Thursday Basketball: Rebels split season series with B-R behind 2nd half turnaround on Heart Disease Awareness Night; Fillmore boys downed in tight State-ranked battle with Class C power Geneseo

CUBA — Right after Christmas, at the annual Scio Christmas Tournament, the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford were preparing to take the floor for warm-ups. Before that, head coach Pat Wight was pulled aside to take a glimpse at something his team was going to wear onto the court. Something that only he had seen at that point.

It was a shirt. But it wasn’t just a shirt. It was a red one. On the front, it read “Cuba-Rushford Basketball”. Displayed on the back, a Heart Disease Awareness ribbon. Something that captured, and put a tear in his eye.

The very next time they would see that color was inside their own gym on Thursday in a night dedicated for that sole focus — Heart Disease Awareness Night against their rival, Bolivar-Richburg.

Before the game, the school’s Athletic Director, Chris Cappelletti gave a formal and warm welcome back to Wight in front of a packed Wighthouse, receiving a loud round of applause from many in attendance, after missing the team’s first 11 games of the season due to a medical emergency, one that had kept him away from the sidelines until his official return to coaching back on January 13.

To see that bright red color resonate all across the gym from many fans within the Cuba-Rushford family in the stands, to his own players wearing them on the bench, even his fellow coaches, Wight said it was a very special night filled with tons of support for someone who didn’t really know at first, how much he had meant to the Cuba and Rushford communities, as well as the surrounding areas in between.

That someone was himself.

“I thought about it all day. It makes you realize that no matter what goes on in life, this is just a game. I came in here tonight wanting to enjoy the night, watch these kids play, and then win or lose, tip your hat to the opponent and then tomorrow’s another day,” he said. “There are bigger things in life aside from basketball and a game, especially at the high school level. I have to shout out my wife Elise, Robby (Wight), Coach (Bryce) Ryan, Mr. (Chris) Cappelletti for putting this on tonight. It was a cool thing to see all that support,

Wight continued on the evening, noting that “Not a lot of people get to see how much they mean to people when they’re gone, and I kind of got a dose of that. With the outcry of support that I’ve gotten, I mean so much to everyone from the school, to the community itself and even neighboring schools. It’s very humbling to say the least.”

The atmosphere from within the Wighthouse was electric right from the start. Although the Rebels found themselves in a halftime hole after an early lead became a back-and-forth battle with the Wolverines, the second half would provide a whole new perspective on the game.

It would start with the defense.

The Rebels re-entered onto the playing surface with a new look, one that would throw Bolivar-Richburg off-kilter in the third quarter, as they held the Wolverines to just six points to pull ahead, as Jacob Smith and Finn Ricketts took control of the team’s offense to feed off the defensive success to record a split in the season series with a 57-49 win.

“I would say a little turnaround from the third quarter on Monday to tonight really helped,” Wight said. “We flipped the script with that third quarter, and it was huge. I have to give credit to our defense first and foremost. We went straight man in the first half, and then we switched it to a 3-2 to key on their shooters. My brother Rob put that in while he was coaching. They really showed out, and we held our own despite being worrisome at times with their size underneath. We had 13 offensive rebounds in the first half, which was unbelievable.”

The Rebels (14-3) came out swinging with their biggest frame of battle led by a Braeden Wight three, which then saw an avalanche of points between the two foes rain down, leading towards an early 9-9 tie. Cuba-Rushford would find another narrow opening against Bolivar-Richburg to escape away towards a 6-0 run off some key turnovers forced on defense.

Bolivar-Richburg (13-3) would follow with a strong quarter of their own in the second, overtaking the Rebels with a 20-10 run to close out the half. Fronting the efforts was Aydin Sisson, who helped lead the charge with a 21-21 game-tying basket, as the team went on to score nine of the first 12 points of the frame, taking a 32-28 lead at the break.

Upon their re-entry onto the floor, the hosts in white made a change. And it was one that was of game-changing magnitude — their defense.

Shifting from strictly man-to-man coverage into a 3-2, the Rebels held down the fort with an outstanding third quarter run — a 17-6 jaunt in all, ignited by Jack Frank, who recorded a solid pass inside to Luke Brooks down low before converting a massive three-point play at the stripe on the next possession. As a result, Cuba-Rushford’s lead would grow even further, to seven entering the fourth quarter.

As the Wolverines were attempting one final effort to cut their deficit down, the Rebels continued to respond to every basket in return, with the majority of them being delivered by Smith. The Rebels senior led all scorers on the floor with a game-high 26 points, 16 of them being in the last 16 minute session, as they kept their lead intact to even the season series down the middle at the end of the night.

“There was a time where I had thought this might get away from us. I felt like in the fourth quarter, we started to move it really well after executing some zone sets,” said Wight. “Their press gave us trouble, but we sprinted down the sidelines and attacked the middle. Jake (Smith) was unbelievable in the second half with some tough finishes, and I can’t say enough about Jack as well. He doesn’t score a lot, but he does all the little things right. He’s a huge piece of what we do offensively.”

Following behind Smith, was Finn Ricketts and his 10 points. Luke Brooks concluded with eight points.

For Bolivar-Richburg, Aydin Sisson fronted the attack with his team-leading 20-point performance. Evan Pinney sank three triples on his way towards 11 points, while David Baldwin had seven points.

“Bolivar's done a great job with JT (Justin Thomas) looking after them his first year. I know what that's like being a first year, and it's hard to win guys over, to put your stuff in place,” said Wight. “I'd be a fool if I didn't mention Aydin Sisson. He averaged 25 points between our two games this year. He's going to be really, really good the next two years for his program.”

Both teams will have a quick turnaround tonight in a pair of 7:30 p.m. tip-offs on the road, with Cuba-Rushford paying a visit to Hinsdale, while Bolivar-Richburg heads to Houghton Academy.

Bolivar-Richburg 12 20 6 11 – 49

Cuba-Rushford 18 10 17 12 – 57

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 9 1-2 20, Reiss Gaines 1 0-0 2, David Abdo 1 0-0 2, Trevor Pforter 1 0-0 2, David Baldwin 3 1-2 7, Evan Pinney 3 2-2 11, James Margeson 2 0-2 5. Totals: 20 4-8 49.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Braeden Wight 2 0-0 6, Jacob Smith 12 0-0 26, Luke Brooks 4 0-0 8, Jack Frank 2 2-3 6, Finn Ricketts 5 0-0 10, Peyton Joy 0 1-2 1. Totals: 25 3-5 57.

3-point goals: B-R 5 (Pinney 3, Sisson, Margeson), C-R 4 (Wight 2, Smith 2).
Total Fouls: B-R 11, C-R 10. Fouled out: None.

Geneseo 77, Fillmore 65

GAINESVILLE — In a tough, State-ranked battle up north at Letchworth, the Eagles of Fillmore gave Class C power Geneseo everything they could handle on both ends of the floor.

After a scoreless run ended the first half in favor of the Blue Devils, the Eagles fought their way back with a 25-point third quarter to try and close the gap down heading down the home stretch. Getting as close as three points to their opposition, Fillmore was denied a chance to springboard over the top, as Geneseo closed out on the most positive of notes with a hard-fought 77-65 win on Thursday.

“I couldn’t be more proud of how we played tonight. Geneseo has size and athleticism, but we didn’t flinch,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “We finally put a complete game together from start to finish. It wasn’t perfect, but our effort and focus were phenomenal. Mitch (Ward) really set the tone for us tonight on both ends. He brought the leadership I expected from him. Brent (Zubikowski) was great as well. We still need to clean up a few things defensively, but tonight is a game that we can most certainly build on.”

Geneseo’s waves of momentum stemmed from an opening period where they survived a back-and-forth duel with Fillmore (10-5) — one that the Eagles were able to overcome an early 6-0 lead by recording the next seven points in a row to take the advantage away briefly. With the Blue Devils carrying a 16-12 lead into the second, it was time to build more.

With another close battle taking up most of the second quarter’s time, the team in white and blue found their wavelength to travel on to provide a big boost going into the break. Up 26-23 on the Eagles, Geneseo went on to score the next 11 points in a row to claim a 37-23 lead at the break.

The swing would continue into the third quarter, where the Eagles posted eight of the next 11 points behind the efforts of Mitch Ward, Brent Zubikowski and Luke Colombo in the last three minutes of play to help trim their deficit down to the smallest margin of the game — three points, going into the fourth quarter.

From the beginning to the end of the fourth quarter, every Fillmore answer that was given, Geneseo quickly countered with a response of their own in return each time, as the Blue Devils maintained their double-digit cushion with some clutch free throws — a 13-for-18 outing at the line to put the game away for good.

Despite the defeat to the Blue Devils, Fillmore saw four different scorers record double digits in the scorebook, with Ward pacing the offense with his game-high 20 points. Zach Sisson had another excellent night from the field, adding in 19 points of his own, while Luke Colombo and Brent Zubikowski followed behind with 11, and 10 points respectively.

The Eagles will soar once again on tonight with a quick turnaround back over the road, looking to rebound with a 7:30 p.m. visit to Friendship/Scio, in Friendship.

Fillmore 12 11 25 17 – 65

Geneseo 16 21 18 22 – 77

FILLMORE: Brent Zubikowski 4 1-2 10, Jair Bialek 2 0-0 5, Luke Colombo 3 2-2 11, Mitch Ward 7 6-9 20, Zach Sisson 8 0-2 19. Totals: 24 9-15 65.
GENESEO: Kellen O'Brien 2 4-4 10, Lyndon Bailey 1 1-2 4, Ethan Bennett 8 6-9 23, Ryan Whitney 8 2-5 21, Oren Ray 1 0-0 2, Eghosa Okpefe 6 5-9 17. Totals: 26 18-29 77.

3-point goals: Fillmore 8 (Colombo 3, Sisson 3, Zubikowski, Bialek), Geneseo 7 (Whitney 3, O'Brien 2, Bailey, Bennett).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 18, Geneseo 13. Fouled out: Zubikowski (FIL).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Andover/Whitesville 49, Genesee Valley/Belfast 31

BELFAST — Vanessa Hall simply did not miss a beat, Thursday night in Belfast.

The Andover/Whitesville senior was everywhere on the floor all game long. Inside, outside, the free throw line, you name it. Hall was there hammering it down from all angles, including a monster third quarter that saw them break away from host Genesee Valley/Belfast, as the team scored a big 49-31 win.

Both foes would start the evening strong with a back-and-forth battle that saw Andover/Whitesville (12-4) spring on top first with the early lead. The defense would then begin to settle in for the second quarter, when the visitors in black held Genesee Valley/Belfast to just three points from the field to close out the first half with a nine-point lead.

In the second half, the table was run, as Andover/Whitesville posted a 21-point frame paced by Hall, who recorded some big special teams assistance with a 9-for-10 outing at the charity stripe in the third quarter — a 21-10 run of Genesee Valley/Belfast (10-8) in all.

Hall would finish with a game-high 34 points at the end of the night.

“The effort from the girls tonight was really good,” Andover/Whitesville co-coach Aaron Rawady said. “GV/Belfast is a tough team. They made us really have to work hard to get stops on defense, and to get anything working offensively. There are definitely some things we need to keep working on, but we are happy with the result tonight.”

Finishing behind Hall was Kennedy Bledsoe, who tallied 11 points. Zoe Baert had four points.

On the other side, Abby Sullivan drained four of Genesee Valley/Belfast’s six triples to put toward a team-high 14 points. Mary Hamer finished with eight points, while Anna Drozdowski had six. The team will return to action next Friday night with a 7:30 p.m. visit to Bolivar-Richburg.

Andover/Whitesville heads back home to welcome in the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford for a visit in Andover, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Andover/Whitesville 10 9 21 9 – 49

Genesee Valley/Belfast 7 3 10 11 – 31

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Vanessa Hall 9 11-12 34, Gabby Terhune 0 0-2 0, Zoe Baert 2 0-0 4, Kennedy Bledsoe 3 5-6 11. Totals: 14 16-20 49.
GV/BELFAST: Anna Drozdowski 3 0-2 6, Abby Sullivan 5 0-0 14, Adison Grusendorf 0 3-4 3, Mary Hamer 3 0-0 8, Kate Calanni 0 0-2 0. Totals: 11 3-8 31.

3-point goals: A/W 5 (Hall), GVB 6 (Sullivan 4, Hamer 2).
Total Fouls: A/W 7, GVB 15. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 33, Jasper-Troupsburg 24

GREENWOOD — The Lady Eagles of Fillmore were tasked with a difficult assignment against host Jasper-Troupsburg on Thursday, but through it all, they would come out on top behind another brilliant game led by Hope Russell on the attack, as Fillmore spoiled the Lady Wildcats and their Senior Night celebration with a 33-24 road win in Greenwood.

Fillmore (11-5) would outscore Jasper-Troupsburg across the first three quarters of play, including a strong finish to the first half and an even stronger start to the second half with a pair of 10-point quarters — frames that would ultimately give them enough wiggle room to remain one step ahead of the Lady Wildcats.

The Lady Eagles couldn’t have picked up the victory without the guidance of Hope Russell, who continues to shine on the attack with a game-high 18 points. Mattie McCumiskey pitched in with eight points, while Grace Russell and Rachel Hatch rounded off with five and two points, respectively.

Up next is a 7:30 p.m. tip-off back home in The Rock for the Lady Eagles, as they welcome in the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg on Monday.

Fillmore 9 11 10 3 – 33

Jasper-Troupsburg 4 8 8 4 – 24

FILLMORE: Hope Russell 8 0-0 18, Grace Russell 0 5-8 5, Rachel Hatch 1 0-0 2, Mattie McCumiskey 4 0-0 8. Totals: 13 5-8 33.
JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Madison Cady 3 0-0 6, Lauren Ross 3 0-0 6, Natalie Cornell 1 2-2 4, Kelli White 1 0-0 2, Reagan Miles 3 0-0 6. Totals: 11 2-2 24.

3-point goals: Fillmore 2 (H. Russell).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 3, J-T 11. Fouled out: None.

Cuba-Rushford 54, Hinsdale 27

HINSDALE — Nearly every single Lady Rebel found their way onto the scoresheet with at least a two-point basket on Thursday, as they propelled their way towards victory behind a powerful second quarter run to record a 54-27 triumphant doubling up of the host Hinsdale Lady Bobcats to claim their fourth win in the last five games.

The Lady Rebels (9-7) built a strong amount of momentum to use against Hinsdale after trading back-and-forth baskets through the first three minutes. Later on, the visitors would find their rhythm and begin to hit all strides on offense with eight consecutive points to close out the first, creating a big offensive shift to carry into the second quarter.

In it, Cuba-Rushford garnered all the room they would need to pull away from Hinsdale’s (0-17) reach with a massive 18-1 first half-ending run.

Taylor Searle was a big reason behind the Lady Rebels successful offensive spurt, bucketing a game-high 24 points. Kendall Tompkins added in eight points, while Cloey Larabee and Brynn Lavery each had seven points.

The Lady Bobcats were led by Jaylee Jimerson and her team-high nine points. Hinsdale will travel to Houghton Academy for a 5 p.m. contest.

Up next is a trip to Wellsville on Saturday for Cuba-Rushford, as they get set to square off with the host Lady Lions in a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Cuba-Rushford 11 18 17 8 – 54

Hinsdale 5 1 12 9 – 27

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Cloey Larabee 3 0-0 7, Kendall Tompkins 3 2-2 8, Shae Maples 1 0-2 2, Emma Retz 1 0-0 2, Brynn Lavery 3 0-0 7, Aleah Demick 1 0-0 2, Taylor Searle 9 5-10 24, Raegan Poore 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 7-14 54.
HINSDALE: Hannah Sutton 3 1-2 7, Alexa Saunders 1 0-0 2, Jaylee Jimerson 4 1-2 9, Mikayla Miller 0 1-2 1, Sarah Tuttle 2 0-0 4, Felisha Veno 2 0-0 4. Totals: 12 3-6 27.

3-point goals: C-R 3 (Larabee, Lavery, Searle).
Total Fouls: C-R 7, Hinsdale 13. Fouled out: None.