Monday Basketball: Three-point game fuels 72-40 Rebels win over Belfast; Lady Lions win 5th straight in Addison

Written By Chris Brooks

CUBA — When it came to battling State-ranked Holland this past weekend over the road, the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford had plenty of positives and negatives to take away from it.

To use them, it would have to be on a short schedule as they returned to the Wighthouse for their first game off the winter break on Monday, hosting Belfast in front of a packed crowd that saw the two communities separated by just a 20-minute drive come together for the first of two clashes this season.

Of those takeaways the Rebels had in their contest with the Dutchmen — defense. When game-time came against the Bulldogs, Cuba-Rushford’s best defense was their offense. Specifically speaking, their three-point game.

There was a lot of noise that was made by the Rebels in the first 16 minutes of the night, as they resurrected their three-point game bright and early, hitting eight of their nine treys all in that timespan to set up what eventually came to be a pair of 20-point quarters to build their enormous lead over the Bulldogs that turned into a 72-40 bounce back victory for the hosts, when it was all said and done at the final buzzer.

“We started shooting the ball really well, and it gave us energy defensively,” said Rebels coach Bryce Ryan. “Our rotations were improved on defense, and that’s something we have needed to work on badly. I was proud of the desire these guys had to bounce back from Holland over the weekend.”

There simply was no stopping Cuba-Rushford (3-4) from taking a trip downtown in the Wighthouse, as they put their strongest asset to good use in their return home by launching a half-dozen three-pointers in the first eight minutes alone to jumpstart a massive 22-10 first quarter run to set up shop right away.

In the second quarter, it was more of the same, as the Rebels continued their offensive push with another 20-point frame to hang up on the scoreboard. They went on to tally two more three-pointers, one from Andrew Clement, who took over the Cuba-Rushford offense with 11 of his game-high 19 points coming within the stanza to give them a 20-point lead at the half to build on for good going into the final half of play.

Following Clement in the Rebels scorebook was Ethan Brooks, who had three three-pointers of his own to put toward a 13-point effort. Grady McCumiskey chipped in with nine points of his own, while Dan Emerson had seven to add.

Belfast (2-6) was led by Devin Harriger and his team-leading 10 points. Nick Ellison added nine points, all off a trio of threes. Matt Weaver pitched in with eight points for the Bulldogs, who now get set to return home to host the Mount Morris Blue Devils on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. for their final meeting of the season.

As for Cuba-Rushford, they will have four days off before hitting the road Saturday night for a big non-league clash with the Notre Dame-Batavia Irish. Tip-off is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.

Belfast                      10 12 11   7 – 40

Cuba-Rushford     22 20 17 13 – 72

BELFAST: Nick Ellison 3 0-0 9, Max Miller 0 2-2 2, Jason Drozdowski 1 2-4 5, Matt Weaver 2 4-5 8, Devin Harriger 4 0-0 10, Hunter Enders 1 0-0 2, Stephen Struckmann 2 0-0 4. Totals: 13 8-11 40.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Ethan Brooks 4 2-3 13, Landon Wight 1 1-1 3, Trent Chamberlain 2 0-0 5, Julius Korytkowski 3 0-0 6, Andrew Clement 8 0-0 19, Nate Burdick 2 0-1 4, Hunter Williams 1 0-0 2, Brayden Lavery 1 2-2 4, Grady McCumiskey 4 0-1 9, Dan Emerson 3 0-0 7. Totals: 29 5-8 72.

3-point goals: Belfast 6 (Ellison 3, Harriger 2, Drozdowski), C-R 9 (Brooks 3, Clement 3, Chamberlain, McCumiskey, Emerson).
Total Fouls: Belfast 9, C-R 14. Fouled out: None.

Jasper-Troupsburg 58, Andover 37

JASPER —  In their first game of the new year, Andover hung right with host Jasper-Troupsburg through the first quarter to start the night off on Monday. But the Wildcats came to life in the later stages, as their balanced team effort resulted in a 39-14 elongated run through the next two quarters of play to pull away toward a 58-37 win over the Panthers.

“We haven’t played in nearly three weeks, and at the same time, we’ve been hit with the flu bug,” Panthers coach John Dougherty said. “We came out and started well, despite that. The team that was left, they played absolutely hard tonight. We took a lot of positives away from this game. We haven’t had very many good practices at all up until this past weekend. But the kids fought back from our embarrassing loss to Hammondsport, and hopefully we can keep building off of this for the second half of the season.”

The Panthers (3-4) were doubled up in the second quarter upon entering the locker room for halftime, with Jasper-Troupsburg coming away with their strongest quarter of the night by a 20-10 count to go up, 34-20 entering the break. On their way back out, the Wildcats made sure they had the lead for good, as they held the visiting offense to just four points in the midst of their 19-4 run to close up shop.

Grady Terhune led the Andover offense with 13 team-leading points. Chris Walker tallied nine points, while Preston Ordway and Gabe Halsey each netted six points. Spencer Cook rounded off the Panthers scorebook with a three-point basket.

The Panthers hit the road Wednesday night, as they look to avenge their 91-33 home loss to the Hammondsport Lakers right before the break. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Andover                           10 10   4 13 – 37

Jasper-Troupsburg      14 20 19  5 – 58

ANDOVER: Grady Terhune 5 0-0 13, Spencer Cook 1 0-0 3, Chris Walker 4 1-3 9, Preston Ordway 2 0-4 6, Gabe Halsey 3 0-0 6. Totals: 15 1-7 37.

JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Jake Demonstroy 2 0-1 8, Brayden Hill 5 0-0 12, Josh Flint 3 0-0 6, Oliver Rowe 2 0-0 6, Blake Lawson 3 0-0 8, Tyler Flint 4 2-2 11, Ethan Draper 3 0-0 6, Quincy Cornell 2 0-0 4. Totals: 24 2-3 58.

3-point goals: Andover 6 (Terhune 3, Ordway 2, Cook), J-T 8 (Hill 2, Rowe 2, Lawson 2, T. Flint, Demonstroy).
Total Fouls: Andover 10, J-T 8. Fouled out: None.

Alfred-Almond 54, Whitesville 31

ALMOND —  The Alfred-Almond Eagles found their way out on top at the end of the night on Monday, as they went past the visiting Whitesville Blue Jays with a 54-31 home win.

Full stats and a box score were not made available.

Whitesville (0-6) will return home to welcome in the Jasper-Troupsburg Wildcats on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Wellsville 41, Addison 23

ADDISON —  Around the area, there is no team that is more engulfed in flames than the Lady Lions of Wellsville. Entering their first game out of the winter break, they have won eight of their first 10 games and of them, four of them are coming right in a row. That includes a big home win over longtime rival Hornell at home this past Friday night.

On Monday in Addison, the Lady Lions made it five straight, as they used a 25-5 first half run to their upmost advantage while the defense held their end of the bargain to deliver a 41-23 victory over the Lady Knights to move to 9-2 through 11 games of play.

“We had 13 points in the first quarter, and we led by 20 at the half. In the second half, we worked in some newer combinations to see what else we could work with, and the girls responded really well with that,” Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord said. “I felt like it could have been a trip game coming off that game with Hornell, but I was glad with how they responded at the start of the game. They were sharp, and they just went off from there.”

That first quarter consisted of a strong 13-4 run to fuel what ended up being an insurmountable advantage in the next eight minutes of play, as the defense held down Addison to a single point in their half-ending 12-1 run to lead by double digits at the break, and for good.

Along with the victory came a balanced scorebook for Wellsville (9-2), as Emily Costello led all scorers on the visiting side with nine points to go with four steals. Marley Adams and Regan Marsh followed closely behind their sophomore guard, each chipping in with eight points. Marsh led the rebounding department with eight boards, and five steals. Milla Litzburg added seven more points, while Kaylee Coleman pulled down six boards off the glass.

On Friday, the Lady Lions will go for their 10th win of the season, and sixth in a row, as they look to make up a seven-point loss to the hands of the Letchworth Lady Indians the first go-around, when they visit the Lion’s Den for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

“We talked about one game at a time. We needed this game with Letchworth coming to us on Friday,” Alvord said. “We have something to prove to ourselves, especially with them here. Every time I give the girls a challenge, they seem to up the ante on me. In year’s past, we had a little string of wins here and there. We've won five in a row, and this is something we’re not really accustomed to.”

Wellsville          13 12  8   8 – 41

Addison              4    1  3 15 – 23

WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 3 0-0 8, Emily Costello 3 2-2 9, Kayla Day 1 0-0 2, Emily Robbins 2 0-4 5, Carly Young 1 0-0 2, Milla Litzburg 2 2-2 7, Regan Marsh 2 4-6 8. Totals: 14 8-14 41.
ADDISON: Anna Carlineo 1 0-0 2, Rachel Miller 1 1-2 3, Hailie Stuart 5 2-3 12, Isabella Benjamin 2 0-0 6. Totals: 9 3-5 23.

3-point goals: Wellsville 5 (Adams 2, Costello, Robbins, Litzburg), Addison 2 (Benjamin).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 10, Addison 15. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 48, Hinsdale 42

HINSDALE —  In the two years prior to this season that the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg have spent with head coach Justin Thomas, the program has collected just six wins combined.

Entering their return to the floor out of the winter break, they could match that total in the first seven games when they hit the road for Hinsdale on Monday. It took a little battling through the first half, but the Lady Wolverines came out swinging in the third quarter, gluing together an early run to take the lead away from the Lady Bobcats for good to earn their sixth straight win with a 48-42 edge.

“The first quarter we came out flat, and both teams looked like they took a little bit to get going,” Thomas said. “We didn’t finish well early on, but we did better controlling underneath as the game went on. Aliyah (Cole) took over in the second half, and we really started to chip away at Hinsdale. We came right out and started hitting basket after basket. They’re scrappy, athletic, and that is a great team Hinsdale is capable of being. Thankfully, the girls got hot, and played very well defensively.”

The slow start plagued the Lady Wolverines (6-1) offense at the start of the contest, as Hinsdale managed to climb out with a 10-4 lead after the opening quarter. At that point, Bolivar-Richburg began to warm up upon entering the break, holding the Lady Bobcats to their smallest quarter with a 13-8 run to close the gap from six, down to one when the first half buzzer sounded.

In the second half, the visitors in black caught fire, as Cole led the Lady Wolverines offense to big things with an early third quarter run that saw them unbuckle Hinsdale from the driver’s seat for good, taking over by bundling together their best halves of the evening to record the victory over the road.

Cole led all scorers on the floor with a game-high 21 points to go with 16 rebounds and five blocks. McKinlee Harris provided 13 points of her own to go with three assists, and three steals. Kelsey Pacer had six points pair with 12 boards and five assists.

The Lady Bobcats (3-2) were paced by an 11-point effort from senior Kaitlynn Roberson. Ashley Chapman was not far behind her senior teammate, adding 10 points of her own for Hinsdale, who will have a quick turnaround tonight as they welcome in the Friendship Lady Golden Eagles for a 6 p.m. tip.

For Bolivar-Richburg, it was a much-needed victory for their next game, which takes place Thursday night back home as they host the undefeated Fillmore Lady Eagles in Allegany County Division I League play. Tip-off is set for a 7:30 p.m. start.

“I’m really happy that we had this game with Corry before the break, and then this one with Hinsdale,” Thomas said. “We all know that Fillmore will be a nice test. We have a chance to hang right with them, and the girls have this great confidence since the start of the season. I hope they believe in themselves to bring it home. Tom (Parks) does a phenomenal job with his team, and they’ll be ready for us.”

Bolivar-Richburg     4 13 16 15 – 48

Hinsdale                   10   8 10 14 – 42

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: McKinlee Harris 6 0-0 13, Victoria Stuck 0 1-2 1, Madigan Harris 2 0-0 4, Kelsey Pacer 2 0-0 6, Aliyah Cole 10 1-2 21, Jianna Nix 1 1-2 3. Totals: 21 3-8 48.
HINSDALE: Kaitlynn Roberson 4 1-2 11, Ashley Chapman 4 0-0 10, Kayla Brooks 2 1-2 7, Liz Pryzbyla 1 0-0 2, Haylee Jozwiak 1 0-0 2, Andrea Eastman 1 0-0 2, Lindsey Veno 3 1-2 7. Totals: 16 3-6 42.

3-point goals: B-R 3 (Pacer 2, Mc. Harris), Hinsdale 7 (Roberson 2, Chapman 2, Brooks 2, Pryzbyla).
Total Fouls: B-R 11, Hinsdale 9. Fouled out: None.


Jasper-Troupsburg 57, Belfast 39

BELFAST —   It was a battle the Belfast Lady Bulldogs fought through the entire night against visiting Jasper-Troupsburg on Monday. After a third quarter run saw the Lady Wildcats lead decrease to six entering the fourth, the visitors saved their best quarter for last, as they outscored the hosts in white and red by a 21-8 count to pull away toward a 57-39 road win.

“My girls played very well for not having played in nearly three weeks,” said Lady Bulldogs coach Jimmy Schneider. “Jasper-Troupsburg is a pretty good team, and they just happened to shoot the lights out tonight. My young girls are improving each time we step onto the court.”

Although a 14-9 deficit grew exponentially larger in the second quarter, Belfast (0-6) managed to stay within reach when they returned for action in the third quarter, as they capitalized on all fronts by holding Jasper-Troupsburg to just four points in the midst of their 13-4 run that saw their deficit decrease from double digits, to just six entering the last eight minute period.

But the Lady Wildcats brought all the cards to the table in the fourth quarter by providing a little bit of defense of their own, holding the Lady Bulldogs to their smallest frame of action behind a massive, tide-turning 21-8 jaunt that allowed them to pull away for good.

Anna Drozdowski led all Belfast scorers with 10 team-high points. Mary Hamer and Jaiden Enders were not far behind, following up with six points each. Kaitlin Sadler, Alicia Borden and Emma Sullivan all had five points respectively, while Junie Shaw rounded off the Lady Bulldogs scoresheet with a two-point basket.

The Lady Bulldogs will have a quick turnaround this evening back on their home floor, as they battle the Houghton Academy Lady Panthers at 6 p.m.

Jasper-Troupsburg     14 18   4 21 – 57

Belfast                              9  9 13  8 – 39

JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Allyson Hayes 10 2-3 23, Kayla Atherton 5 2-4 15, Brynn Waters 3 1-4 8, Jade Atherton 4 3-4 11. Totals: 22 8-15 57.
BELFAST: Kaitlin Sadler 2 1-2 5, Alicia Borden 2 0-0 5, Anna Drozdowski 4 2-2 10, Mary Hamer 2 2-2 6, Junie Shaw 1 0-0 2, Emma Sullivan 2 0-0 5, Jaiden Enders 3 0-0 6. Totals: 16 5-6 39.
3-point goals: J-T 5 (K. Atherton 3, Hayes, Waters), Belfast 2 (Borden, Sullivan).
Total Fouls: J-T 9, Belfast 20. Fouled out: Sullivan (BEL).

Chris Brooks
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