Lady Lions carry red hot start into 2025, score 7th win in first 8 games behind marvelous 2nd quarter blank, stalwart defense in 43-14 home win over Olean

WELLSVILLE — Although the calendar has flipped to 2025, the red hot Wellsville Lady Lions picked up where they left off from last year, as they used a fiery first quarter start from Makenna Dunbar and permanently cemented the momentum they constructed from it to carry a torrent of fire into the month of January with a dynamic 43-14 win over the visiting Lady Huskies of Olean.

The return to action for the Lady Lions (7-1) in front of their home audience was a dominant one, and it began with a Makenna Dunbar firestorm in an opening eight minute sequence that witnessed her dig in and score nine of the team’s 11 points, establishing a quick 11-2 run of Olean before the Lady Huskies closed the gap down the stretch with a triple from Alaina Hirliman and some assistance at the charity stripe from Anna Bates.

The scoring from that point forward for the Lady Huskies would ultimately stall, as the Lady Lions assumed total control for the next two quarters of play, finishing both frames with a pair of 12-0 runs on the scoreboard. Charging the first of the two jaunts were a pair of cashed-in steals on the break from Natalie Adams, as well as a nifty pass play by Ayla Faulkner to Lydia Kaye underneath the Olean basket in the last minute to aid in closing out the first half with a 23-7 lead.

In the second half, the hosts in white and orange went on to branch their advantage insurmountably to keep their spot in the driver’s seat until the end of time.

Dunbar led all scorers for Wellsville with a game-high 15 points to pair with six rebounds and four steals. Caelyn Stevens followed with seven points of her own, adding five more rebounds off the glass into the mix. Adams concluded with six points to couple with four steals and three assists, while Ayla Faulkner had five points.

In the JV contest that started the action off in the Lion’s Den, Wellsville helped set up the evening sweep of Olean with a 31-19 victory paced by a nine-point performance by Addy Hennessy.

The Lady Lions are back on their home floor Tuesday night, as they host the Geneseo Lady Blue Devils in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Olean 7 0 0 7 – 14

Wellsville 11 12 12 8 – 43

OLEAN: Ava Finch 0 2-6 2, Alaina Hirliman 2 0-0 5, Anna Bates 0 5-12 5, Viktoriia Lazyska 1 0-0 2. Totals: 3 7-18 14.

WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 2 3-4 7, Natalie Adams 3 0-0 6, Emily Stuck 1 1-2 3, Ayla Faulkner 2 0-0 5, Lydia Kaye 2 0-0 4, Makenna Dunbar 5 4-8 15, Jaden Dunbar 1 0-0 2, Alexa Stuck 0 1-2 1. Totals: 16 9-16 43.

3-point goals: Olean 1 (Hirliman), Wellsville 2 (Faulkner, M. Dunbar).
Total Fouls: Olean 15, Wellsville 14. Fouled out: None.