Thursday Basketball: After 1st half defensive battle, Lady Lions break game open with monstrous 2nd half to garner 47-32 win over Fillmore; GV/Belfast ladies, B-R boys lay claim on Senior Night wins

WELLSVILLE — The defenses were on full display across a monstrous battle between two girls basketball heavyweights in Allegany County, Thursday night. With the end of the regular season fast approaching, the time to build a bundle of momentum heading into the most wonderful time of the year, was now.

In the first half, both Fillmore and Wellsville provided an even share of strength behind their full-court press against one another. The baskets were limited, the openings were miniscule. But through it all, the Lady Lions were in the midst of searching for one after picking up steam right before halftime.

Then, the second half. The tide turned completely.

When the third quarter came around, Wellsville provided a massive crack into the ice against the Lady Eagles with a dominant frame on both ends of the floor, with their defense forcing big turnovers to help set up their offense for some enormous shots from the field, setting the tone for the remainder of the game with their big run to turn the power on what was a 47-32 victory — ending Fillmore’s nine-game win streak.

“The big thing was not to get outworked. They have five seniors and Tom (Parks) is a great coach with the fundamentals he teaches his kids,” said Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord. “It seemed like for every steal we got, the points off turnovers came with it. I was really happy with how we came out in the third quarter and we really stressed on the little things that the girls needed to tighten up on. They put up a great fight and we were able to handle them, allowing us to knock down some big shots.”

The full-court pressing came into play right away, with the points coming at a rarity in the first quarter. But the Lady Eagles were the first team to jump ahead first behind stellar passing from Hope Russell on a pair of baskets down low to Preslee Miller for two wide-open finishes. Wellsville (11-6) would counter with a Jaden Dunbar three to claim the lead for a brief moment before Fillmore swayed the momentum back in their favor with the next three points.

The battle would work towards a 7-7 tie before the Lady Eagles (15-2) finished off the frame with a big finish from Russell while under pressure from the Lady Lions defense, banking in a shot under the rim to take the 9-8 lead into the second.

The back-and-forth pace raged on through the second quarter, with the Lady Lions jumping ahead with a narrow lead before building what would wind up as the largest lead of the game at that point. Averee Palmatier was the conductor of the latest offensive rush with five consecutive points — a long triple and a basket underneath off a pass from near mid-court.

The run would ultimately suffice as Wellsville’s turning point going into the second half, where they were able to buckle down and deliver a massive 12-4 run of the Lady Eagles, extending their lead to as large as 20 to finish off the victory.

Leading the scoring for the Lady Lions was Makenna Dunbar, who posted a game-high 19 points. Following behind was Natalie Adams and her 10 points, pairing them with six rebounds, six steals and four assists. Palmatier would finish with nine points to couple along with six rebounds and three steals.

Fillmore was led by Hope Russell’s 12-point performance. Mattie McCumiskey recorded eight points to further the cause, while Preslee Miller had five points. The Lady Eagles are back on the road tonight with a 7:30 p.m. visit to Bolivar-Richburg.

The Lady Lions will return to action Saturday afternoon back in the Lion’s Den with a 2:30 p.m. visit from Penfield.

Fillmore 9 9 4 10 – 32

Wellsville 8 15 12 12 – 47

FILLMORE: Hope Russell 6 0-2 12, Grace Russell 0 1-2 1, Amelia Rose 1 2-2 4, Mattie McCumiskey 4 0-0 8, Emalyn Mucher 1 0-0 2, Preslee Miller 2 1-2 5. Totals: 14 4-8 32.
WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 2 2-4 6, Natalie Adams 4 0-0 10, Averee Palmatier 3 2-2 9, Makenna Dunbar 7 4-5 19, Jaden Dunbar 1 0-0 3. Totals: 17 8-11 47.
3-point goals: Wellsville 5 (Adams 2, Palmatier, M. Dunbar, J. Dunbar).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 12, Wellsville 10. Fouled out: None.

Lima Christian 59, Friendship/Scio 37

LIMA — A pair of rampant starts for the Lima Christian Lady Saints paid a multitude of dividends as time went on Thursday night, as they built a first half lead to control going into the break, and pushed it out permanently when they returned in time for the third quarter, never looking back in the rearview mirror against Friendship/Scio to claim a 59-37 home victory.

Right off the hop in the first eight minutes, the Lady Saints worked their way free from Friendship/Scio (9-7) with an eight point advantage before both attacks on the hardwood cooled off to close out the opening half. Despite it, the hosts in white and blue were able to keep their lead firmly intact by a 26-15 count going into the locker room.

With Friendship/Scio looking to turn the tide in the second half, Lima Christian had other plans in store with a running of the table in the third quarter, as they pushed their 11-point advantage out of reach behind a massive 20-6 run, giving them all the room they needed to lay claim on the victory.

Despite the defeat, Friendship/Scio witnessed Nevaeh Ross lead the way with 17 team-leading points to pair with 10 rebounds, completing a double-double. Morghyn Ross chipped in with six points to go with nine rebounds, while Sophie Bolzan had five points.

The two foes will collide once more this weekend, this time in Scio, as they square off in their second and final battle of the season beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Friendship/Scio 9 6 6 16 – 37

Lima Christian 17 9 20 13 – 59

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Grace Drumm 2 0-0 4, Emily Lamberson 0 1-2 1, Nevaeh Ross 7 2-2 17, Hunter Hint 1 0-0 2, Avery Lamberson 1 0-0 2, Sophie Bolzan 2 1-6 5, Morghyn Ross 3 0-0 6. Totals: 16 4-10 37.

LIMA CHRISTIAN: Brielle Hammond 1 0-0 3, Alyssa Marsh 11 5-5 27, Sophy Britton 2 0-0 5, Abby Britton 3 0-0 6, Lily Herring 6 2-2 16, Abby Dils 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 7-7 59.

3-point goals: F/S 1 (N. Ross), LC 3 (Herring 2, Hammond).
Total Fouls: F/S 13, LC 16. Fouled out: A. Britton (LC).

Genesee Valley/Belfast 61, Bolivar-Richburg 26

BELFAST — Senior Night can serve as one of those occasions where it gives you that extra boost of juice to start out the night.

For the Genesee Valley/Belfast ladies on Thursday, that was exactly the case across the first half of play against visiting Bolivar-Richburg, as they started out hot and continued to lay more bricks down onto the foundation to construct a 61-26 victory — their seventh in the last eight games, over the Lady Wolverines.

“This group has shown a lot of resilience lately and I’m really proud of them,” GV/Belfast coach Raegan Ryan said. “It’s always nice to win on Senior Night. I give the team a lot of credit for their effort and execution tonight. They came out with a lot of energy, they were looking for the extra pass and they took a big step forward on defense. Ava (Aaronson) had a great game tonight too. She tracked down a lot of boards and converted a good amount of them into some big points.”

A pair of 17-point quarters allowed Genesee Valley/Belfast (15-4) to set up shop straight out of the gate against the Lady Wolverines, beginning in the first when the tag-team duo of Abby Sullivan and Mary Hamer aided in propelling the offense towards a strong start, combining for 13 of the team’s points in the midst of what was an 17-8 lead.

In the second quarter, their lead grew insurmountably after five different scorers all helped further the cause on the attack while the defense held Bolivar-Richburg (4-11) to just a pair of points in the stanza, laying claim to a 34-10 lead at the break that they never looked back on.

Sullivan was Genesee Valley/Belfast’s leading scorer at the end of the night, as she posted a game-high 19 points to close out her final regular season game on her home court in style. Behind her was Ava Aaronson, who had 16 points of her own to chip in, while Mary Hamer scored 11 points.

“I want to thank our seniors Mary, Abby, Morgan (Bentley) and Kendra (Bigelow) for their dedication and commitment to this program. They’ve been really solid examples for our underclassmen and their impact they have made will be long-lasting.” Ryan said.

The Lady Wolverines were led by Caitlyn Steiner and her team-high nine points. Bolivar-Richburg is back on their home floor in quick turnaround fashion tonight with a 7:30 p.m. visit from Fillmore.

Up next, Genesee Valley/Belfast will close out their regular season slate with a 6 p.m. road trip to Cuba-Rushford.

Bolivar-Richburg 8 2 9 7 – 26

Genesee Valley/Belfast 17 17 8 19 – 61

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 0 0-2 0, Raegan Giardini 2 3-4 7, Sydney Faulkner 1 0-2 2, Rylee Whiting 1 2-4 4, Carmen Crowley 1 0-4 2, Caitlyn Steiner 4 1-2 9. Totals: 9 6-18 26.

GV/BELFAST: Abby Sullivan 7 2-2 19, Sophie Zillgitt 1 0-0 2, Kendra Bigelow 1 0-0 2, Morgan Bentley 1 0-0 2, Whitney Young 2 0-0 5, Mary Hamer 4 3-4 11, Ava Aaronson 8 0-2 16, Jenna Hill 2 0-0 4. Totals: 26 5-8 61.

3-point goals: GVB 4 (Sullivan 3, Young).
Total Fouls: B-R 11, GVB 15. Fouled out: None.

Steuben County Tourney: Canisteo-Greenwood 48, Jasper-Troupsburg 34

AVOCA — All the Lady Chargers of Canisteo-Greenwood would need was the first five minutes of the game to make their presence known immediately to Jasper-Troupsburg, as they saw the combination of Bailey Mullen and Paris May work magic for the offense to earn a spot in next week’s Steuben County Championship game with a 48-34 win over the Lady Wildcats in Avoca.

Right away, the Lady Chargers (11-8) put the hammer down in the first eight minutes of play by assembling a heavy 20-point quarter, aided by May and Mullen’s electric efforts that saw them combine for 14 of the team's points. Because of the breakout quarter, the tone was set, as they added more damage along the way to further solidify the advantage, including a trio of triples from May in the third quarter.

May would finish as Canisteo-Greenwood’s leading scorer, as the seventh grader recorded a game-high 21 points, pairing them with nine boards. Following behind for the Lady Chargers was Mullen and her 19-point effort, along with seven steals, while McKenna Ferris had four. On special teams, Harlie McCaffery grabbed eight additional rebounds off the glass, while Peyton Peters contributed five more steals.

Jasper-Troupsburg was paced by Lauren Ross and her three triples from outside, for nine team-high points.

Coming up Tuesday night, the Lady Chargers will take their place in the Steuben County Championship, where they will face Avoca-Prattsburgh for the crown.

Canisteo-Greenwood 20 5 14 9 – 48

Jasper-Troupsburg 5 6 11 12 – 34

CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 0 1-2 1, Bailey Mullen 8 1-6 19, McKenna Ferris 2 0-0 4, Paris May 7 3-4 21, Peyton Peters 1 0-2 3. Totals: 18 5-14 48.

JASPER-TROUPSBURG: Kahley Stuart 2 2-2 6, Madison Cady 2 4-8 8, Lauren Ross 3 0-0 9, Natalie Cornell 4 0-1 8, Reagan Miles 1 1-2 3. Totals: 12 7-13 34.

3-point goals: C-G 6 (May 4, Mullen 2), J-T 3 (Ross).
Total Fouls: C-G 13, J-T 16. Fouled out: None.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Bolivar-Richburg 90, Hinsdale 37

BOLIVAR — After a close first quarter battle, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg advanced into maximum overdrive from the second quarter on against visiting Hinsdale, as they assembled three straight quarters consisting of at least 20 points to generate a strong Senior Night send-off for all seven of their leaders in what was a 90-37 home win on Thursday.

“This is a great group of kids, and once we put things together in the second quarter, it turned into a great send-off for the Seniors,” said Wolverines coach Justin Thomas. “They put in the extra work on Sundays, the summer leagues, the early morning shoot-arounds. They're incredible human beings that really want to work on their craft, and they make my job a lot easier because of that. That's what it's all about, and they demonstrate that game in and game out. I am sure as heck that I will miss them.”

Bolivar-Richburg (13-5) cranked the offense into high gear after engaging in an early high-stakes battle with Hinsdale across the opening quarter, which saw the Bobcats claim a one-point at its conclusion. In the second, the Wolverines would then go on to set the tone with the first of back-to-back 26-point quarters that would permit them to remain in front for good.

The hosts in white and black saw three different scorers reach the double-digit plateau, with Aydin Sisson leading the charge with his game-high 24 points, pairing them with four rebounds, four steals and four assists. Landon Barkley chipped in with 18 points of his own, while David Abdo had a career-high 16 points to pair with six rebounds. On special teams, Reiss Gaines chipped in with five assists and Waide Karnuth scored eight boards.

Hinsdale (4-7) was led by Tyler Richards and his team-leading 19 points. Henry Schwartz chipped in with 14 of his own for the Bobcats, who will now hit the road for a visit to Friendship on Tuesday, visiting Friendship/Scio at 6 p.m.

The Wolverines are back on the road themselves with a quick turnaround tonight in Belfast, as they battle Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Hinsdale 17 10 8 2 – 37

Bolivar-Richburg 16 26 26 22 – 90

HINSDALE: Henry Schwartz 6 0-0 14, Cody Barton 2 0-0 4, Hunter Olver 0 0-2 0, Tyler Richards 6 6-6 19. Totals: 14 6-8 37.

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 9 4-5 24, Landon Barkley 6 4-4 18, David Abdo 7 0-0 16, Caleb Miller 1 0-0 2, Waide Karnuth 2 0-0 4, Trevor Pforter 2 0-1 5, Caden Giardini 1 0-0 3, Reiss Gaines 4 0-3 9, James Margeson 1 0-0 2, Kingston Loucks 2 0-0 5. Totals: 35 8-13 90.

3-point goals: Hinsdale 3 (Schwartz 2, Richards), B-R 12 (Barkley 4, Sisson 2, Abdo 2, Pforter, Giardini, Gaines, Loucks).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 9, B-R 6. Fouled out: None.