Saturday Roundup: A day of firsts as B-R grapplers, Lady Lions hoops capture 1st ever tournament championships

Bolivar-Richburg’s Hudson Evingham looks to work his way out of a hold applied by his opponent representing Maple Grove during Saturday afternoon’s Wolverine Scuffle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Bolivar-Richburg’s Dominic Stone works against his opponent representing Olean during Saturday afternoon’s Wolverine Scuffle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Fillmore’s Zach Herring looks to bring his opponent representing Olean down with a pin-fall during Saturday afternoon’s Wolverine Scuffle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Bolivar-Richburg’s Trent Sibble works against his opponent representing Maple Grove during Saturday afternoon’s Wolverine Scuffle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Bolivar-Richburg’s Tyler Smith takes a look at the clock while working against his opponent representing Maple Grove during Saturday afternoon’s Wolverine Scuffle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Bolivar-Richburg’s Wayne Karnuth looks to roll his opponent representing Arkport/Canaseraga over for the pin during Saturday afternoon’s Wolverine Scuffle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Bolivar-Richburg’s Dom Baldwin looks to work his way out of a hold applied by his opponent representing Arkport/Canaseraga during Saturday afternoon’s Wolverine Scuffle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

BOLIVAR — In the three years since the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverine Scuffle was first incepted, there has never been a time where the home grapplers have ever come out on top as champions of their own tournament. It has been Olean that has occupied Bolivar’s wrestling throne since the very beginning, back in 2015.

With the two-day invitational coming to a close early Saturday evening, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg stared at perfection across the board with a 4-0 record entering said day. They would continue their domination on the mat, as they wound up finishing absolutely flawless with a 9-0 record, taking care of LeRoy in their last match of the weekend to wrap up shop with their first ever Wolverine Scuffle title.

In Friday’s first day of action, the Wolverines picked up four victories on the mat, scoring wins over Franklinville (66-21), Alfred-Almond (71-18), Fillmore (80-6), and Portville (52-29), who finished second in the tournament with an 8-1 overall record. Five more wins came along to wrap up their perfect weekend with triumphs over Gilead (78-12), Olean (66-24), Maple Grove (70-12), Arkport/Canaseraga (69-18), and lastly the Oatkan Knights (65-22).

The Wolverines saw six of their wrestlers all document perfect records on the mat, in Hudson Evingham, Trent Sibble, Tyler Smith, Dominic Stone, Kadin Tompkins, and Trey Buchholz. Along his route toward a 9-0 record himself, Stone picked up his 100th career victory.

Next up for the Wolverines is the annual State Farm Classic next weekend in Hornell.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Coaches v. Cancer Tourney Championship

Wellsville 54, Bath-Haverling 38

BATH — It was a goal that the Wellsville Lady Lions have worked toward for the past six seasons on the hardwood. One that was not all the way at the top, but pretty high on their list.

When they punched their ticket for another return trip back to the Coaches v. Cancer Tournament title game on Saturday, the crown was up for grabs again, only this time the obstacle in their way was the host Lady Rams of Bath-Haverling.

Sixth time’s the charm, right?

Behind the dynamic duo of Marley Adams and Emily Costello, the Lady Lions would not be denied a championship this time, as the two shooting stars combined for 34 of Wellsville’s 54 total points in the scorebook to help end their six-year long drought at Bath-Haverling’s annual holiday tournament with a 54-38 victory over the Lady Rams to capture their first ever Coaches v. Cancer championship.

“I guess sixth time is indeed the charm,” Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord said. “There were some alumni at last night’s game against Penn Yan, and there were more of them tonight against Bath. To finally get this in front of them, it was really exciting, and the girls were excited. Every game has been a solid team effort all the way around, and this was no different.”

To find their way to the winner’s circle for their very first time, the Lady Lions (7-2) had to dig in early after falling behind the Lady Rams. But the tag team of Adams and Costello were only warming up, as they allowed their squad to jump ahead after the first quarter and into halftime with a seven-point lead.

Out of the locker room, the door was busted down for good by Wellsville defense, who stood their ground against the Lady Rams by only allowing three points to reach the scoreboard in the midst of their 10-3 run to stay in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the game.

Adams finished with the tournament’s highest honor as MVP with a game-high 20 points to pair with six rebounds. Costello followed her tracks with 14 points of her own, including all four of the treys the Lady Lions had, on her way to an All-Tournament selection.

“Marley and Emily stood out tonight, even on defense they had some big defensive assignments,” Alvord said. “We were down early, and their girls came out hot with some threes. We went up at first, but we had to work our way back. That’s when we looked to Marley and Emily to keep us in it, and they did. Their consistent scoring paid big dividends again for us.”

Regan Marsh led the rebounding department with eight boards to go with her seven points. Kaylee Coleman added six more rebounds along with three assists.

In their final JV contest of the weekend, the Lady Lions kept it close but they could not come out on top of Bath-Haverling, with the hosts coming out victorious with a 31-28 win. Jaelynn Knapp earned an All-Tournament selection for Wellsville with nine team-leading points.

The red hot Lady Lions are back in action this Friday night, as they return to the Lion’s Den after the holiday break to take on the Hornell Lady Red Raiders, winners of three of their last four, in the first of two meetings this season at 7:30 p.m.

“I like the fact that we have a week off to prepare for this. In the last couple of years, and the style of play Hornell plays with, it looked like it was a tougher matchup for us,” said Alvord. “Now it’s seems like it can be easier for us to matchup against them. Playing a team like them will definitely make us better in the long run. We’re 7-2, and this is a great measuring stick right at the halfway point of the season.”

Wellsville              13 15 10 16 – 54

Bath-Haverling     11 10   3 14 – 38

WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 8 4-4 20, Jaylynn Mess 1 0-2 2, Emily Costello 5 0-0 14, Ashley Sexton 1 0-0 2, Emily Robbins 2 1-1 5, Kaylee Coleman 2 0-0 4, Regan Marsh 3 1-2 7. Totals: 22 6-9 54.
BATH-HAVERLING: Abby Speiss 3 1-2 9, Sydney Burns 3 1-2 7, Meredith Czajkowski 5 0-0 13, Taylor Stone 1 0-0 2, Alevea Beers 1 0-0 2, Mya Rusak 0 1-2 1, Cadin Taggart 2 0-1 4. Totals: 15 3-7 38.

3-point goals: Wellsville 4 (Costello), B-H 5 (Czajkowski 3, Speiss 2).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 12, B-H 7. Fouled out: None.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Scio Christmas Tourney Championship

Scio 65, Alfred-Almond 21

SCIO — For two straight seasons, the Scio Tigers have found their way to the top of their own Christmas Tournament. On Saturday, they made it three straight, as they fueled their 2019 championship behind a fast 25-6 first quarter lead, never looking back on it to come away with a 65-21 win over Alfred-Almond.

The three-point game for the Tigers (5-1) was lights out as the night went on, with Jake D’Arcy, Brendan Graves, and Cam Loucks combining to net 10 of them in all. Loucks led all scorers on the floor with a game-high 27 points to go with 10 rebounds, completing his double-double.

Graves led the three-point department with half of the 10, sinking five to go with four assists, four steals, and his 22 points on offense. D’Arcy followed suit with 11 points to go with five dishes, and four steals. Carl Finnemore rounded off the Scio scorebook with the remaining five points.

The Tigers will hit their home floor after the break, hosting the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines next Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

Alfred-Almond     6   5   7  3 – 21

Scio                      25 14 24  2 – 65  

ALFRED-ALMOND: Blake McMichael 2 2-4 7, Chris Mormino 0 1-2 1, Isaac Little 2 0-0 4, Kevin Dunning 2 0-2 4, Jonas Kays 2 0-0 5. Totals: 8 4-8 21.
SCIO: Jake D'Arcy 4 0-0 11, Brendan Graves 6 5-7 22, Cam Loucks 12 1-6 27, Carl Finnemore 2 1-1 5. Totals: 25 7-14 65.
3-point goals: A-A 1 (Kays), Scio 10 (Graves 5, D'Arcy 3, Loucks 2) .
Total Fouls: A-A 12, Scio 11. Fouled out: None.

Consolation

Belfast 66, Friendship 38

SCIO — Devin Harriger had an absolute hay-day from the field for Belfast, as the junior guard found his groove from three-point land all night by burying six of the team’s nine treys in all to put toward a career-high 31 point performance in the team’s 66-38 consolation round victory over Friendship on Saturday in Scio.

Both the Bulldogs (2-5) and Golden Eagles battled their way toward a closely-contested first quarter, a frame that saw Belfast take a 15-14 early lead. In the second, Harriger continued his hot shooting to jumpstart a 14-6 run to help them break away from Friendship’s grasp.

Belfast would go on to outscore Friendship (1-7) by a 37-18 count in the second half.

Matt Weaver followed Harriger in the Belfast scorebook with 13 points, while Stephen Struckmann led the inside game with 10 points inside the paint. For the Golden Eagles, Ian Romero recorded a team-high 12 points, while Dekota Stewart countered with 11 points of his own.

Both teams are back in action after the holiday break, as the Bulldogs hit the road for Cuba-Rushford next Monday, while Friendship heads out to Whitesville next Friday. Tip-off for each game will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.

Belfast              15 14 20 17 – 66

Friendship        14   6 10   8 – 38

BELFAST: Nick Ellison 2 0-0 6, Jason Drozdowski 1 0-0 2, Matt Weaver 4 3-4 13, Andrew Blocho 2 1-1 5, Devin Harriger 8 9-10 31, Stephen Struckmann 5 0-0 10. Totals: 22 13-15 66.
FRIENDSHIP: Micah Hosley 3 1-2 7, Blake Hewitt 1 2-2 4, Ian Romero 3 4-4 12, Alex Smith 1 1-2 4, Dekota Stewart 5 1-4 11. Totals: 13 9-14 38.
3-point goals: Belfast 9 (Harriger 6, Ellison 2, Weaver), Friendship 3 (Romero 2, Smith).
Total Fouls: Belfast 8, Friendship 14. Fouled out: None.

J-T Christmas Tournament Consolation

Jasper-Troupsburg 72, Whitesville 31

JASPER — Both Whitesville and Jasper-Troupsburg engaged in a first quarter clash that saw the host Wildcats take the six-point advantage.

In the next frame, they went on to pitch a shutout, as they held the Blue Jays offense scoreless on the floor in the midst of their 26-0 run to pull away toward a 72-31 victory in the consolation round of their annual Christmas Tournament, Saturday night.

CJ Estep led the Whitesville (0-4) offense with a team-leading 13 points. Jessie Pensyl chipped in with eight points of his own, while Robert Whitesell netted six.

The Jays hit the floor on Friday back home, as they host the Hammondsport Lakers for a 7 p.m. contest.

Whitesville                 10   0 15  6 – 31

Jasper-Troupsburg     16 26 19 11 – 72

WHITESVILLE: Jessie Pensyl 2 3-4 8, CJ Estep 5 2-4 13, Robert Whitesell 3 0-0 6, Troy Cogar 0 0-2 0, Dylan Acor 2 0-0 4. Totals: 12 5-10 31.
JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Noah Price 4 0-0 11, Josh Flint 5 4-4 14, Oliver Rowe 1 0-0 2, Blake Lawson 5 0-3 10, Tyler Flint 4 3-4 11, John Tormey 1 0-0 3, Reese Draper 6 1-2 14, Ethan Draper 1 0-0 3, Quincy Cornell 2 0-2 4. Totals: 29 8-15 72.

3-point goals: Whitesville 2 (Pensyl, Estep), J-T 6 (Price 3, Tormey, R. Draper, E. Draper).
Total Fouls: Whitesville 16, J-T 6. Fouled out: Pensyl (WHI).