Saturday Sectionals: Behind Schmidt and Dunbar’s guidance, No. 4 Lions move into B2 Semis after energetic win over No. 5 Penn Yan; And/Whi’s Hall drops career-high 48 in 89-30 home win over No. 7 Lima

Wellsville senior Eli Schmidt, middle, speeds his way past the Penn Yan defense down low on his way to the basket during Saturday night’s Class B2 Quarterfinal matchup in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville junior Logan Dunbar (23) splits the Penn Yan defense on his way up to the basket during Saturday night’s Class B2 Quarterfinal matchup in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville junior Cody Costello (2) pushes the tempo back down court while the Penn Yan defense gives chase during Saturday night’s Class B2 Quarterfinal matchup in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville sophomore Cooper Brockway (4) lets a three-point attempt fly against the Penn Yan defense during Saturday night’s Class B2 Quarterfinal matchup in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville freshman Ty Vogel (44) sends along a pass into the open wing while being watched by the Penn Yan defense during Saturday night’s Class B2 Quarterfinal matchup in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

WELLSVILLE — The task at hand to open up their Sectional journey on Saturday was one that No. 4 Wellsville had to go toe-to-toe with. Like the Lions, their opposition also shares some of the same qualities that they hold — strong, tall, energetic, athletic. It was basically looking at themselves in the mirror.

No. 5 Penn Yan presented a challenge that the Lions had to respond to in the same exact way, in order to hurdle their way into next week’s Class B2 Semifinals.

All the characteristics that both teams shared between one another were put on full display, especially across a high octane first half that saw Wellsville jump out on top. In a game such as this, leadership is an absolute must to succeed.

For the No. 4 seeds, they looked to two of their best on the floor for guidance — Eli Schmidt and Logan Dunbar. Both would come through in a big way, as they combined to record 47 of the team’s 65 total points in the contest, with Schmidt helping the Lions grab the start they would need in the opening half, while Dunbar rose to the occasion by shutting the door on the Mustangs in the second half with an explosive third quarter in what was a 65-53 win to eliminate Penn Yan.

“Eli showed some great leadership. His energy was exceptional, and he kept us under control, which is crazy because he’s so enthusiastic and energetic,” said Lions coach Raymie Auman. “But really, he didn’t turn the ball over and there were times where we had to be calm, and he calmed us down. That’s something we haven’t had from him at the beginning of the year, so I’m proud of his development in that regard.”

Auman added on Dunbar’s performance, noting that “I’ve been waiting for Logan to have a game like today. It’s one of those things where he’s a gamer, he’s a champion and it’s that time where he has to come through for us and make those difficult shots. I thought he did a great job playing smart as well. At the end of the fourth, he got a dish down low and then pump-faked two defenders on the way in. That was really indicative of being a smarter player than the other guys he goes up against. You need to have that against a team that cheats down low like Penn Yan does.”

The first quarter between both Penn Yan and Wellsville (12-8) was a quarter of runs. Just three runs were traded, with the hosts getting the first and last punches of the frame, beginning with a pair of runners inside giving the Lions the early lead through the opening minutes. Soon after, the Mustangs provided one of their biggest responses of the night with nine straight points, all from three-point range off three triples to spring them into the lead.

But not long after, the Lions countered with a quarter-ending run of their own that perhaps set an early bar for the Mustangs to match going forward. A slew of Lions would help get involved behind Schmidt’s leadership through what was a 14-0 run to close it out, including a runner from the Senior with five seconds remaining on the team’s final possession to successfully double up Penn Yan with an 18-9 advantage to carry into the second quarter.

Penn Yan’s mission for the remainder of the game was to top the bar that the Lions set after the opening eight, as they got to within six points in the second quarter behind a capitalization of a breakaway basket from Oliver Connelly, and later another long Emerson three-pointer to help close the gap at the break.

With Schmidt having laid down the foundation for the second half, it was now on Dunbar to emerge triumphant with his dose of leadership.

Dunbar took control of the Wellsville offense on both ends of the floor, powering the defense with his play off the glass and transitioning it to some big baskets down low with 13 of his game-high 25 points coming at one of the more crucial times in the contest. The defense was the main highlight in the third quarter, holding Penn Yan to just nine points in the midst of a 14-9 run that saw their lead push back out to double digits.

Auman commended the defensive efforts of both Aidan Riley and Tyler Vogel for their assignment on one of Penn Yan’s sharpest shooters in Connelly, who was held to just one more field goal in that third quarter before being completely shutdown for the remainder of the game.

“At the end of the day, we were able to take away one of their best players in Connelly. He only had eight points, two in the second half,” he said. “He typically scored 20 points a night for them, and that’s just a testament to Aidan and Tyler staying close with him all game to never allow him to get going. We let (Brigham) Hansen go a little bit in the second half, and that’s a Senior that they don’t want to lose. They got desperate at the end, but it was a tough fight that we found a way to battle through.”

In a fourth quarter that saw both the Mustangs and Lions score 18 points a piece, it also saw the rise of Brigham Hansen for the visitors in blue and orange, making one final attempt to counter Wellsville with four consecutive shots from the field, two from long range to score 11 of his team-high 17 points in the last eight minute period to get within range, by as little as seven.

But just as the tide started to turn, Wellsville halted it. After a big 1-and-1 for the Lions awarded to Cody Costello, they would gather a massive offensive rebound which was grabbed by Dunbar underneath. After a series of passes around, it would eventually land right back into the arms of Costello, who knocked down a back-breaking deuce from inside to essentially lock up the team’s 12-point win to eliminate the Mustangs from the Class B2 Playoff picture.

“Every Sectional win is a good win. That’s a fairly good team that can score a lot of points on any given night, and we did a good job defensively against that,” said Auman. “They made a little run in the fourth quarter, and we started to get tired a bit. We have some learning lessons to take away from this, but outside of that, I loved the energy and the intensity we played with for the whole game. I liked our confidence, and we handled the high-intensity game that Penn Yan presented for us really well.”

Following behind Dunbar’s game-high performance was Schmidt, who recorded 22 additional points for the Lions. Costello would finish as the third scorer with at least 10 points, finishing with 10 exactly.

With the victory, it clinches a spot in the Class B2 Semifinal round for Wellsville, as they now begin preparations for the next three days to take on top-seeded Dansville in the final hurdle before next weekend’s Finals at Webster Schroeder.

Auman says that his team will have to work their way through it with their backs up against the wall, if they want to punch their ticket to the Finals — a trip the program hasn’t made since the 2018-19 season when they last won it all.

“Dansville is one of the best offensive rebounding teams I think I’ve ever seen, and we have to go to the hardest level we’ve been for the next three days to try and keep them off the glass,” he said. “They’re the number one seed for a reason. They have a ton of great wins this year, they’re very Senior heavy, and that’s going to have our backs up against the wall. These three days of hard work to prepare for them will hopefully allow us to meet that challenge. We’re not satisfied with just a Semifinals appearance. We have to get one.”

Both teams will meet at a neutral site on Wednesday with a tip-off time yet to be determined.

Penn Yan 9 17 9 18 – 53

Wellsville 18 15 14 18 – 65

PENN YAN: Brigham Hansen 6 2-4 17, Carson Nagpaul 1 0-0 2, Griffin Emerson 5 3-7 16, Oliver Connelly 3 1-2 8, Tanyon Dunning 5 0-1 10. Totals: 20 6-14 53.

WELLSVILLE: Cody Costello 4 0-1 10, Alex Perkins 2 1-1 5, Cooper Brockway 1 0-0 2, Eli Schmidt 7 8-11 22, Aidan Riley 1 0-0 2, Logan Dunbar 9 4-6 25. Totals: 24 13-19 65.

3-point goals: Penn Yan 7 (Hansen 3, Emerson 3, Connelly), Wellsville 4 (Dunbar 3, Costello).
Total Fouls: Penn Yan 17, Wellsville 12. Fouled out: None.

Class D1 Quarterfinals

No. 3 Fillmore 74, No. 6 Honeoye 46

FILLMORE — Playing in a first game after an extended break away from action can always provide a great deal of risk. In Fillmore’s case, nine days away to prepare for their Sectional opener in what was their final home game of the season.

But the third-seeded Eagles made sure the nine days off was worth the time well spent on Saturday in The Rock.

After they battled tough with No. 6 Honeoye out of the gate, they went forward with solidifying their lead to close out the half, netting a big second quarter run that saw them pull away in the later stages with a 74-46 rout of the Bulldogs to claim a spot in Tuesday’s Class D1 Semifinals.

“I am really proud of how the guys came out of the gates tonight. We haven’t played in nine days, and with some injuries and illness, we haven’t even practiced as a complete team,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. "I was worried we would come out a little flat, but we had good energy to start. Honeoye surprised us with a couple of early threes from (Charlie) Farrell, but we adjusted and really tightened up defensively.”

The effort brought on by Charlie Farrell and his early three-pointers set up shop for a close battle right alongside Fillmore (16-4) in the first eight minutes. But the Eagles responded with a balanced attack, with five different scorers finding their way onto the board to help take a 16-12 lead.

The momentum would soon carry over into the second quarter where the Eagles were able to really branch their lead out and away from Honeoye, recording a 19-9 run that saw the defense allow only a pair of field goals, while Mitch Ward and Will Roeske came together to record 13 of the team’s 19 points in the frame.

With a hefty 35-21 lead in hand over the Bulldogs, the Eagles used the second half to cushion their lead, as their three-point game began to spring to life with the help of both Carter and Zach Sisson, combining for three of the team’s seven three-pointers in the quarter.

Fillmore would account for a 21-11 jaunt that would ultimately seal the deal on their trip to the Semifinal round after the weekend.

Four different scorers eclipsed double figures to propel a soaring Eagles offense, with Carter Sisson leading the charge with a game-high 21 points to pair with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Helping further the team’s cause was Will Roeske, who was dominant down low with 18 points of his own to pair with four blocks. Mitch Ward would finish with 13 points while Zach Sisson had 11. On the boards, Luke Colombo led the way with 12 rebounds.

The Eagles are now off until Tuesday night, when they get set to take the stage for the Class D1 Semifinal round at a site and time to be determined, as they get set to square off with No. 2 Wheatland-Chili.

“We are of course thrilled to keep playing,” said Crouch. “We will have our hands full with Wheatland-Chili on Tuesday. They are as good as anyone that we’ve faced this year, and we will have to be able to find another gear to come out on top. We are looking forward to the challenge it brings.”

Honeoye 12 9 11 14 – 46

Fillmore 16 19 21 18 – 74

HONEOYE: Kyle DiBiase 8 2-2 19, Evan Cuba 2 2-2 8, Ethan Zuck 1 0-0 2, Charlie Farrell 4 2-2 12, Owen Reynolds 2 0-2 4, Luke Armstrong 0 1-2 1. Totals: 17 7-10 46.
FILLMORE: Carter Sisson 9 1-3 21, Brent Zubikowski 1 0-0 2, Caleb Wagner 1 0-0 3, Luke Colombo 1 0-2 2, Mitch Ward 5 3-4 13, Zach Sisson 4 1-2 11, Johnny Mills 2 0-0 4, Will Roeske 8 0-0 18. Totals: 31 5-11 74.
3-point goals: Honeoye 5 (Cuba 2, Farrell 2, DiBiase), Fillmore 7 (C. Sisson 2, Z. Sisson 2, Roeske 2, Wagner).
Total Fouls: Honeoye 11, Fillmore 12. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Class D2 Quarterfinals

No. 2 Andover/Whitesville 89, No. 7 Lima Christian 30

ANDOVER — If you had to pull out a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary, and attempt to sift through over 100,000 words to describe what Vanessa Hall brings to the table for Andover/Whitesville, the mighty task would quite literally become impossible.

Her contributions are unmatched, and all season long, it has put not only Allegany County on notice, but the Section and the State itself as well. Attacking on offense, providing spectacular defense, even knocking down free throws on special teams, you name it.

In short: She’s really, really good.

If there was any more evidence to present, the junior’s first game of Sectionals on Saturday was more than enough.

To open the second season, Hall would go forward with dropping the metaphorical atomic bomb on the hardwood, presenting yet another magnificent career performance for the ages, delivering baskets left from right while countering with stalwart stands of defense, and a perfect outing at the charity stripe to conclude the afternoon with a career-high 48 points to lead Andover/Whitesville to the Class D2 Semifinal round after the weekend with an 89-30 rout of No. 7 Lima Christian.

“She’s just a special player. Vanessa was really good again tonight, and this was another career high for her,” said Andover/Whitesville co-coach Aaron Rawady. “She did this in multiple ways, scoring at the rim, hitting mid-range shots, knocking down threes and was perfect at the line. She was very unselfish with the ball too, getting her teammates involved as well with at least a half-dozen assists. Defending and rebounding the ball as well, she was just incredible.”

Andover/Whitesville (17-3) set the tone almost immediately in the opening half of play, which saw an even balance of offense provide a massive 21-4 run through the opening quarter before heading into the locker room behind their largest frame of the night — a 28-point second quarter led by Hall, who went on to score 25 of her 48 points in the first half, and 43 after the first three frames.

Lima Christian, despite the insurmountable deficit to start the second half, put Andover/Whitesville on edge with a 12-0 scoreless run. After some time to discuss on the sidelines, the hosts buckled down and kept the Lady Saints at bay with a 21-2 run to end the third quarter, officially pulling themselves away and out of their reach to book their flight to the Class D2 Semifinal round.

“The girls played well today. They know they have to be playing their best basketball of the season if they are going to advance in the tournament,” said Rawady. “It wasn’t a complete performance though. We lacked focus to start the second half after they went on that run. We can’t have lapses like that in our next game, or it will be our last game. We tightened up after that, and finished the quarter strong. On offense, there were some careless turnovers, but the transition game was solid. We moved the ball well, and did a nice job attacking the rim.”

Altogether, Hall shot an impressive 58% from the field for Andover/Whitesville, adding nine rebounds, five blocks, five assists and four steals along with her career-high performance on the attack. Following up was a massive double-double from Maria Riloba, who tallied 11 points of her own to go with a season-high 20 rebounds, as well as eight assists and four steals. Rachel Jackson pitched in with 10 points to pair with six assists, and four more steals.

Andover/Whitesville has now earned the right to advance onto Tuesday’s Semifinal, where they will travel to the Corral in Dansville to take on their long-standing Sectional kryptonite in recent seasons — the No. 3 Lady Lancers of Elba, winners of five straight Class D2 titles.

“We are excited to still be playing, but we know we have a huge test coming up on Tuesday. Both programs have some history in recent years with Elba, especially when it comes to this stage of Sectionals,” said Rawady. “Elba’s won five straight Sectional titles for a reason, so we’re going to give it all we got if we want a chance to get to the end.”

Tip-off between Elba and Andover/Whitesville is slated for a 6 p.m. start. The winner will advance to next Saturday’s Class D2 Finals, which will take place at Letchworth.

Lima Christian 4 4 14 8 – 30

Andover/Whitesville 21 28 21 19 – 89

LIMA CHRISTIAN: Alyssa Marsh 6 0-0 13, Abby Britton 1 0-0 2, Kristen McGuire 0 1-2 1, Chloe Gilbert 1 0-0 2, Kate Somers 1 0-0 3, Lily Herring 3 0-0 9. Totals: 12 1-2 30.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Gabbi Hall 3 2-2 8, Vanessa Hall 19 6-6 48, Graci Lewis-Ellison 3 0-0 6, Rachel Jackson 4 1-1 10, Addison Morgan 1 0-0 2, Maria Riloba 5 1-2 11, Brynn Scholl 2 0-0 4. Totals: 37 10-11 89.

3-point goals: LC 5 (Herring 3, Marsh, Somers), A/W 5 (V. Hall 4, Jackson).
Total Fouls: LC 8, A/W 3. Fouled out: None.

No. 4 Avoca/Prattsburgh 46, No. 5 Houghton Academy 16

AVOCA — The fifth-seeded Lady Panthers of Houghton Academy gave Avoca/Prattsburgh everything in what was their final performance of the season, as the host four-seeds soared towards a fast opening eight minutes and never looked back from it, essentially setting the tone on what was a 46-16 victory to advance toward the Class D2 Semifinal round, Saturday afternoon.

An 19-8 start for Avoca/Prattsburgh was the difference maker right from the beginning, as a balanced offensive attack for the fourth-seeds propelled the team to big success, with the team of Kamryn Edwards and Kendra Pinckney combining to record 25 of the team’s 46 total points to lead the way.

Houghton Academy (9-8) was held to just six total field goals on offense by the Avoca/Prattsburgh defense, with Jessica Prentice recording them all to record a team-high 14 point performance.

The season is over for the Lady Panthers, as they put a wrap up on a winning season in their return to the hardwood for the first time in two years, finishing with a record of 9-8 overall. The team will graduate just one Senior at the end of the year in Anna Huizenga.

“They didn’t play last year, so you could tell that the experience when it got to this stage of the season hurt us a bit,” said Lady Panthers coach Jeff Prentice. “But the girls did a great job this season, and most of them are coming back for next year except for Anna. She did a great job helping lead this team all season. We’re looking and hoping for great things, and the future remains bright for us.”

Houghton Academy 8 3 3 2 – 16

Avoca/Prattsburgh 19 8 10 9 – 46

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Maddy Paschalis 0 1-2 1, Jessica Prentice 6 1-2 14, Jessica Adenuga 0 1-2 1. Totals: 6 3-6 16.
AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH: Kamryn Edwards 7 0-0 14, Kendra Pinckney 3 3-4 11, Riley Stowe 3 2-2 8, Laura Morera 3 0-0 7, Marissa Reid 3 0-0 6. Totals: 19 5-6 46.

3-point goals: HA 1 (Prentice), A/P 3 (Pinckey 2, Morera).
Total Fouls: HA 8, A/P 9. Fouled out: None.

Class C1 Quarterfinals

No. 7 Alexander 50, No. 2 Canisteo-Greenwood 44

CANISTEO — The Lady Redskins of Canisteo-Greenwood were trailing all game long. It was a Class C1 Quarterfinal that No. 7 Alexander capitalized upon right from the beginning, taking a lead after each of the first three quarters against the No. 2 seeds.

Trailing by five going into the last eight minutes, the hosts would give it everything they had left in the tank. As a result, the Lady Redskins would go on to take their first two leads of the game behind the guidance of their sophomore leader, Lillian Mullen from long range.

But after taking their final lead by a 44-43 count over the Lady Trojans, Canisteo-Greenwood could not find a way to hold it in tact, as the No. 7 seeds pulled off the upset victory over the road by finishing the game with the last seven points, the majority of which coming from the charity stripe down the stretch to record the 50-44 victory.

Canisteo-Greenwood (15-6) had to fight their way from behind after Alexander capitalized on all fronts in the first quarter, with a trio of Lady Trojans recording a pair of field goals each, including two threes to earn a 15-9 lead. It was branched out to seven after the visitors provided a superb outing from the charity stripe to help the special teams cause, going 6-of-8 in the second quarter to close out with a 25-18 advantage.

The Lady Redskins would soon help provide a third quarter outscoring that would get them back to within reach of Alexander, as Lillian and Bailey Mullen provided an inside presence with 10 of the team’s 13 points to close the gap to as little as five.

In the last eight minutes, the hosts in white and red would take the first of their two leads with Mullen finding a groove from downtown, landing the first go-ahead three-pointer with three minutes left in regulation. After the Lady Trojans took the lead back, Mullen responded with yet another trey for a 44-43 lead to work with going forward.

But Alexander was able to provide one final change on the scoreboard with some clutch help down the homestretch, as they went on to score the last seven points in a row to overtake Canisteo-Greenwood in the driver’s seat to complete the upset victory over the road, ending the Lady Redskins season.

Lillian Mullen would finish with a game-high 23 points to pace the offense, while Bailey Mullen and Peyton Peters each followed with eight. Brooke Byrd had five points.

Canisteo-Greenwood’s 2021-22 campaign is officially over, as they wrap up with a record of 15-6 overall.

Alexander 15 10 11 14 – 50

Canisteo-Greenwood 9 9 13 13 – 44

ALEXANDER: Alyssa Kramer 1 3-6 6, Riley Powell 3 0-0 8, Makenna Boyce 1 0-0 2, Madison Boyce 1 0-0 3, Natalie Whitmore 4 9-12 18, Melanie Pohl 3 4-4 10, Emma Kramer 0 1-2 1, Sam Kabel 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 17-24 50.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Bailey Mullen 4 0-6 8, Lillian Mullen 9 1-2 23, Peyton Peters 3 0-0 8, Brooke Byrd 0 5-12 5. Totals: 16 6-20 44.

3-point goals: Alexander 5 (Powell 2, A. Kramer, Ma. Boyce, Whitmore), C-G 6 (L. Mullen 4, Peters 2).
Total Fouls: Alexander 19, C-G 22. Fouled out: Davis (C-G).