Saturday Roundup: Wellsville outlasts Fillmore in double-overtime bonanza to hand Eagles first loss; B-R grapplers capture Byron-Bergen Tourney title

FILLMORE — For the first time in recent memory, the Wellsville Lions and Fillmore Eagles did battle on the hardwood. It is not known exactly when the last time the two foes came together for a clash in the boys basketball realm, but in season-by-season records dating back nearly 20 seasons in Allegany County, it would mark the first meeting within the modern era.

After Saturday afternoon’s battle inside The Rock, all that time passed would be well worth the wait.

Entering the day’s bout, Wellsville came in winning their last three games in a row while for Fillmore, they started their season with four consecutive wins under their belt. It was clear that something had to give.

The Lions and Eagles could not decide it in regulation, and they couldn’t decide it after one four minute overtime. The score was settled in double overtime, where a big three-point basket was hit by Wellsville’s Alex Perkins right at the tail end of the final period of the afternoon, as the Lions won the battle with a 72-67 victory to hand Fillmore their first loss of the season.

“Perkins really hit a dagger three later in OT that really put it out of reach. I’m disappointed in the outcome, but Raymie (Auman) and Wellsville have a great program. This game was a good measuring stick for us,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “This was a great game to be a part of, and packed bleachers would have made this better. I’m proud of my guys for battling back to force this game into overtime, but we just couldn’t close it out in the second overtime.”

Both Wellsville and Fillmore (4-1) battled their way toward a 31-31 first half tie, with Liam McKinley stepping up to the plate by scoring 10 of his team-leading 17 points coming in the first 16 minutes. On the flip side, the Eagles answered the door with their three-point game, which was on fire all day long with 11 in all, four of them coming within the team’s 18-point quarter.

In the third, multiple Lions (4-1) got involved in their balanced attack that resulted in their biggest frame of offense of the night - a 21-11 run that saw their lead grow to 10 heading into the fourth.

“At the end of the third, they put on a quick run with some transition lay-ups and three three-pointers that put them back up by 10, and then by 12 in the early parts of the fourth,” Crouch said. “We had them on the ropes in the first overtime after we made our run to get there, but they made more plays than we did. They have a lot of size and they did a great job of making it tough for us to finish, but we had our chances.”

Fillmore’s run in the fourth came with a bit more help from three-point range and from the charity stripe, receiving it from their two leading scorers - Hayden Rust and Dylan Valentine, as they helped string together a big 13-3 run to force a 55-55 tie heading into overtime.

The game would need two overtimes to determine the winner, which was decided by the Lions in the form of a 12-7 run of the Eagles that was capped off by a late Perkins three-pointer, the biggest out of all 17 that were sunk between both clubs, to seal Wellsville’s fourth straight victory and Fillmore’s first loss of the season.

Finishing behind McKinley’s 17 points for the Lions, was Logan Dunbar, who had 12 points. Aidan Hart dug down low to deliver 10 points, while Perkins finished with nine. For the hosts, Rust led all scorers with his game-high 20 points. Valentine and Zach Sisson each had 13 points to chip in, while Will Roeske netted nine.

Both teams are back on the hardwood Monday night in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, with Wellsville going for their fifth straight win with Bolivar-Richburg in town, while Fillmore looks to get back into the win column with a road trip to Genesee Valley.

Wellsville 12 19 21 3 5 12 – 72

Fillmore 13 18 11 13 5 7 – 67

WELLSVILLE: Tyler Sands 3 2-2 8, Alex Perkins 2 4-6 9, Sam Schmidt 2 1-2 5, Liam McKinley 6 2-3 17, Logan Dunbar 4 2-2 12, Aidan Hart 5 0-0 10. Totals: 22 11-15 72.
FILLMORE: Isaiah Voss 2 0-0 6, Hayden Rust 8 0-0 20, Aaron Buck 1 0-0 3, Zach Sisson 5 0-0 13, Dylan Valentine 3 6-10 13, Mitch Ward 1 1-2 3, Will Roeske 4 1-2 9. Totals: 24 8-14 67.

3-point goals: Wellsville 6 (McKinley 3, Dunbar 2, Perkins), Fillmore 11 (Rust 4, Sisson 3, Voss 2, Buck, Valentine).

Total Fouls: Wellsville 16, Fillmore 20. Fouled out: Hart (WLSV).

Bolivar-Richburg 69, Cuba-Rushford 56

BOLIVAR — Building blocks. Those have been the trend for the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines so far in their shortened season on the hardwood. After a a close defeat to the hands of Olean earlier this week, head coach Jeff Margeson told his Wolverines team that it was their assignment to build off the loss.

That opportunity came Saturday afternoon when they returned home to host their longtime rival - Cuba-Rushford. Although the Rebels possessed a bit of stinginess to keep the Wolverines on their feet all game, the early bird got the worm, as their scoreless run in the first quarter proved to be one of the determining factors for Bolivar-Richburg in their victory to get back on the right side of the tracks in their 69-56 decision.

“We talked about how we had to get off to a great start after having that momentum from the Olean game. We scored 16 in a row to start the game in the first quarter,” Margeson said. “Brayden (Ellis) stepped up by knocking down those three-pointers, which opened things up for Cam (MacDonell) down low. Our defense stayed strong after dropping in a zone, and it felt like it was closer than a 13-point game for us. Bryce (Ryan) does such a good job with his group, they weren’t out of this game by any means. They were within four in the second after taking it on the chin, and battling back.”

16 straight points to the basket set up shop for the Wolverines (2-3) in the first quarter, with the remaining six points in the quarter coming in alternating fashion, ultimately leading to an 18-4 lead for the hosts. That would get cut down to near 10 points as halftime approached, and as small as four at one point with thanks to a Rebels (2-3) run, but not before Camdyn MacDonell added in his piece of offense, as he went on to score 17 of his game-high 29 points all in the first 16 minutes.

Bolivar-Richburg, despite being outscored narrowly in the fourth quarter, would put the game on ice with one last outscoring of Cuba-Rushford out of the locker room at halftime, as they extended their lead to 52-37 going into the fourth quarter after the emergence of Landon Danaher, who finished with 18 points for the Wolverines. Ellis had four three-pointers in all to give the hosts a helping hand with 12 points.

The Rebels were led by Trent Chamberlain, who had his best game of the season for the team in blue and burgundy, netting a team-high 20 points, including a near-immaculate 6-for-9 outing at the charity stripe. Jack Frank added in 10 points, while Jacob Smith had seven.

Both teams will have the Wellsville Lions on the road up next on their schedules, with Bolivar-Richburg having the honors of going first after the weekend at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

“What you've seen in our past games, it should be more competitive,” said Margeson. “But today was a great example of what happened. The momentum is a big thing, and my team feeds off it like I've never seen it before. Self-coaching and self-motivation is huge with these kids. They buy into it, and we're doing what we want to do. They're starting to see what level they can play at, and hopefully we can provide Wellsville with a better challenge on Monday.”

Cuba-Rushford will be up next later next week, on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Cuba-Rushford 4 19 14 19 – 56

Bolivar-Richburg 18 17 17 17 – 69

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Jack Frank 5 0-3 10, Trent Chamberlain 7 6-9 20, Brayden Lavery 2 0-0 5, Landon Wight 2 0-0 5, Jacob Smith 3 0-0 7, Hunter Williams 1 0-0 3, Nate Burdick 1 2-2 4, Austin Clement 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 8-14 56.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Landon Danaher 6 5-10 18, Wyatt Karnuth 1 0-0 2, Brayden Ellis 4 0-0 12, David Baldwin 1 0-0 2, Evan Pinney 0 2-2 2, Daniel Baldwin 2 0-0 4, Camdyn MacDonell 13 3-4 29. Totals: 27 10-16 69.
3-point goals: C-R 4 (Lavery, Wight, Smith, Williams), B-R 5 (Ellis 4, Danaher).

Total Fouls: C-R 16, B-R 14. Fouled out: Wight (C-R).

Belfast 41, Andover 24

BELFAST — The Panthers and Bulldogs were off to a slow go in the first quarter, as they came out of it deadlocked in an 8-8 tie. In the second quarter, a flip of the script, as the Belfast defense took over while the offense capitalized on the momentum, as they held visiting Andover to five points combined across the next two quarters to pull away toward a 41-24 victory on Saturday.

Belfast (3-1) completely shut off the Andover offense in the second quarter from the field, holding them scoreless while the Panthers accounted for their two lone points from the charity stripe in the period. The momentum built from their run of the Panthers carried into the third quarter, where they ultimately pulled away for good, scoring an 11-3 jaunt.

The Bulldogs provided a balanced offense across the board, with Devin Harriger leading the way with three of the team’s six three-pointers, for nine team-high points. Matt Weaver and Stephen Struckmann each had eight points, while Nick Ellison added two more threes, for six points.

Andover (2-2) was led by Spencer Cook, who totaled a game-high 12 points. Chris Walker added seven points of his own.

Belfast will hit the road Monday night for a 6 p.m. contest against the Scio Tigers, while Andover will look to get back on track on the road themselves on Tuesday, visiting Friendship in a 6 p.m. contest.

Andover 8 2 3 11 – 24

Belfast 8 9 11 13 – 41

ANDOVER: Spencer Cook 5 2-4 12, Cormac Brown 0 1-2 1, Chris Walker 3 1-2 7, Richie York 2 0-0 4. Totals: 10 4-8 24.
BELFAST: Jason Drozdowski 2 0-0 5, Nick Ellison 2 0-0 6, Devin Harriger 3 0-0 9, Matt Weaver 4 0-0 8, Stephen Struckmann 4 0-0 8, Collin Preston 1 0-0 2, Tony Logue 1 1-2 3. Totals: 17 1-2 41.
3-point goals: Belfast 6 (Harriger 3, Ellison 2, Drozdowski).

Total Fouls: Andover 5, Belfast 10. Fouled out: None.

Scio 51, Whitesville 30

SCIO — The Scio Tigers have played with a short bench all week long, as their week came to an end Saturday afternoon with the Whitesville Blue Jays in for a visit.

Just six players suited up for the hosts in white and navy, and a third of those players providing the scoring on offense. It was a two-man show for the Tigers, and those two happen to share the last name as siblings Cam and Brendan Loucks combined to score all 51 of the team’s points, as they used a fourth quarter run to pull away from Whitesville in their 51-30 victory.

“We’ve been missing a couple of kids off the bench lately, but our role players have definitely picked it up this week,” said Tigers coach Dillon McFall. “They’re all contributing, whether it’s scoring themselves or grabbing those big rebounds that we need. We need to find those third and fourth scoring options. We’ve been playing three games with six guys, and it’s been difficult. I was impressed with Whitesville today, they played great defense. You wouldn’t think that with Cam having the game he did today, but they made him earn every bit of his points.”

Scio (2-1) took control for much of the game from start to finish, but it was not easy. The Whitesville defense provided a challenge by holding the Tigers in check to allow the offense to stay right on their coattails, trailing by seven heading into the final eight minute period. But the Tigers were able to split the game wide open by returning the favor — a 17-3 run to keep the Jays in the rearview mirror for good.

Cam and Brendan Loucks both had enormous days for the hosts, with Cam netting a game-high 36 points to go with his 14 rebounds. Brendan chipped in with a massive rebounding day, garnering 23 off the glass to pair with the team’s last 15 points. For Whitesville (2-3), Colby Gaines led the attack with 11 team-high points. CJ Estep pitched in with nine.

Both teams are back in action Monday night, as Scio will look for their third win in their first four with Belfast in town for a 6 p.m. visit, while Whitesville hits the road to visit Hinsdale for a 7:30 p.m. battle.

Whitesville 11 8 8 3 – 30

Scio 15 12 7 17 – 51

WHITESVILLE: CJ Estep 3 2-4 9, Lucas Erdmann 1 0-0 3, Colby Gaines 5 0-0 11, Justin Waters 2 0-0 5, Dylan Acor 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 2-4 30.
SCIO: Brendan Loucks 6 3-7 15, Cam Loucks 14 8-11 36. Totals: 20 11-18 51.
3-point goals: Whitesville 4 (Estep, Erdmann, Gaines, Waters).

Total Fouls: Whitesville 16, Scio 7. Fouled out: Gaines (WHI).

Hinsdale 39, Friendship 32

FRIENDSHIP — Returning to action for the first time in nearly two weeks, the Hinsdale Bobcats went back to work over the road Saturday afternoon in Friendship. As a result, they engaged in a battle to keep the host Golden Eagles in the passenger’s seat. Despite a late rally in the fourth, the Bobcats were able to stave them off in the end with a close 39-32 edging to earn their first win of the season.

The game was all tied up at 11 going into the half with each team providing narrow outscorings, with Hinsdale (1-1) taking the half-ending advantage in the second quarter to tie the game. The momentum they built would carry into the third quarter, where they would explode for a 19-point frame behind the guidance of Zach Byrne, who had a team-high 11 points for the Bobcats.

But the Golden Eagles (0-3) would come back late in the fourth, as they held Hinsdale to four points while on their 11-4 run led by the likes of Ian Romero, who recorded 10 of his 15 points right in the last eight minute period. But the deficit in the third quarter was just a little too much for Friendship to overcome.

Finishing behind Byrne in the Hinsdale scorebook was Ethan Cashimere, who had eight points. In addition to his 15 points, Romero added in 10 rebounds of his own to complete his double-double for the Golden Eagles. Dekota Stewart added in eight points, while Garrett Miller had five rebounds.

A complete box score was not available upon publication.

Hinsdale will look to keep the momentum rolling into Tuesday night back home, as they host a 7:30 p.m. meeting with the Whitesville Blue Jays, while Friendship stays put at home to host Andover in a 6 p.m. battle on Monday.

Hinsdale 6 5 19 4 – 39

Friendship 7 4 10 11 – 32

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Hornell 61, Wellsville 53

WELLSVILLE — The three-point game is a trait that the Hornell Lady Red Raiders have used to establish dominance. Although the Lady Lions did what they could to hang right with Hornell the entire way. But an early first half deficit was the difference maker, as the Lady Red Raiders went to work early on a double-digit lead. It shrunk, but they never lost it, as they held on to defeat Wellsville by a 61-53 count, Saturday night in the Lion’s Den.

“From what Hornell is averaging, giving up 61 is a lot but against them, that’s not bad by any means,” Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord said. “They live and die by the three-pointer, and they hit their open looks when they could. Hornell has a lot of offensive weapons, (Lillian) Hoyt and (Jaden) Sciotti being two of them. We were down 11 at the half, and we came back to outscore them in the third to cut it down to seven at one point. But it comes back to the miscues that we made, and they capitalized on.”

Hornell had 10 three-pointers in all including an incredibly hot night coming from the hand of Lillian Hoyt, who totaled a game-high 20 points for the Lady Red Raiders, as they used it to start off in the first half with two runs of the Lady Lions to establish a double-digit lead going into the break.

For Wellsville (3-2), things began to look up in the third, when they regrouped to win the battle heading into the last eight minute period. They were able to stay within reach of Hornell in the fourth quarter, but the earlier deficit in the beginning was too much to overcome in the end, as the Lady Red Raiders were able to hang on for the victory.

The Lady Lions saw two different scorers eclipse double digits, with Kaylee Coleman providing her best game of the season, recording a team-high 14 points all down low to go with her seven rebounds. Marley Adams added in 12 points of her own to go with five more rebounds and four steals. Jaylynn Mess had six more rebounds to grab, while Emily Costello dished out eight assists.

Up next, the Lady Lions will look to rebound after their season-opening loss to Bolivar-Richburg, as they host the Lady Wolverines for their second and final meeting of the season Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

“I'm looking forward to that, the girls are too,” Alvord said. “Hopefully we can avenge a loss to Bolivar, and do it on our home floor. We'll hope to improve from the first time. Our girls will be ready for that challenge, and they’ll step up to do so. We played some teams with some size already, with Fillmore having the (Emma) Cole girl. Hopefully we can do what we can do neutralize Aliyah Cole even more, and the (McKinlee and Madigan) Harris girls coming back for them too will have them move the ball quicker. We have to figure out a way to try and contain that.”

Hornell 17 14 17 13 – 61

Wellsville 10 10 19 14 – 53

HORNELL: Tayghan Doorley 4 1-2 12, Jaden Sciotti 4 2-4 12, Lillian Hoyt 6 3-3 20, Jane Spitulnik 2 2-2 6, Lily Gaffney 1 0-0 2, Juliet Marino 3 1-2 9. Totals: 20 9-13 61.
WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 6 0-0 12, Jaylynn Mess 2 1-2 5, Emily Costello 3 0-0 6, Jaelyn Knapp 3 2-2 8, Emily Robbins 3 0-0 8, Kaylee Coleman 7 0-0 14, Brooklyn Stisser 0 0-2 0. Totals: 24 3-6 53.
3-point goals: Hornell 10 (Hoyt 5, Doorley 3, Sciotti 2), Wellsville 2 (Robbins).

Total Fouls: Hornell 12, Wellsville 14. Fouled out: None.

Whitesville 54, Belfast 21

BELFAST — For the third time this season, Vanessa Hall continues to light up the scorebook for Allegany County, and for the Lady Blue Jays of Whitesville with another 40-point game, as she was a single free throw away from a perfect 15-for-15 while hitting three triples on her way to a game-high 41-point performance to lead Whitesville toward a 54-21 road win in Belfast, Saturday afternoon.

Rachel Jackson added five points of her own, while four different Lady Jays (4-0) all chipped in with a two-point basket to help the visitors in blue and white start the game on a 17-4 run of Belfast that they never looked back on.

As for the Lady Bulldogs (4-2), Emma Sullivan emerged as the team’s leading scorer, knocking down a pair of three-pointers as well as a shot at the stripe for a team-high seven points. Mary Hamer drained six points, while Alicia Borden had four to add.

Both teams are back on the floor at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, with Whitesville going for their fifth straight win back home against Friendship, while Belfast looks to get back on track on the road in Scio.

Whitesville 17 15 11 11 – 54

Belfast 4 2 13 2 – 21

WHITESVILLE: Kennedy Bledsoe 1 0-0 2, Rachel Jackson 1 3-4 5, Serena Ainsworth 1 0-2 2, Vanessa Hall 12 14-15 41, Gabbi Hall 1 0-0 2, Brynn Scholl 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 17-21 54.
BELFAST: Alicia Borden 2 0-0 4, Anna Drozdowski 1 0-2 2, Mary Hamer 3 0-0 6, Emma Sullivan 2 1-1 7, Cierra Wallace 1 0-3 2. Totals: 9 1-6 21.

3-point goals: Whitesville 3 (Hall), Belfast 2 (Sullivan).

Total Fouls: Whitesville 11, Belfast 20. Fouled out: None.

WRESTLING

Wolverines grapplers capture Byron-Bergen title

BERGEN — There was looming uncertainty through the COVID-19 crisis, that despite the announcement that high-risk sports would commence for the Winter season, that wrestling wouldn’t happen given the close contact circumstances. Both Wellsville and Fillmore have declined to participate in this year’s season, but for powerhouse Bolivar-Richburg? The show goes on.

The mighty Wolverines went over the road to take part in their first tournament of the shortened season along with five other teams in attendance at Byron-Bergen’s annual tournament. It was an event the three-time Class B champions had an absolute field day in, as Bolivar-Richburg came away as the tournament champions with 268.5 total points, garnering eight individual victories along with multiple secondary finishes to complete a brilliant day on the mat.

Among those winners, was the lower weight’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, Ethan Coleman, who defeated his teammate Raycee Carr in the 126 pound title match by an 8-3 decision. It was not the only match decided between two Bolivar-Richburg wrestlers for a tournament title. At the 102 pound weight class, Gary McDowell was victorious over Teegan Sibble in a 6-3 decision to capture the win.

Dominic Stone (110 pounds) and Caden Allen (152 pounds) had the quickest victories of the afternoon for the Wolverines, with Stone recording a pinfall in just 48 seconds, while Allen settled on a 8-0 major decision. Other first place finishers for Bolivar-Richburg included Trey Buchholz at 118 pounds (12-4 major dec), Dawsen Yates at 132 pounds (5-3 dec), Kadin Tompkins at 145 pounds (1:56 pin), and Trent Sibble at 215 pounds (21-6 tech fall).

Bolivar-Richburg saw some secondary finishes come earlier before the first place matches, garnering three third place finishes from their wrestlers. Those being: Tavyn MacDonell at 132 pounds, Wayne Karnuth at 172 pounds and Lloyd Kinnicutt at 285 pounds.

The Wolverines will return to regular season action this upcoming Friday, when they visit Addison at 6 p.m.