Friday Roundup: Wellsville, B-R boys wage war, as Lions evade last-second rally from Wolverines behind Brockway’s hot hand; Fillmore, GV/Belfast ladies capture wins; Lady Lions fall at Rush-Henrietta

BOLIVAR — Separated by a westbound trip down Bolivar Road and up and over its summit, Wellsville and Bolivar-Richburg came together for their lone clash of the campaign. Whenever these cross-county rivals convene, you can almost always count on a jam-packed audience to fill the grandstands to the brim.

Friday night was the most prime of examples.

The Lions and Wolverines gave it everything they had, all game long. In a fierce battle that saw back-and-forth shifts, plenty of defense and some late stage dramatic flare, it was only appropriate that everything that hung in the balance would all come down to the final wire. Literally, the final wire.

With each knock at the door from Bolivar-Richburg growing increasingly louder and louder, they were presented with one final opportunity to turn the tide after trimming a deficit that harbored in the double digits for most of the second half down to just two points. On what would ultimately become the final play of the game, the Wolverines nearly came across a massive turnover against the Lions off an inbound with two seconds left.

But off Alex Green’s pass back into play for the Lions on the baseline, the ball hit a pair of hands directly in front of him with such force, the ball worked its way free just enough for Green to collect his own transfer before being fouled by Bolivar-Richburg, clearing the defensive zone from imminent danger immediately after with under five seconds remaining to allow Wellsville their proclamation for victory by a 50-48 count in suspenseful fashion.

“It’s always better to win those close games. I was really happy we were able to walk away with another victory in our pocket,” Lions coach Tom Muska said. “Every possession matters in a game, and that was the case tonight. It’s not just hanging on at the end, but every moment from Cooper’s (Brockway) hot streak from three to each box-out down the stretch. (Aydin) Sisson and (Landon) Barkley can really shoot it for them, and when you have two players like that, no lead is ever safe. Those might be two of the best players to wear Bolivar-Richburg jerseys in a long time.”

Wellsville (7-10) was able to navigate their way towards the lead when the end of the first quarter approached. After an early exchange of baskets that saw the Wolverines jump ahead, the visitors in black and orange responded with the frame’s last six points in consecutive fashion to overtake their opposition in the catbird’s seat with a 9-6 lead.

The action would ramp up for the Lions after a game-tying triple for the Wolverines (10-5) from Aydin Sisson to start the second, as they halted what momentum was built and turned it into another favorable burst on the back end with another scoreless run, netting the next seven points off some more solid work inside and a second Brockway triple.

The momentum shifting continued all throughout the frame, with Bolivar-Richburg climbing their way to within a point on another scoreless response. But despite it, Wellsville was able to keep their lead intact after the half closed on a pair of triples — one from Brockway for the Lions and another on the next possession from Reiss Gaines, cancelling each other out in favor of a 19-18 Lions lead at the break.

In the third quarter, the Lions maintained their offensive stance with a brilliant start to the new half, bucketing 10 of the first 11 points — a run that was guided and punctuated by Cooper Brockway’s hot hand once again, going back-to-back from downtown again to supply a 29-20 lead. It would eventually eclipse into double-digit territory in the midst of the foes’ constant exchanging of baskets.

But with a 38-30 lead going into the fourth, the advantage for Wellsville would come down to just two points — the lowest deficit that Bolivar-Richburg knocked it down to, across the entire contest, as they scored six in a row to open the frame on a high note. After a timeout that was forced by the Lions, they would go on to regroup and push the reset button to regain traction on the offensive end, netting nine of the next 12 points to garner a 10-point lead once again entering the waning stages of the battle.

Chaos ensued in the midst of a foul game during the final minute, one that the Wolverines had to play against the Lions in order to remain within reach. With 2.4 seconds left, they would use some outstanding defense in their own offensive end to force three straight turnovers — all of which were cashed in from three-point range by Aydin Sisson, Landon Barkley and Reiss Gaines, as they closed the gap down to a pair of points.

With the game now in their hands once again, the Lions controlled their own destiny. And on the very last play of the game, they were able to hang on for dear life behind Green’s interception of his own inbound back into play that deflected off the hands of James Margeson directly in front on the baseline, heaving it up court for Aiden Cowburn to run out the clock on Bolivar-Richburg’s late rally.

“Some of the little things really hurt us tonight. We certainly played a great game defensively, but we had a few lapses where we gave up too many second chance opportunities. We also left too many points on the block ourselves, and against a team like Wellsville, we cannot do that. It was a Sectional environment out here tonight, and after this, it feels like a Sectional-oriented loss.” said Wolverines coach Justin Thomas.

Brockway’s five three-pointers would wind up leading Wellsville’s offense, as he scored a team-high 16-point performance. Behind him was Ty Vogel, as he chipped in with 11 points, while JJ Howard concluded with seven of his own.

For the Wolverines, Aydin Sisson led all scorers with his game-high 22 points. Landon Barkley added in 12 points, while Reiss Gaines followed with eight.

Both teams are back on their home courts Monday night, with Wellsville heading back home to host the red hot Fillmore Eagles in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, while Bolivar-Richburg plays host to the Addison Knights in their rescheduled Dan Barkley Showcase battle from mid-January, beginning at 6 p.m.

Wellsville 9 10 19 12 – 50

Bolivar-Richburg 6 12 12 18 – 48

WELLSVILLE: Aiden Cowburn 2 1-2 5, Karson Grover 1 0-0 2, Cooper Brockway 5 1-2 16, JJ Howard 3 1-4 7, Ty Vogel 5 1-2 11, Trenton Green 2 1-2 5, Alex Green 0 4-6 4. Totals: 18 9-18 50.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 5 10-12 22, Landon Barkley 4 2-2 12, Waide Karnuth 1 0-0 2, Reiss Gaines 3 0-0 8, Kingston Loucks 2 0-0 4. Totals: 15 12-14 48.

3-point goals: Wellsville 5 (Brockway), B-R 6 (Sisson 2, Barkley 2, Gaines 2).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 15, B-R 14. Fouled out: None.

[PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER MANGELS]

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 66, Andover/Whitesville 21

FILLMORE — For six Lady Eagles, Friday night was one of the very last moments they will share together on their home hardwood, as they were honored for all of their efforts and contributions to the program since they first arrived onto the scene.

Head coach Tom Parks has been right alongside them every step of the way since their elementary school days, watching them grow up right before his eyes. Now, his seniors look to help end what has been a brilliant regular season on the hardwood. With Sectionals right around the corner, Fillmore has hit every single stride they’ve encountered since the beginning of the month.

It was no different against Andover/Whitesville in The Rock, as every Lady Eagle had a hand in some capacity to deliver on offense, including Hope Russell and her game-high 22-point performance to help allow them to record a fast start and never look back from it to capture a 66-21 home victory on Senior Night.

“Tonight was a night to honor six special seniors. What these girls have meant to the program is immeasurable,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch and work with these girls on the court since they were in third grade and to be able to be their coach on Varsity is such a privilege. On the game side of it, I was really impressed with our defense and offensive efficiency. The girls really shot it well tonight. Andover/Whitesville had a young, but potential-filled crew. They didn’t back down and played hard all game. They will be back in contention soon.”

The Lady Eagles (14-1) didn’t waste any time putting the pedal to the metal in the first half, setting the tone on a 13-4 lead against Andover/Whitesville with a massive effort on both ends of the floor in the second quarter, holding their opposition in check while capitalizing on punctuations of their own on the attack to wrap up the half with a 22-2 run that they never looked back on.

Leading the scoring behind Hope Russell, was Emalyn Mucher and her 11 points for Fillmore. Rachel Hatch chipped in with eight points, while Grace Russell and Amelia Rose each had seven.

For Andover/Whitesville (3-13), Olivia Waters led all scorers with eight team-high points. Stella Bledsoe had six points.

Both teams are back on the floor in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests on Tuesday, as Fillmore hits the road for Friendship to battle host Friendship/Scio, while Andover/Whitesville heads back home for an incoming visit from Genesee Valley/Belfast, in Andover.

Andover/Whitesville 4 2 7 8 – 21

Fillmore 13 22 14 17 – 66

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Stella Bledsoe 3 0-2 6, Makaila Brewster 1 0-0 2, Lilly Harrington 1 0-0 2, Olivia Waters 4 0-3 8, Katrina Lewis 1 0-0 3. Totals: 10 0-5 21.
FILLMORE: Hope Russell 7 5-6 22, Grace Russell 3 0-0 7, Rachel Hatch 3 0-0 8, Amelia Rose 2 1-2 7, Kylee Ellsworth 2 0-2 4, Mattie McCumiskey 0 1-4 1, Preslee Miller 3 0-4 6, Emalyn Mucher 5 0-0 11. Totals: 25 7-18 66.

3-point goals: A/W 1 (Lewis), Fillmore 9 (H. Russell 3, Hatch 2, Rose 2, G. Russell, Mucher).
Total Fouls: A/W 9, Fillmore 6. Fouled out: None.

Rush-Henrietta 53, Wellsville 50

RUSH — It was a tight battle the first time around between just a couple of weeks ago on Hall of Fame Weekend, with Rush-Henrietta taking care of business in close fashion in Wellsville. Now the second and final battle would shift up north to the home of the Lady Royal Comets where the Lady Lions held the lead all game long.

But just like the first meeting, the Lady Royal Comets would find their way back and in a big way, as they put together their strongest frame of offense in the game to pull ahead of the Lady Lions. In the late stages, Wellsville would earn a chance to tie the game and force overtime, but Rush-Henrietta was able to hang on to the last bit of string to complete the season sweep with a 53-50 victory on Friday.

“I was very pleased with this hard-fought game, and the way the girls were able to handle themselves,” said Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord. “Makenna (Dunbar) has played very consistently these past few games and the other girls behind her are starting to step up as well. We’re continuing to learn and build on it, despite the loss, but there’s plenty to take away from this on a positive note.”

Both teams traded first half runs to remain within a stone’s throw of one another, with Rush-Henrietta scoring a 13-9 lead of the Lady Lions (10-6) in a first quarter that saw Makenna and Jaden Dunbar come together and net all nine of the team’s points within the frame. Despite trailing, Wellsville shook it off for a stronger finish to the half by flipping the script with a 13-8 outscoring of their own to take a one-point lead at the break.

Wellsville continued to hold the momentum at the start of the second half, with four different Lady Lions all paying forward massive contributions while the defense held the Lady Royal Comets to their lowest stand of offense in the same swing, building onto their 22-21 lead with a 12-5 third quarter run that was paced by an eight-point stanza from Averee Palmatier.

The final eight minute segment of the night would put the atmosphere on the edge of their seat, as the Lady Royal Comets fought their way back from nearly 10 points down and delivered a striking 27-point bonanza on offense to run the table, with Jani Washington and Alivia Day aiding the offense with 19 of those points combined.

The lead for Rush-Henrietta would reach nine points with under a minute remaining behind a stellar 7-for-7 outing at the charity stripe, but despite the pressure all throughout the frame, the Lady Lions were give one last chance to turn the tide again after some big three-pointers were knocked down by Makenna Dunbar and Natalie Adams.

Out of timeouts, they would look to Dunbar for the last second shot outside to force overtime, but the shot just missed as the final buzzer rang out, as the Lady Royal Comets hung on to declare victory.

Dunbar would finish the night as Wellsville’s leading scorer with her game-high 18 points, pairing them with seven rebounds off the glass. Natalie Adams and Averee Palmatier each finished with 10 points, collecting six and five rebounds along the way, respectively. Caelyn Stevens chipped in with eight points, while Jaden Dunbar rounded off the scoring with the remaining four points to go with five rebounds.

In the JV contest that began the festivities at Rush-Henrietta, the Lady Lions came away winners behind strong 11-point performances from Raegan Vogel and Reegan Perkins in what was a 48-31 victory over the Lady Royal Comets.

Up next for Wellsville is a trip back home for a big battle Thursday night, as they play host to the Fillmore Lady Eagles at 7:30 p.m.

Wellsville 9 13 12 16 – 50

Rush-Henrietta 13 8 5 27 – 53

WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 3 0-0 8, Natalie Adams 4 0-0 10, Averee Palmatier 4 2-2 10, Makenna Dunbar 8 0-1 18, Jaden Dunbar 1 1-2 4. Totals: 20 3-5 50.

RUSH-HENRIETTA: Jani Washington 7 3-7 17, Alivia Day 4 5-5 14, Ashlyn Roberts 2 0-0 4, Ava Santiago 2 6-7 10, Maddie Lewis 1 0-0 2, Julia Carter 2 2-2 6. Totals: 18 16-21 53.

3-point goals: Wellsville 7 (Stevens 2, Adams 2, M. Dunbar 2, J. Dunbar), R-H 1 (Day).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 15, R-H 6. Fouled out: None.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 45, Friendship/Scio 37

BELFAST — The story that was told Friday night in Belfast became a tale of two halves.

Each team would claim a chance to take control, with host Genesee Valley/Belfast ending the first half red hot before Friendship/Scio then took a hold of the steering wheel themselves to deliver an explosive second half. But through it all, despite a big second half run from Friendship/Scio, Genesee Valley/Belfast was able to hold off the late and momentous push from their opposition behind a strong display of defense, as they jumped back into the win column with a 45-37 victory.

“We only had 10 at halftime, but I was extremely proud of the effort we gave in the second half,” said Friendship/Scio coach Ashleigh Lewis. “We got to as close as five or six early on and made a pretty good run of it until some breaks went the other way, which benefitted GV/Belfast. I thought it was going to get out of hand in the second half at a couple of points, but the girls proved me wrong and showed some really great things tonight to hang right with them.”

Some strong defense put on by Genesee Valley/Belfast (12-4) took center stage to start the night in the opening quarter, when they allowed Friendship/Scio just two shots from the field to pair with a perfect 4-for-4 outing at the charity stripe from Nevaeh Ross. On the other side of it, the offense built off the defensive presence behind Abby Sullivan and Whitney Young’s shots from downtown, along with an inside game of their own to collect an early 13-9 lead.

In the second quarter, the tide would turn for the hosts, as the defense buckled down even further to help conduct what was an 11-1 run of Friendship/Scio (9-5) to close out the first half, seizing all the momentum to go into the locker room.

The visitors in black and gold turned the tide themselves in a third quarter that featured the Ross siblings — Nevaeh and Morghyn, take charge of the offense, as the two combined to record 15 of the team’s 17 points in the frame, with Nevaeh posting 10 to climb back within reach of Genesee Valley/Belfast going into the fourth quarter with a 17-9 run in total.

But in that last eight minute session, after a back-and-forth exchange and some added pressure from Friendship/Scio, the Genesee Valley/Belfast defense would shake it off and maintain possession of their advantage they held all game long to record the victory.

Leading the way was Abby Sullivan, who posted a team-leading 15 points for Genesee Valley/Belfast. Mary Hamer followed with 11 points of her own, while Sophie Zilligitt had 10.

For Friendship/Scio, Nevaeh Ross finished as the game’s leading scorer with her game-high 19 points. Morghyn Ross finished with 12 points, while Emily Lamberson rounded off the scoring with the team’s final six points. Coming up on Tuesday, Friendship/Scio will head back home to face the Fillmore Lady Eagles in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday in Friendship.

Right after the weekend, Genesee Valley/Belfast will hit the road themselves for a 7 p.m. visit to Warsaw to close out their two-game set with the Lady Tigers on Monday.

Friendship/Scio 9 1 17 10 – 37

Genesee Valley/Belfast 13 11 9 12 – 45

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Emily Lamberson 3 0-2 6, Nevaeh Ross 5 7-8 19, Sophie Bolzan 0 0-2 0, Morghyn Ross 5 1-2 12. Totals: 13 8-14 37.

GV/BELFAST: Abby Sullivan 5 3-6 15, Sophie Zillgitt 4 1-2 10, Whitney Young 2 0-0 5, Mary Hamer 4 3-6 11, Ava Aaronson 1 2-4 4, Jenna Hill 0 0-2 0. Totals: 16 9-20 45.

3-point goals: F/S 3 (N. Ross 2, M. Ross), GVB 4 (Sullivan 2, Zillgitt, Young).
Total Fouls: F/S 18, GVB 18. Fouled out: N. Ross (F/S), Aaronson (GVB).

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

County Playoffs

No. 2 Arkport-Canaseraga 3, No. 7 Friendship/Scio 0

ARKPORT — Right off the bat, the second-seeded Arkport-Canaseraga Wolves wasted no time making their presence known on the court to open their Allegany County Playoff journey Friday night, as they brought out the brooms to record a big straight-set win over visiting No. 7 Friendship/Scio by a 25-11, 25-13, 25-23 count.

The Wolves were led by the efforts of Marcos Gutierrez, who paced the offense with five kills, two aces and a block. Behind him was Curtis Hartman on the attack, scoring four more aces from the back line to couple with his three kills, while Drew Glover had three kills and an ace to round off Arkport-Canaseraga.

Statistics for Friendship-Scio were not made available to report upon publication. The team will finish off their 2023-24 campaign with a record of 2-14 overall.

Arkport-Canaseraga now advances into the Semifinal round of the County Tournament, where they will now host the No. 3 Wellsville Lions in a 6 p.m. first serve, Tuesday night with a chance to go to the Finals hanging in the balance.

No. 1 Allegany-Limestone 3, No. 8 Bolivar-Richburg 0

ALLEGANY — Top-seeded Allegany-Limestone got the job done to open their trek through the Allegany County Playoffs on Friday. After a dominant first set start against No. 8 Bolivar-Richburg, the hammer was brought down, resonating across all three sets of play the Gators needed to lock up the win over the Wolverines in straight-set fashion by a 25-7, 25-16, 25-6 count.

The Gators were paced by Luke Griffin’s 12 aces from the service line, while AJ Riordan attacked and garnered nine kills, while the team’s setter CJ Ellison handed out 20 helpers to his teammates.

Statistics were not made available to report for Bolivar-Richburg, which now concludes their campaign on the court for the 2023-24 season, as they finish up the 2023-24 season with a record of 1-15 overall.

Next up for the No. 1 Gators next week is a visit from either No. 5 Genesee Valley/Belfast or No. 4 Fillmore, who will play Monday night, in the Semifinal round. Date and time for the contest is yet to be determined.