Thursday Roundup: Alfred-Almond escapes Lady Jays with 35-31 home win; Lady Lions squeeze out two-point victory at Warsaw for 4th win in five games

Whitesville freshman Vanessa Hall, middle, drives her way to the basket against the Alfred-Almond defense during Thursday night’s road contest in Almond. [Photo courtesy of Steve Harrison]

Whitesville sophomore Rachel Jackson (5) is fouled on her way to the basket by the Alfred-Almond defense during Thursday night’s road contest in Almond. [Photo courtesy of Steve Harrison]

ALMOND — For throughout the majority of the first half, it was a bit of a slow go between both the Whitesville and Alfred-Almond ladies squads, Thursday night. The Lady Blue Jays despite that, were able to gain traction on a five-point upper hand when the game reached the break point.

But in the second half, the host Lady Eagles managed to make every last point up they could by outscoring the opposition with a pair of 11-point quarters, including a near doubling-up of the Lady Jays in the final eight period to complete the comeback with a 35-31 home victory.

Straight away, Vanessa Hall made her presence known for Whitesville (12-4), as she posted a pair of her four three-pointers inside the team’s 11-5 first quarter run to put them ahead. Altogether, the Lady Jays freshman accounted for 11 of the team’s 18 first half points to settle on an 18-13 lead of Alfred-Almond at the break.

On the flip side, it was the Lady Eagles turn to do some running in the second half, as they started the frame with a mere edging of Whitesville before overtaking their lead for good with an 11-5 flip-flopping run of their own to close out the game. One of the team’s x-factors in Avery Libordi, played a big role in conjuring the comeback, netting 10 of Alfred-Almond’s 22 second half points to pave the way.

Hall finished the night for Whitesville with a game-high 17 points. Behind her, Kennedy Bledsoe and Serina Button each had four points to add, while Rachel Jackson and Kate Pensyl rounded off the three-point department with one of their own, respectively.

The Lady Jays have a quick turnaround this evening back on the road, as they prepare for a 6 p.m. visit against the Scio Lady Tigers.

Whitesville            11  7 8 5 – 31

Alfred-Almond       5  8 11 11 – 35

WHITESVILLE: Kennedy Bledsoe 1 2-2 4, Rachel Jackson 1 0-0 3, Vanessa Hall 5 3-6 17, Kate Pensyl 1 0-0 3, Serina Button 2 0-0 4. Totals: 10 5-8 31.
ALFRED-ALMOND: Logan Brown 5 0-2 11, Zoe Balinsky 4 1-2 9, Avery Libordi 4 1-2 11, Maggie Griffin 1 0-0 2, Lauren Kelly 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 2-6 35.

3-point goals: Whitesville 6 (Hall 4, Jackson, Pensyl), A-A 3 (Libordi 2, Brown).
Total Fouls: Whitesville 14, A-A 8. Fouled out: Pensyl (WHI).

Wellsville 43, Warsaw 41

WARSAW — When a team breaks away from action for an extended period of time, a concern can be raised about a team’s performance upon their return to the floor.

But not for the Lady Lions of Wellsville on Thursday, as they continued their march down the homestretch behind a near-flawless effort from one of their budding starlets in Emily Costello from all over the hardwood, gaining a first half lead that they never gave up to host Warsaw in their 43-41 close decision to win their fourth game in the last five.

“Emily Costello literally almost had a perfect night on the floor,” said Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord. “She’s really smart with the ball, and she makes such great decisions. She missed only one shot from three-point range, a couple shots inside, and one shot at the line altogether. Her threes really got us going in the first half, again in a big third quarter, and some clutch shots in the fourth quarter. We never lost the lead because of it, and we kept multiplying the little things.”

By the end of the night, Costello had recorded her best game of the season, and perhaps her career so far, as the Lady Lions sophomore simply just couldn’t miss from the free throw line, where she was 3-for-4, to three-point land where she landed all five of Wellsville's (14-4) treys out of six attempts herself. Costello would lead all scorers with a game-high 22 points to pair with eight steals.

The Lady Lions were able to establish a two-point lead after the first half of action, but then saw it grow much larger near double digit territory with a 14-8 third quarter run coming in useful. But the Lady Tigers put the rally caps on to keep the pressure on the visitors in black and orange, getting to as close as two. But the Wellsville defense would not allow Warsaw to take the lead away, as they managed to hang on for the slight one-possession edge.

“(Ceanne) Ellsworth is their best player, and we held her to five points,” Alvord said. "With the bus trip and Warsaw having Senior Night, we actually responded to everything pretty quickly for being away from action for a week. You have two 14-point quarters, and then everything was on the defense to keep us in rhythm.”

Finishing behind Costello in the Wellsville scorebook was fellow sophomore Marley Adams, who recorded 11 points. Regan Marsh chipped in with seven points of her own to go with four rebounds and three assists. In the special teams department, Kaylee Coleman was busy cleaning some glass for the Lady Lions, leading the rebounding with seven boards. Jaylynn Mess added in four rebounds herself to pair with three steals.

Wellsville will now return to the practice grind for another week away from action, as they prepare for their final regular season home game next Thursday night against the Olean Lady Huskies, where they will honor their four seniors on Senior Night. Tip-off is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.

Wellsville         14   7 14   9 – 43

Warsaw           10   9   8 14 – 41

WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 5 1-2 11, Jaylynn Mess 0 1-2 1, Emily Costello 7 3-4 22, Emily Robbins 1 0-0 2, Regan Marsh 2 3-7 7. Totals: 15 8-15 43.
WARSAW: Lizzy Standera 3 4-5 11, Emily Howard 4 1-2 11, Emma Tangeman 4 0-1 8, Madison Young 1 1-2 3, Ceanne Ellsworth 1 2-2 5, Mackenzie Ryan 0 3-6 3. Totals: 13 11-18 41.

3-point goals: Wellsville 5 (Costello), Warsaw 4 (Howard 2, Standera, Ellsworth).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 16, Warsaw 16. Fouled out: None.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Belfast 62, Whitesville 41

WHITESVILLE — The umbrellas were out in full force in Whitesville, Thursday evening. While the host Blue Jays defense tightened things up down low, it created an opening at the same time for the Bulldogs, permitting them to use their three-point game to their upmost advantage by sinking 11 of them in all to power up what became a 62-41 road win.

Through the ups and downs of the first half, Whitesville was able to hang side by side with Belfast through the opening quarter, where they trailed only by a single point. When the second quarter came around, the Bulldogs (6-11) were able to create some extra space between them and the Blue Jays with a seven-point advantage going into the break.

But then a hailstorm occurred right at the start of the second half, as Belfast connected with everything they found to pile up a 24-13 run of the Blue Jays (1-14) to waltz away for good, never looking back.

“We had a great effort, especially on the defensive front. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out of the halftime break with the same intensity,” said Blue Jays coach Scott Bledsoe. “Belfast went from being up eight at the half, to almost 20 by the end of the third quarter. The guys did a much better job on their big man tonight. The focus we put on defending the point opened up the perimeter, and their shooters knocked them all down. Despite the result, I’m still very pleased with how hard this team continues to play. We’re continuing to move in the right direction.”

Devin Harriger was a big reason behind the success for the Bulldogs, putting the hammer down on six of the team’s 11 three-pointers in his game-high 21-point performance. Jason Drozdowski chipped in 10 points. Hunter Enders followed with nine points, while Stephen Struckmann and Matt Weaver each had eight points.

For Whitesville, Jessie Pensyl led the offensive efforts with a team-high 17 points. Following behind was Brendal Jackson, who hit three of the five three-pointers the Blue Jays produced, en route to 11 points. CJ Estep had six points.

Both teams return to the floor Monday night with 7:30 p.m. contests, as Belfast heads back home to take on the Cuba-Rushford Rebels, while Whitesville heads out on the road to visit the Fillmore Eagles.

Belfast             10 13 24 15 – 62

Whitesville        9   6 13 13 – 41

BELFAST: Nick Ellison 0 0-2 0, Jason Drozdowski 3 2-2 10, Matt Weaver 2 3-5 8, Devin Harriger 7 2-2 21, Stephen Struckmann 4 0-2 8, Carter Guilford 2 1-2 5, Hunter Enders 2 3-3 9. Totals: 20 11-18 62.
WHITESVILLE: Brendal Jackson 4 0-0 11, Jessie Pensyl 5 1-4 17, CJ Estep 3 0-0 6, Colby Gaines 2 1-5 5, Dylan Acor 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 2-9 41.

3-point goals: Belfast 11 (Harriger 6, Drozdowski 2, Enders 2, Weaver), Whitesville 5 (Jackson 3, Pensyl 2).
Total Fouls: Belfast 9, Whitesville 14. Fouled out: Struckmann (BEL).

Scio 66, Arkport/Canaseraga 28

SCIO — The offensive balance on the floor panned out in Scio’s favor in their return home on Thursday, as they used a fiery effort in the middle quarters to insurmountably drive off toward victory to pick up a 66-28 victory over the visiting Arkport/Canaseraga Wolves.

After an initial 14-9 lead was captured by the Tigers (13-3) in the first quarter, the rout was soon on in the second quarter, as their offense came around full circle to compile a massive 19-5 run of the Wolves to take the double digit lead permanently until the final buzzer had sounded off.

Cam Loucks continued his relentless pursuit of success with a game-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds off the glass, and five assists. Brendan Graves followed behind him with 21 points of his own, including three of the team’s eight three-pointers, pairing that with six dished assists. Jake D’Arcy contributed 10 points to go with four assists, and four steals in the special teams department.

Scio will host Senior Night festivities Monday evening, as they remain pat on their home floor to welcome in the Friendship Golden Eagles for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Arkport/Canaseraga      9  5  2 12 – 28

Scio                             14 19 21 12 – 66  

ARKPORT/CANASERAGA: David McIntosh 2 0-0 6, Noah Sleight 1 0-0 2, Adrian Smith 2 1-2 5, Ryan Reynolds 2 0-0 5, Mike Gilbert 1 0-0 2, Nate Herman 3 0-0 6, Jace Cassata 1 0-1 2. Totals: 12 1-3 28.
SCIO: Jake D'Arcy 4 0-1 10, Cory Bolzan 1 0-0 3, Brendan Graves 8 2-5 21, Cam Loucks 9 5-6 25, Carl Finnemore 2 3-3 7. Totals: 24 10-15 66.

3-point goals: A/C 3 (McIntosh 2, Reynolds), Scio 8 (Graves 3, D'Arcy 2, Loucks 2, Bolzan).
Total Fouls: A/C 14, Scio 10. Fouled out: None.