Saturday Roundup: Behind 1st half three-point game, Lions muscle past Archbishop Walsh on Senior Night; Fillmore boys clinch Barkley Showcase win for Allegany County

Wellsville senior Max Jusianiec (3) powers his way to the basket, splitting the Archbishop Walsh defense on the way in during Saturday afternoon’s home contest. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville’s Logan Dunbar (23) lets a three-point shot fly, as teammate Aidan Hart, off-center, throws a screen in front during Saturday afternoon’s home contest against Archbishop Walsh. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville junior Liam McKinley (12) brings the ball downcourt on the transition during Saturday afternoon’s home contest against Archbishop Walsh. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

At halftime of Saturday afternoon’s contest against Archbishop Walsh, Wellsville recognized their five newest inductees into the school’s Hall of Fame. This year’s members include: Allie Whitehouse (Class of 2012), Nick Anderson (Class of 2013), B.W. Roberts (Class of 2014), Brittany Mesler (Class of 2013), and the late Chuck Reuning (Class of 1946). [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

WELLSVILLE — Slow beginnings have been a regular occurrence for the Wellsville Lions throughout the season. But for the most part, they have been able to dig their way out of the early jam. It was no different when Senior Day arrived on Saturday, when they took on the visiting Archbishop Walsh Eagles.

The Eagles got off to a quick start behind their three-point game, with four of their five buckets coming from downtown to establish the one-point lead. But in the next quarter, Wellsville put their three-point game to good use, as they landed all eight of their deep shots across the first half with the majority of them coming in the second quarter to power their 15-4 run of their opposition to roll their way toward a successful 57-33 home victory.

“Slow starts on the defensive end have been a trait of ours all season, and that is not great,” Lions coach Raymie Auman said. “But we have done well at adjusting and commuting our focus after the third quarter. Today, I thought we took them for granted early. Walsh runs great offense, and they can really knock down some shots. After proving that early, we adjusted and did a much better job.”

Archbishop Walsh came out of the gates swinging in the first quarter with Xavier Laverty hitting one of back-to-back threes in the first two possessions. Near the halfway mark, Wellsville (10-7) ended their drought with a pair of shots at the line from Brayden Delahunt. After that, the Lions score the next five points in a row to take the 7-6 lead, led by a breakaway Jusianiec two-handed jam.

The quarter would end in teeter-totter fashion with a plethora of threes being netted from both teams, resulting in multiple lead changes that saw the Eagles take the one-point lead away from Wellsville heading into the second. But the Archbishop Walsh offense went idle inside the middle quarters, as the Lions started the second with nine straight points all off three-pointers from the outside. The half would end with one last three out of the team’s eight in all from Logan Dunbar, as he beat the buzzer with one straight down the middle.

In the second half, the Lions set themselves apart from the Eagles with one last defensive stand in the third quarter, holding Archbishop Walsh to just three points in their 13-3 drive to coast their way toward victory to remain undefeated on their home floor.

“We did a great job executing at the end of the first half,” Auman said. “That certainly pushed us into a positive mindset going into the half. When your defense is confident, our offense seems to run much smoother as well.”

Jusianiec led all scorers on the floor for Wellsville with a game-high 31 points, including a five-bomb of treys all in the first 16 minutes of the contest to help put the hammer down. Logan Dunbar chipped in with 13 points of his own in all.

Before the game, the Lions honored their three seniors in Jusianiec, Noah Chaffee, and Ettore Orioli, along with their families, for their contributions over the course of the season. Auman reflected on his two-year starter in Jusianiec, who has been the team’s spark plug since the first day of the season.

“After four years of Max, I’m really proud of the player he has become,” he said. “From a ninth grade, timid three-point shooter who sometimes had a prima donna attitude, to a complete player who plays through contact and faces adversity head on. It’s great to be a part of it. The scary part is the debate of where Max is on the all-time list, has already begun. He really is only a fraction of how good he can be.”

Auman added on his two other seniors in Chaffee and Orioli, saying “Basketball is one of the toughest sports to just pick up in a year, and the challenge Noah has taken on, and succeeded, is incredible. His impact and development this year are both impressive, and imperative to our success. The ‘what if’ that we will always talk about is Ettore. He really has a knack for scoring, and plays great on ball defense. It’s been unfortunate not having him, but even having this season stolen from him, he has kept his head held high, and has really been an important part of the team.”

After the game went into halftime, former Wellsville athletic director Dennis Miles introduced the five newest members into the school’s Hall of Fame, all of which coming long distances to attend the special and historic ceremony. The Class of 2020 includes, former girls basketball superstars Allie Whitehouse and Brittany Mesler, baseball pitching giant turned lead singer of The Wrecks, Nick Anderson, and one of the greatest track stars to even grace the Wellsville uniform, B.W. Roberts. They joined alongside a posthumous induction for Chuck Reuning, who represented the Class of 1946.

Next up for the Lions on the slate is a road trip north on Tuesday, as they get set for one of their toughest battles of the season at 6:30 p.m. against the Northstar Christian Knights.

Archbishop Walsh     14    4  3 12 – 33

Wellsville                   13 15 13 16 – 57

ARCHBISHOP WALSH: Ajhani Parks 1 0-0 2, Xavier Laverty 5 1-2 15, Everette Swenson 0 1-2 1, Pat Tufino 3 0-0 9, Max Garvin 2 0-0 6. Totals: 11 2-4 33.
WELLSVILLE: Max Jusianiec 12 2-2 31, Eli Schmidt 1 0-2 2, Liam McKinley 1 0-1 3, Logan Dunbar 4 3-4 13, Noah Chaffee 1 0-0 2, Brayden Delahunt 0 3-4 3, Tim Jones 1 1-2 3. Totals: 20 9-15 57.

3-point goals: Walsh 9 (Laverty 4, Tufino 3, Garvin 2), Wellsville 8 (Jusianiec 5, Dunbar 2, McKinley).
Total Fouls: Walsh 15, Wellsville 7. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 62, Canisteo-Greenwood 47

CANISTEO — Back at the end of December, every game except for one managed to get under way at the Dan Barkley Showcase. Fillmore and Canisteo-Greenwood saw their meeting at the yearly event postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.

With Allegany County and Steuben County tied at three games each, the Barkley Showcase saw its conclusion as the event-determining game took center stage in Canisteo on Saturday. The Eagles were able to get off to the start that they wanted in the first half, but saw Luke Cole exit the game with an injury.

Enter Will Valentine, who stepped up right as soon as his senior teammate left the floor, scoring all 25 of his game-high points from the second quarter until the end to lift the Fillmore offense to the winner’s circle, and himself toward a Player of the Game nod to clinch the Barkley Showcase for Allegany County with a 62-46 win over the host Redskins.

“Canisteo-Greenwood did a good job of attacking us off the dribble early, and we got caught of our rotation defensively in the first quarter,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “The guys did a good job of adapting on both ends and we were able to take control. Unfortunately, Luke went down with an ankle injury right before halftime, but Will really took over after that and dominated the paint.”

A pair of narrow runs were collected in the first half by Fillmore (13-2), as they outscored the Redskins by a 10-6 count in the opening eight minutes. After extending their lead to 28-19 at the break, the Eagles put together their strongest quarter of the night with both Will Valentine and Dylan Valentine combining for 13 of the team’s 20 points to put together a 20-12 run of Canisteo-Greenwood that saw them pull away for good.

“I can’t say enough about the defense that Tobias Webb continues to play. He is what makes us go,” said Crouch. “Hayden Rust had a great fourth quarter off the bench defensively to help keep Canisteo-Greenwood down. We were glad to clinch the win for Allegany County in the Barkley Showcase today.”

Finishing behind Will Valentine in the Fillmore scorebook was Tobias Webb and Dylan Valentine, who recorded nine points each. Levi Webb and Luke Cole had six points each.

The Eagles return home to The Rock after the weekend, as they welcome in the Whitesville Blue Jays for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Monday.

Fillmore                        10 18 20 14 – 62

Canisteo-Greenwood      6 13 12 15 – 46

FILLMORE: Dylan Valentine 4 0-1 9, Luke Cole 3 2-2 6, Levi Webb 3 0-0 6, Isaiah Voss 1 0-0 3, Tobias Webb 4 1-1 9, Colby Wolfer 1 0-0 3, Aaron Buck 0 1-2 1, Will Valentine 8 9-11 25. Totals: 23 13-17 62.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Cole Ferris 5 1-2 14, Roque Santiago 1 1-3 3, Hunter McCaffery 7 2-3 17, Corey Barker 1 0-0 3, Ayden Byrd 1 0-0 2, Nick Button 1 0-0 2, Blake Updyke 2 1-2 5. Totals: 18 4-10 46.

3-point goals: Fillmore 3 (D. Valentine, Voss, Wolfer), C-G 5 (Ferris 3, McCaffery, Barker).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 10, C-G 17. Fouled out: Updyke (C-G).

Jasper-Troupsburg 91, Andover 50

ANDOVER — Every member of the Jasper-Troupsburg Wildcats all found the basket at least once over the road in Andover, Saturday afternoon. With it, they accounted for 20 points in three of the four quarters on the scoreboard, as their hot offensive effort helped roll their way past the host Panthers with a 91-50 victory.

The Panthers (4-13) were in reach in the first half of play despite the hot start from Jasper-Troupsburg, as they trailed by a 40-25 count at the end of the first half. When the third quarter approached, the Wildcats conjured a run that held the hosts in white and purple in check for the remainder of the game, sprinting off on a 24-7 jaunt to stay ahead.

Spencer Cook led the Andover offense with a team-high 21 points. Grady Terhune chipped in with 11 points, while Preston Ordway sank three of the team’s six three-pointers on his way toward a 10-point effort.

On Wednesday, Andover hits the road for a 6 p.m. contest against the Houghton Academy Panthers.

Jasper-Troupsburg     21 19 25 27 – 91

Andover                     10 15   7 18 – 50 

JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Jake Demonstroy 3 0-0 9, Brayden Hill 6 4-4 21, Noah Price 2 1-2 6, Josh Flint 1 2-2 4, Oliver Rowe 0 2-2 2, Blake Lawson 1 0-0 2, Tyler Flint 7 3-4 20, Reese Draper 9 0-0 18, Ethan Draper 1 0-0 3, Quincy Cornell 2 2-3 6. Totals: 32 14-17 91.
ANDOVER: Grady Terhune 3 4-7 11, Cormac Brown 0 2-2 2, Spencer Cook 7 5-6 21, Blaze Dreyer 1 0-0 2, Chris Walker 2 0-2 4, Preston Ordway 4 2-3 10. Totals: 17 13-20 50.

3-point goals: J-T 13 (Hill 5, Demonstroy 3, T. Flint 3, Price, E. Draper), Andover 6 (Ordway 3, Cook 2, Terhune).
Total Fouls: J-T 18, Andover 16. Fouled out: Walker (AND).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 39, York 31

RETSOF — Defense was the name of the game for the Fillmore Lady Eagles over the road on Saturday, as they used a superb start in the first quarter to pace an eight-point lead on offense at the end of the first half, building upon it despite a late York rally in the fourth quarter to hang on for the 39-31 road win over the host Lady Golden Knights.

“We knew going into the game that York was going to be tough,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “In their six losses, they were all to teams at the top of their respective classes. They played good defense, and it got physical at times. It’s what we expected it to be. Our girls played defense as well, and we limited them to 16 points across three quarters. Then, they got hot after we went up by 10. We were able to get one back with some nice finishes to give us some breathing room, along with some stops.”

One of Fillmore (15-2) big quarters came in the first eight minutes, as they used an even balance of offense and defense to produce a 10-3 run to go ahead. The seven-point margin would remain for the majority of the game, as the Lady Eagles grew a lead that was no bigger than ten, but York was able to close the gap to within two points in the fourth quarter. The Lady Eagles were able to hang on in the end, using their defense to fend off the Lady Golden Knights.

Emma Cole led the offense for the Lady Eagles with a perfect 3-for-3 outing at the line while connecting with her inside game, accounting for a game-high 15 points to go with eight boards off the glass. Hannah Roeske added in nine points, while Riley Voss pitched in seven points to pair with a team-leading nine rebounds and a pair of assists.

Fillmore will return home to The Rock on Tuesday, as they prepare for a 7:30 p.m. contest against the Bolivar-Richburg Lady Wolverines.

Fillmore       10  9  6 14 – 39

York               3  8  5 15 – 31

FILLMORE: Riley Voss 3 1-3 7, Hannah Roeske 2 5-7 9, Emma Cole 6 3-3 15, Morgan Byer 0 1-2 1, Erin Mawn 2 0-0 4, Carlee Miller 1 1-3 3. Totals: 14 11-18 39.
YORK: Kaitlyn Holland 1 2-4 5, Stephanie Schunk 1 0-0 3, Emily Wolfanger 2 0-2 4, Sydnee Emerson 4 1-1 12, Adison Plank 2 1-2 5, Katelyn Curry 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 4-9 31.
3-point goals: York 5 (Emerson 3, Holland, Schunk)
Total Fouls: Fillmore 13, York 14. Fouled out: None.