soon followed right behind them for much of the night on a Monday evening in Scio, as Alfred-Almond and host Friendship/Scio assembled a fierce fight from start to finish.

The night’s opening quarter saw plenty of congestion with each team trading runs. With Alfred-Almond working their way back into the fray to close out the first half, they remained hot on their trail. But thanks to some crucial breathing room across the second half, led by an early third quarter run, Friendship/Scio was able to make sure their advantage remained glued together down the stretch, as they pulled away towards a 52-44 home win.

“Aiden (Golden) had a great night shooting the basketball tonight, and he’s been well overdue for one of those kinds of games,” Friendship/Scio coach Dillon McFall said. “I was proud of our guys for the way we handled Alfred-Almond. We would build a lead against them, and they chipped away after. But through it all, we withstood it and we did what we had to do to win, especially to send Cooper (Greenman) out swinging on Senior Night. He had a good portion of minutes and found the basket along the way.”

The first quarter witnessed three different jaunts from both teams develop, with Friendship/Scio (6-9) delivering the first blow with eight of the first 10 points out of the gate. Just past midway, it was the Eagles turn to provide a response of their own, as they concocted a run that consisted of 10 straight points to overtake the hosts in the driver’s seat with a 10-8 advantage.

But Friendship/Scio had the quarter’s final word, as they fired back one more time with a 10-0 run of their own to close out the frame strong with the 18-10 lead.

The degree of separation through the second quarter was no closer than three points between the two foes, with some help at the charity stripe helping cut the deficit for the visitors in blue and yellow. But with a 28-23 lead in hand going into the second half, Friendship/Scio was able to score a massive 8-0 jaunt to garner much needed breathing room to remain ahead down the stretch once and for all.

Golden led all scorers for Friendship/Scio with a team-high 19 points — including five of the team’s six threes from outside, pairing them with three assists. Deacon Brown had 13 points of his own to chip in. Jerome Harmon bucketed eight points, while Cooper Greenman had six points to celebrate his Senior Night.

Alfred-Almond was led by a monstrous game-high 23-point effort from Liam Ruthven.

Friendship/Scio will hit the road for battle once again on Wednesday, as they visit the Keshequa Wildcats in a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Alfred-Almond 10 13 13 8 – 44

Friendship/Scio 18 10 15 9 – 52

ALFRED-ALMOND: Jackson Jusianiec 6 0-0 14, Will Deninger 1 0-0 2, Brogan Donlan 1 0-0 2, Liam Ruthven 7 5-5 23, Sam Bensley 1 0-0 3. Totals: 16 5-5 44.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Jerome Harmon 3 2-4 8, Connor Blouvet 2 0-0 5, Aiden Golden 7 0-2 19, Jerimiah Brown 0 1-4 1, Cooper Greenman 3 0-0 6, Deacon Brown 4 5-7 13. Totals: 19 8-17 52.

3-point goals: A-A 7 (Ruthven 4, Jusianiec 2, Bensley), F/S 6 (Golden 5, Blouvet).
Total Fouls: A-A 16, F/S 9. Fouled out: None.

Mount Morris 60, Hinsdale 34

MOUNT MORRIS — Right from the very beginning, the Blue Devils of Mount Morris set the stage on Monday, as they provided a first half explosion to start the new week on the hardwood against visiting Hinsdale, ensuring their seniors were sent out swinging with a dominant 60-34 victory over the Bobcats.

Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report upon publication.

Hinsdale (2-13) will make their return to action next Tuesday night back home, hosting the Cuba-Rushford Rebels in a 6 p.m. contest.

Hinsdale 9 2 15 8 – 34

Mount Morris 21 13 18 8 – 60

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Arkport-Canaseraga 56, Andover/Whitesville 30

ANDOVER — From the inside to the outside, the Arkport-Canaseraga Lady Wolves made it all happen from end to end in Andover on Monday, seizing a first half start against host Andover/Whitesville to set the tone in what was a strong 56-30 road victory — their sixth straight following their mid-January defeat to the hands of Keshequa.

The Lady Wolves cemented their presence right in the first 16 minute session on the hardwood, beginning in the opening quarter where a inside and outside combination help lift the offense to a 17-point stand, with Kara Mahany, Maddie Kellogg and Gracen Mahany all finding an edge from outside, while Payton O’Dell and Morgan Gilbert provided a bucket inside along the way to set up a 17-6 lead.

The same combination was used again in the second to branch their advantage even further, all while holding Andover/Whitesville (11-3) to just two field goals in the frame, punctuating a 29-11 halftime lead that kept them firmly in the driver’s seat across the second half’s proceedings when the action recommenced.

Kara Mahany led the scoring for the visitors in black and teal with a game-high 20 points. O’Dell followed with 10 points of her own, while Jasmine King had seven points.

For Andover/Whitesville, Stella Bledsoe paced the offense with a team-high 13 points. Makenna Vance and Graci Lewis-Ellison each had six points.

Up next for Andover/Whitesville is a trip to the Jungle in Belmont on Thursday, as they prepare to take on host Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Arkport-Canaseraga 17 12 15 12 – 56

Andover/Whitesville 6 5 11 8 – 30

ARKPORT-CANASERAGA: Jasmine King 3 0-0 7, Kara Mahany 9 0-0 20, Maddie Kellogg 2 0-0 5, Gracen Mahany 2 0-0 5, Payton O'Dell 5 0-0 10, Morgan Gilbert 2 0-0 5, Autumn Frechette 2 0-0 4. Totals: 25 0-0 56.

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Makenna Vance 2 2-2 6, Stella Bledsoe 6 1-2 13, Graci Lewis-Ellison 3 0-0 6, Lilly Harrington 1 0-0 2, Olivia Waters 0 3-6 3. Totals: 12 6-10 30.

3-point goals: A-C 6 (K. Mahany 2, King, Kellogg, G. Mahany, Gilbert).
Total Fouls: A-C 8, A/W 2. Fouled out: None.

Avoca-Prattsburgh 58, Friendship/Scio 17

SCIO — Two scoreless frames of action were submitted by the Lady Titans of Avoca-Prattsburgh on Monday, as they bookended their return to action over the road with a strong start to open the frame before bringing the curtains tumbling down with an even stronger finish to roll past host Friendship/Scio with a 58-17 victory in Scio.

Avoca-Prattsburgh utilized a dynamic duo through the opening eight minutes, as the efforts of Meyah Putnam and Breanna Jorritsma combined to assemble 16 of the team’s 21 points in the first quarter to engineer what was a 21-0 lead on Friendship/Scio (2-12) that they never looked back on going forward.

Putnam and Jorritsma each posted a team-high 17 points to pace the Lady Titans offense.

Friendship/Scio claimed the advantage in the second quarter behind Emily Lamberson and her eight points from within the frame — six of them off a pair of triples from downtown to aid in their navigation onto the scoreboard. Lamberson would ultimately lead all scorers for the hosts with a team-high 10 points, pairing them with 12 rebounds to complete a double-double.

After the Lady Titans regained traction at the start of the second half, they pulled away permanently with their second scoreless drive against Friendship/Scio — a 17-0 jaunt, to finish their victory on the strongest of notes.

Following behind Lamberson was Kaydence Sadler, who had five points to chip in. Alyssa Jones had the remaining two points to add for the hosts.

Friendship/Scio will look to bounce back tonight on the road, visiting Hinsdale in a 6 p.m. contest.

Avoca-Prattsburgh 21 8 12 17 – 58

Friendship/Scio 0 12 5 0 – 17

AVOCA-PRATTSBURGH: Meyah Putnam 6 3-3 17, Breanna Jorritsma 7 0-0 17, Kyra Farley 0 0-2 0, Tyanna Pike-Rivera 3 0-0 6, Alydia McIntyre 3 0-0 8, Evelyn Travis 3 4-6 10. Totals: 22 7-11 58.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Emily Lamberson 4 0-0 10, Kaydence Sadler 2 0-0 5, Alyssa Jones 1 0-0 2, Courtney Button 0 0-2 0, Mandi Hale 0 0-2 0. Totals: 7 0-4 17.

3-point goals: A-P 7 (Jorritsma 3, Putnam 2, McIntyre 2), F/S 3 (Lamberson 2, Sadler).
Total Fouls: A-P 9, F/S 11. Fouled out: None.

Mount Morris 61, Hinsdale 15

MOUNT MORRIS — The Lady Blue Devils of Mount Morris made all the noise possible in the first eight minutes of play, as they went to work and set the tone immediately with a 25-0 first quarter run against visiting Hinsdale, rolling their way towards a 61-15 Senior Night victory on Monday.

Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report upon publication.

The Lady Bobcats (0-12) will head back home and welcome in Friendship/Scio tonight in a 6 p.m. contest.

Hinsdale 0 8 2 5 – 15

Mount Morris 25 8 17 11 – 61