Thursday Basketball: Devoe, Putnam assist defending State Champion Titans in dominant road trip to Wellsville; B-R boys handle GV/Belfast behind Sisson, Pinney tag-team on Senior Night

WELLSVILLE — The Avoca/Prattsburgh Titans are as legitimate as they come. Since their loss to another one of Section V’s powerhouses in Lyons back in early January, the defending Class D State Champions have begun carving another path of fury and dominance towards Sectionals.

Claiming wins in their last eight games leading up to Thursday night’s road trip to Wellsville, one thing remained true about the Titans.

There was no slowing them down.

Avoca/Prattsburgh’s presence was immediately felt right from the opening tip. Although it took just an early portion of time to get the pistons firing, the Titans would not let up from the gas pedal soon after, as they went on to score 11 straight points in the midst of what was a 20-2 run of Wellsville in the first quarter, setting the tone on what was a powerful 85-38 road win in the Lion’s Den.

“Avoca/Prattsburgh plays an admirable style of basketball,” said Lions coach Tom Muska. “Not just the speed and scoring, which is fun to watch, but the selfless nature of their team as a whole, which as a coach is even better to see. They deserved their flowers today.”

The quick pace settled in right away for Avoca/Prattsburgh, as they started to open up the Wellsville (10-8) defense with an 11-0 run that was syphoned off their defensive pressure against the Lions on the other end of the floor. The run would end with Cody Costello netting the host’s first and only basket of the frame with 3:13 left in the quarter, but despite it, the Titans rattled off another scoreless run to close out the frame, ending with the last nine points in a row.

Wellsville would shake off the first quarter however and rebound with a 15-point second frame to close out the first half, with Costello and Asher Billings coming together to provide the next pair of strikes from downtown in the first three minutes. But just as quick as the baskets went down, the Titans raced down the floor and provided the responses for each of them to keep their lead intact.

The Lions would get to within eight of Avoca/Prattsburgh at one point, but that would be as close as they could reach, as the double digit lead was maintained by the Titans for the remainder of the game.

Leading Wellsville on the floor was Logan Dunbar, who recorded 18 team-high points. Costello pitched in with 12 points, while JJ Howard finished with five.

On the other side, Avoca/Prattsburgh saw four different scorers crack double figures, including Sawyer Devoe and Macoy Putnam, as they each tallied 26 game-high points, with Devoe pairing 16 rebounds to complete his double-double, while Putnam handed out 15 assists to earn a double-double himself.

The Lions are back in action after the weekend, as they close out their regular season with two more home battles on back-to-back nights, hosting New Life Christian at 6 p.m. on Tuesday before welcoming a monster matchup against Allegany-Limestone the next night, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Avoca/Prattsburgh 20 17 28 20 – 85

Wellsville 2 15 12 9 – 38

AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH: Sawyer Devoe 12 2-2 26, Evan Campbell 4 1-1 10, Macoy Putnam 10 4-6 26, Haden Abbott 7 0-0 15, Jamel Crowder 0 2-4 2, Connor Hammond 1 0-0 2, Dayton Putman 1 0-0 2, Collin Hammond 1 0-0 2. Totals: 36 9-13 85.
WELLSVILLE: Cody Costello 5 0-0 12, Asher Billings 1 0-0 3, Logan Dunbar 6 6-9 18, JJ Howard 1 3-6 5. Totals: 13 9-15 38.
3-point goals: A/P 4 (Putnam 2, Campbell, Abbott), Wellsville 3 (Costello 2, Billings).
Total Fouls: A/P 14, Wellsville 11. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 65, Genesee Valley/Belfast 46

BOLIVAR — It was the Aydin Sisson and Evan Pinney show all night long for the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg, Thursday evening.

The two sharpshooters from long range made a ton of noise against visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast, as the two combined for 10 of the team’s 11 three-pointers to help set a first half tone that couldn’t be matched to give their pair of seniors the sendoff they deserved in a 65-46 home win on Senior Night.

“Aydin and Evan shooting the ball tonight, it was really nice to see those two come together,” Wolverines coach Justin Thomas said. “Lintz (Bliven) had his boys playing hard and they were ready to go. They shot the ball well to keep pace right with us. We certainly didn’t have an easy night, but we put ourselves in a great position after the second quarter to coast on. It was a nice team win in general, where we featured Evan and David (Baldwin) on Senior Night.”

The Wolverines (16-3) would run rampant through the first four minutes of the bout, finding the rhythm and hitting every stride with an early 14-2 jaunt of Genesee Valley/Belfast. But it was also a run that the visitors in black were able to shake off in the back half of time remaining in the frame, as they put the pedal down on nine of the last 11 points after Bolivar-Richburg extended their lead out to 18-5 with three minutes remaining.

With Genesee Valley/Belfast (6-12) now within reach, the Wolverines would not allow them to maintain their quarter-ending momentum, as they posted a 21-point big finish to the first half to branch out a lead that the visitors cut down to as little as four, out to 16 at the break. They would use it to coast through the remainder of time, on their way towards a Senior Night victory for their two lone seniors — Evan Pinney and David Baldwin.

Thomas says that the contributions his two leaders have provided, have been unmatched.

“They are certainly the guys that have been those nose-to-the-grindstone leaders since day one,” he said. “We came in with not much Varsity experience, but with a bright basketball background. A lot of guys were able to get their first taste of this, this year, and David and Evan helped lead them by example. They’re great teammates overall that really know how to encourage the other guys to really get motivated, game in and game out. There’s still work left to do before Sectionals, but we will definitely miss what they bring to the table next year.”

Leading the Wolverines was Aydin Sisson and Evan Pinney, as they two were red hot from downtown all night long, combining for 10 of the team’s 11 triples to set the tone from outside. Sisson led all scorers with a game-high 24 points, while Pinney followed with 21 himself, pairing them with five steals. Landon Barkley chipped in with eight points, while David Baldwin added some special teams help with eight rebounds and seven steals. Reiss Gaines handed out six helpers.

For Genesee Valley/Belfast, Ian McKenzie knocked down four of the team’s eight triples from outside to put towards a team-high 16-point performance. Kadin Logue furthered the efforts with 11 points, himself, while Thai Norasethaporn and Fisher Herdman each had four points. The team will return home to Belfast to welcome in Honeoye for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Monday.

Bolivar-Richburg is now off until Wednesday night for their regular season finale, in a game that will officially determine the future of this year’s Allegany County Championship, as they prepare to welcome in the Fillmore Eagles for a 7:30 p.m. battle.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 14 11 8 13 – 46

Bolivar-Richburg 20 21 9 15 – 65

GV/BELFAST: Brayden Cooper 1 0-0 2, Kadin Logue 4 1-2 11, Owen Heaney 1 0-0 3, Kyle McCumiskey 0 0-2 0, Ian McKenzie 6 0-0 16, Max Wedge 1 0-0 2, Jacob Borden 1 0-0 2, Thai Norasethaporn 1 1-2 4, Fisher Herdman 2 0-0 4, Ryan Daciw 1 0-2 2. Totals: 18 2-8 46.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 9 1-4 24, Landon Barkley 2 3-4 8, Reiss Gaines 0 2-4 2, David Abdo 0 0-1 0, Trevor Pforter 1 0-0 2, David Baldwin 3 1-2 7, Evan Pinney 8 0-0 21, James Margeson 0 1-2 1. Totals: 23 8-17 65.

3-point goals: GVB 8 (McKenzie 4, Logue 2, Heaney, Norasethaporn), B-R 11 (Pinney 5, Sisson 5, Barkley).
Total Fouls: GVB 14, B-R 5. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Steuben County Tourney Semifinals

Canisteo-Greenwood 57, Avoca/Prattsburgh 28

ADDISON — First half defense was the name of the game for the Lady Redskins of Canisteo-Greenwood, as they held Avoca/Prattsburgh to just nine points across the span while the offense syphoned the energy from it to record spectacular offense of their own, advancing to the Steuben County Finals with a 57-28 win on Thursday in Addison.

Canisteo-Greenwood (19-0) dominated the floor from every angle inside, as the offense fed off their defensive effort on Avoca/Prattsburgh’s side. One that nearly kept the Lady Titans at a complete first quarter standstill in what was a 15-2 run to set up shop.

The hammer would be brought down later on with another fast and furious run amidst the early stages of the second quarter, as the Lady Redskins accounted for seven of the first nine points to continue distancing their lead for good, ensuring their spot in Tuesday’s Finals.

Behind the efforts, Lillian Mullen was outstanding with 24 game-high points, pairing them with 11 steals to complete a double-double performance. Brooke Burd chipped in with 11 points to go along with six rebounds, while Peyton Peters had seven points. Bailey Mullen grabbed five additional rebounds off the glass to further the special teams cause.

The Lady Redskins can eclipse the 20-win mark on Tuesday in the Steuben County Championship game, as they face the Addison Lady Knights in a 7:15 p.m. tip-off — their final game of the regular season.

Avoca/Prattsburgh 2 7 11 8 – 28

Canisteo-Greenwood 15 16 20 6 – 57

AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH: Madison Taylor 0 0-2 0, D'Mariannah Hinson-Pike 1 0-0 2, Breanna Jorritsma 1 0-0 2, Diane Hakes 1 0-0 2, Emma Carlton 0 1-2 1, Makena Schlesing 1 1-3 3, Kamryn Edwards 6 2-4 14, Marissa Reid 1 0-0 2, Kendra Gay 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 4-11 28.
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Bailey Mullen 2 2-4 6, Hailey Davis 1 0-0 2, Kennedy Richardson 1 0-0 2, Lillian Mullen 10 3-3 24, Peyton Peters 3 1-2 7, Brooke Burd 4 3-4 11, McKenna Ferris 1 0-0 3, Sara Coddington 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 9-13 57.

3-point goals: C-G 2 (L. Mullen, Ferris).
Total Fouls: A/P 14, C-G 13. Fouled out: None.