Monday Roundup: Graves eclipses millennium mark, becomes 2nd straight member of Scio’s 1,000 point club in 77-28 Senior Night win over Friendship

After their 77-28 victory over the Friendship Golden Eagles, the Scio Tigers come together to honor their senior guard Brendan Graves (24) after he eclipsed 1,000 career points in the third quarter of Monday’s home contest. Graves finished with a game-high 32 points to advance his career total 1,006. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Scio senior Brendan Graves (24) drives his way to the hoop against the defense of Friendship junior Micah Hosley, back, during Monday night’s home contest. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Scio senior Jake D’Arcy (10) provides a pass into the open wing, as Friendship junior Pehyton Moore (3) defends during Monday night’s home contest. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Friendship junior Micah Hosley (40) powers his way up to the basket against the defense of Scio senior Carl Finnemore, off-center, during Monday night’s road contest in Scio. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Friendship senior Blake Hewitt (15) looks to work his way around the defense of Scio junior Cam Loucks (34) underneath the basket during Monday night’s road contest in Scio. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Scio senior Cayden Nickerson (30) pushes the pace down the floor during Monday night’s home contest against Friendship. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

SCIO — Scio head coach Dillon McFall recalls a time first starting out as the head coach of the varsity boys basketball program four years ago. He remembers when he pulled aside his two biggest producers on offense — then eighth grader Cam Loucks, and freshman Brendan Graves for a talk, and said that the spotlight is on them.

“I remember when I had Brendan as a freshman, and Cam as an eighth grader. Those two guys have been with me for a very long time,” said McFall. “I remember coming home from a game, and saying to someone that I’m going to coach two 1,000 point scorers at least, when it’s all done with. Both of these guys have been big pieces to our varsity team the past four years. I told both of them back then that this is their show, and we are going to go as far as they were going to take us. I’d say they’ve lived up to it so far. They gotten a lot of W’s in their career because of it.”

With all the weapons that have surrounded Loucks and Graves over the past two seasons, they both have still found ways on almost every occasion to electrify a hardwood floor. Last season, it saw Loucks become the first 1,000 point scorer for the program since the early 1990’s when Theron Mong navigated his way to the historic mark.

Now, it was Graves’ turn, and what better way to do it, than to do it in front of your family and friends on Senior Night.

Entering the team’s 17th game of the season, the Tigers senior needed just 26 points to eclipse the mark himself. He went straight to work right after the opening tip-off, garnering the bulk of his points in the first 16 minutes of play. Upon exiting the locker room, he just needed four points to do it. After a runaway basket for two, he was fouled on his way in on the next possession, where he engineered a pair of points at the charity stripe to become Scio’s second straight 1,000 point scorer in as many seasons, as he headed a 77-28 victory for the hosts over the Friendship Golden Eagles on Monday.

“He deserves this, he really does.” McFall said of Graves. “He shot the ball really well, and I’m really happy for him eclipsing the 1,000 point mark. We’ve got a lot of guys who put in a good amount of time in the gym, but Brendan puts a lot of time in himself. If you were to come into the gym at 7 a.m, he’s in there shooting around. He’s putting in a lot of hard work, and it shows, and it’s paying off this year. Not just scoring either, he’s become a really good leader for us.”

The bulk of Graves’ points for Scio (14-3) came from within a pair of 20-point first half quarters that saw the Tigers fuel the fire, as the senior accounted for 22 of the team’s 37 points, including a half-dozen first half three-bombs that powered a 37-15 lead at the break. Shortly after the third quarter started, Graves would reach that historic marker for the program, as he was fouled on his way to the basket by Friendship inside the paint to set up a pair of free opportunities at the line.

He would go on to make both shots, hitting absolutely nothing but nylon on the way down to send the Scio crowd into a volcanic eruption around him, becoming the program’s second player to hit the millennium mark consecutively, joining his fellow teammate in Loucks in the 1,000 point club.

For McFall, who has known both his now-senior and junior since the very beginning, he says it’s a pretty special moment when he looks back on it.

“It’s awesome. I am so happy for the both of these guys,” he said. “They’ve put in all the work necessary to make it happen for themselves. They’re two guys I heavily depend on every single day. We lost a lot from last year, and if you told me that we would be in the same position as last year again, I wouldn’t have thought it would be possible. But we returned those two, and we returned Jake (D’Arcy) along with it. Those are three guys that know how to win. Our guys really believe that if you’re a winner, you will find ways to win.”

It’s a rare moment when a coach looks up to one of his own about a certain quality or aspect of life that his player holds. But in this instance, McFall looks up to Graves about how he handles his composure in front of family on the basketball court every single game. McFall’s assistant on the varsity program, is a familiar face to the Scio community, but more importantly, to his senior — longtime Scio basketball guru Thane Graves, Brendan’s father.

With that aspect, the four-year Tigers coach hopes to implement the same mindset when his young son, Cooper, grows up to play the game in the future.

“One thing that I look up to him about, which is a little odd, is how it’s not easy playing when your father is one of the coaches,” McFall said. “He handles it pretty darn well, and I mean very well. I hope that when my son is playing ball someday, and if I’m still around coaching basketball, that he handles it just as well as Brendan has with Thane being over on the bench.”

When the night saw its conclusion inside the packed Scio gymnasium, Graves netted six more points to his new historical marker, upping his career total to 1,006 career points behind a career-high 32 point evening for the Tigers. Loucks followed behind him with a heavy presence inside the paint with 27 points. Alex Field added in six points, while Carl Finnemore chipped in with five of his own.

The Golden Eagles (2-13) were led by a team-leading 12 point effort from junior forward Micah Hosley. Senior Blake Hewitt provided eight more points. Wednesday night, Friendship returns home to host Lima Christian for a 6 p.m. tip-off.

Next on the docket for the Tigers is a road trip, perhaps one of their biggest of the season on Wednesday, as they now pay a visit to The Rock in Fillmore for a 7:30 p.m. contest with the host Eagles.

Friendship      10   5   7  6 – 28

Scio 23 24 13 15 – 77

FRIENDSHIP: Micah Hosley 4 4-6 12, Blake Hewitt 4 0-2 8, Dekota Stewart 2 0-0 5, Atlin Moore 0 1-2 1, Taylor Moore 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 5-10 28.
SCIO: Trentin White 1 0-0 2, Alex Field 3 0-0 6, Cory Bolzan 1 0-0 3, Brendan Graves 12 2-4 32, Cam Loucks 11 1-2 27, Tristen Woodruff 2 0-0 4, Carl Finnemore 2 1-2 5. Totals: 32 4-8 77.

3-point goals: Friendship 1 (Stewart), Scio 9 (Graves 6, Loucks 2, Bolzan).
Total Fouls: Friendship 6, Scio 7. Fouled out: None.

Cuba-Rushford 67, Belfast 53

BELFAST — Both the Rebels and Bulldogs were neck and neck through the first quarter of play, but then the offense belonging to Cuba-Rushford started to break loose, as they accounted for a huge 38-21 sprint across the next two quarters to apply an extension on their two-point lead after the opening frame to pull their way toward a 67-53 win over host Belfast on Monday.

The Rebels (7-8) sought an opportunity to break away from Bulldogs in the second quarter, as Andrew Clement helped the offense bolt their way toward a 13-4 run with eight of the 13 points, including a pair of threes from outside to take a 31-20 lead at the half. The lead grew insurmountably in the second half, as Cuba-Rushford strung together their best quarter of the night with a narrow 25-17 run of the hosts.

Clement was one of four scorers that recorded double digits for the Rebels, as he tallied a team-high 18 points. Dan Emerson followed closely behind with 13 points of his own, while Grady McCumiskey and Ethan Brooks both provided 12 point performances.

The Bulldogs (6-12) were led by Carter Guilford down low, as he dominated the paint with a game-high 21 points. Devin Harriger nailed four triples out of the team’s five in all to put toward a 16 point effort. Matt Weaver added seven points.

Cuba-Rushford will continue their road swing on Wednesday, as they visit the Genesee Valley Jaguars for a 7:30 p.m. contest. For Belfast, they hit the road themselves Friday night for their second and final meeting of the season with the Andover Panthers, also at 7:30 p.m.

Cuba-Rushford      18 13 25 11 – 67

Belfast                   16  4 17 16 – 53

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Ethan Brooks 4 2-4 12, Joey Jablonski 0 0-2 0, Landon Wight 0 0-1 0, Trent Chamberlain 3 1-2 7, Alex Tylor 1 0-0 2, Julius Korytkowski 0 1-2 1, Andrew Clement 5 5-6 18, Nate Burdick 1 0-0 2, Grady McCumiskey 6 0-0 12, Dan Emerson 6 1-3 13. Totals: 26 10-20 67.
BELFAST: Nick Ellison 1 0-0 3, Jason Drozdowski 1 0-3 2, Matt Weaver 2 3-4 7, Devin Harriger 4 4-7 16, Hunter Enders 0 0-1 0, Stephen Struckmann 2 0-0 4, Carter Guilford 9 3-7 21. Totals: 19 10-22 53.

3-point goals: C-R 5 (Clement 3, Brooks 2), Belfast 5 (Harriger 4, Ellison).
Total Fouls: C-R 17, Belfast 17. Fouled out: Weaver (BEL).

Fillmore 69, Whitesville 26

FILLMORE — With Luke Cole missing action with an ankle injury for the Eagles of Fillmore, it was on the rest of the team to help fill in the void he has left behind. When Monday came around, his fellow teammates did just that, as they put together a strong performance from the very beginning of the night to coast their way to victory with a 69-26 win over the visiting Whitesville Blue Jays.

“We had a great team effort tonight,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “With Luke Cole sitting out with an injury, we needed others to step up for us. We had eight threes off the bench, including three from Colby Wolfer, and that really gave us a spark. Whitesville played hard from start to finish, and they really made us work for everything we got.”

Fillmore (14-2) saw an even spread of offensive production all throughout the game, as they used two strong, double digit runs in the first half to establish their foundation. Will Valentine continues to rise to the occasion for the Eagles, recording a team-high 17 points to pace the attack. Tobias Webb and Colby Wolfer each had nine points, with Wolfer draining three triples, while Dylan Valentine and Levi Webb each had eight points to contribute.

Whitesville (1-15) was led by CJ Estep at the forefront of their offense, collecting a team-high 11 points. Robert Whitesell and Jessie Pensyl followed behind with six, and five points respectively.

The Eagles are back on their home floor Wednesday night, as they look to continue the hunt for a piece of the Allegany County Division I title with a big League game against the Scio Tigers inside The Rock at 7:30 p.m. As for the Blue Jays, they make a trip down the road from Fillmore on Friday for a 6 p.m. battle with Houghton Academy.

Whitesville         4  6  5  11 – 26

Fillmore            19 15 17 18 – 69

WHITESVILLE: Brendal Jackson 1 0-0 2, Jessie Pensyl 2 0-0 5, CJ Estep 5 1-1 11, Robert Whitesell 3 0-0 6, Colby Gaines 1 0-0 2, Dylan Acor 0 0-2 0. Totals: 12 1 3 26.
FILLMORE: Dylan Valentine 3 2-2 8, Levi Webb 2 4-6 8, Isaiah Voss 1 0-0 3, Hayden Rust 2 0-0 5, Tobias Webb 4 1-2 9, Colby Wolfer 3 0-0 9, Aaron Buck 2 0-0 6, Mason Cool 0 1-2 1, Will Valentine 8 0-2 17, Devin Oliver 1 0-0 3. Totals: 26 8-14 69.
3-point goals: Whitesville 1 (Pensyl), Fillmore 9 (Wolfer 3, Buck 2, Voss, Rust, W. Valentine, Oliver).
Total Fouls: Whitesville 9, Fillmore 4. Fouled out: None.

Hammondsport 58, Houghton Academy 53

HAMMONDSPORT — It was a close affair that was settled by just five points in Hammondsport on Monday. In the end, it was the host Lakers that came away victorious after their 100 points worth offense against Andover this past week, as they edged out visiting Houghton Academy with a 58-53 decision, Wednesday evening.

Lee Murray led the Houghton Academy (10-4) offense with one of his strongest efforts of the season, recording a game-high 21 points. Other statistics, and a complete box score was not made available upon publication.

The Panthers are back on their home floor Wednesday night, as they welcome in the Andover Panthers for a visit at 6 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Andover 57, Cuba-Rushford 33

CUBA — You couldn’t ask for a better way to start the evening off, than what the Lady Panthers of Andover did over the road on Monday. Straight from the word ‘go’, Andover piled on their biggest showing the entire game with a 21-6 first quarter run of host Cuba-Rushford that saw them automatically slam the door shut, rolling their way to victory to split the season series with the Lady Rebels behind a 57-33 result.

“The girls played with a lot of confidence, and we executed our game plan perfectly,” Lady Panthers coach Jake Bannerman said. “Tess (Spangenburg) took a lot of pressure off of us, and it was a great team effort behind her. Our defensive awareness was some of the best I have see all season in the first half, especially against such an explosive player like Kate Howe. I am glad we don’t have to play her again, but at the same time, I have really enjoyed watching her play.”

Tess Spangenburg was one of the main reasons behind the frostbiting offense of the Lady Panthers (12-6), as her fiery three-point game ignited from all angles to account for six of the team’s seven in all, the majority of them coming in the first half to power a season-high 22 point performance.

Helping the cause for the visitors in purple and black were Kelsie Niedermaier, who provided a strong presence inside the paint, and underneath the basket with 12 points, while Emily Wahl chipped in with 10 points of her own. Rylie Bryan, Hayleigh Niedermaier and Katie Calladine all rounded off the scoring with a pair of points respectively.

Cuba-Rushford (8-8) was led by Kate Howe, who recorded a team-high 16 points in the team’s defeat. Taylor Searle tallied 12 points of her own, while Lillian Forward had a pair of two-point baskets.

Andover will have a quick turnaround back home tonight, as they welcome in an Allegany County clash with their longtime rival in Whitesville at 6 p.m. On the flip side, the Lady Rebels will hit the road for their next contest on Thursday, paying a visit to the Hinsdale Lady Bobcats for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off of their own.

Andover                21  7 12 17 – 57

Cuba-Rushford        6  4 11 12 – 33

ANDOVER: Rylie Bryan 1 0-0 2, Hayleigh Niedermaier 0 2-2 2, Tess Spangenburg 8 0-0 22, Katie Calladine 1 0-1 2, Livia Simon 3 1-1 7, Emily Wahl 3 3-3 10, Kelsie Niedermaier 5 2-2 12. Totals: 20 8-9 57.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Lillian Forward 2 0-0 4, Sarah Cole 0 1-2 1, Taylor Searle 5 0-0 12, Kate Howe 5 4-6 16, Elysa Tylor 0 0-2 0. Totals: 11 5-10 33.

3-point goals: Andover 7 (Spangenburg 6, Wahl), C-R 4 (Searle 2, Howe 2).
Total Fouls: Andover 11, C-R 12. Fouled out: None.