Thursday Roundup: Despite GV’s first half-ending run, Lions rally back in second half to earn third straight win; Fillmore boys, Andover girls add wins

Wellsville senior Sam Schmidt (4) rises to the basket for the lay-in bucket to go, as Genesee Valley senior Christian Tuttle, right, looks to contest during Thursday night’s clash in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Genesee Valley senior Riley Gordon, middle, looks to split the Wellsville defense of seniors Brayden Delahunt (23) and Liam McKinley, right, on his way in toward the basket during Thursday night’s contest in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville senior Tim Jones (44) waits for a play to develop in front, as Genesee Valley senior Christian Tuttle (10) defends the wing during Thursday night’s contest in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Genesee Valley senior Brock Ellsessor (23) loooks to put his shot away on the run against the defense of Wellsville senior Aidan Hart, off-center, during Thursday night’s contest in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Genesee Valley head coach Lintz Bliven, middle, talks with his team during a timeout on the floor of Thursday night’s road contest in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

WELLSVILLE — The first of two meetings between Genesee Valley and Wellsville turned out to be one that developed into a slow burn through the first half of play. Each team would weave their way across the first quarter delivering back and forth shots at one another before the Lions found their groove.

Then, it was the Jaguars turn to hold Wellsville steady, as they used a big run to take the lead heading into halftime. Realistically, it would come down to who would have backup power to generate their momentum. Genesee Valley’s first half ending run, or Wellsville’s defense that has been known to freeze the opposition?

The latter of which occurred.

Down by one heading into the third quarter, the Lions defense was evidently sound, as they used it as their best offense to hold the Jaguars to just three points while transitioning their power onto the offense itself, running off on an 18-3 game-changing shift that saw them spring back in front, this time for good in their 54-35 victory to win their third straight game on Thursday in the Lion’s Den.

“We, including myself, were focused on our offense really early in the game,” Lions coach Raymie Auman said. “We got away from what we were preaching about as a team, which is holding a tough and stingy defense, which would eventually fuel our offense later on. In the second half, we got back to that defensive focus. The third quarter proved to be a turning point in the game. Our tempo really helped us as well, and having a deeper bench was certainly an advantage.”

With a 5-4 early lead in the hands of Wellsville (3-1), it would grow from the halfway point until the end of the first quarter, as they accounted for 10 of the last 13 points to take an eight point lead, led by a slew of Lions finding their way to the basket. In the second, a different story.

Genesee Valley (0-4) provided a potential threat after falling behind early, with the likes of Riley Gordon helping lead the charge with four of the first five second quarter points allowing the Jaguars to cut the deficit to five. Later on, they would take the lead after Brock Ellsessor tied the game at 16 with his breakaway run to the basket, and immediately after, a Gordon lay-in underneath to continue what was an 11-1 run of Wellsville in the first few minutes.

It would ultimately end as a 14-4 run in favor of the Jaguars, with the visitors taking the lead back right at the tail end on a big Gordon three-pointer after Wellsville had gotten the edge momentarily on a basket inside, setting up shop for a 21-19 lead heading into the break.

But then, the Lions went back to what they did best - defense.

Wellsville ran off, as Sam Schmidt, Liam McKinley and Aidan Hart all pitched in on the team’s best effort of the night on offense while holding the Jaguars at bay on defense in the form of an 18-3 game-changing run that saw them propel their way in front for good to record their third straight victory after their season-opening loss at home to Hornell.

Schmidt led all scorers with a team-high 14 points. McKinley followed behind with his 12 points, while sophomore Logan Dunbar had 10. For Genesee Valley, Gordon finished with 14 team-high points of his own. Ellsessor finished with 10 points, while Austin Murphy had four.

Before the game, Wellsville honored all six of their seniors in Schmidt, McKinley, Hart, Brayden Delahunt, Tim Jones and Tyler Sands, along with their family members in attendance for the game. Auman says that his Seniors are the very definition of what his program is made of.

“What a great group of athletes that really exemplify what Wellsville basketball is all about,” he said. “They are gritty, hard-working and resilient in every form of the words. They have all come a long way, and I look forward to seeing how we can close their chapter in our program. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but all of our goals that we’ve laid out are achievable.”

Up next for the Lions, as they look for their fourth straight victory, is a road trip to The Rock in Fillmore on Saturday, as they get set to face the unbeaten 4-0 Eagles in a 2:30 p.m. contest.

“They’ve got a great group of athletes,” Auman said of Fillmore. “They are really well-coached as well by Coach (Randy) Crouch. It’s been a long time since we last made that trip down Route 19 to play Fillmore. I’m certainly looking forward to the challenge that they will bring.”

Genesee Valley 7 14 3 11 – 35

Wellsville 15 4 18 17 – 54

GENESEE VALLEY: Christian Tuttle 1 0-0 3, Austin Murphy 2 0-0 4, Brock Ellsessor 3 4-8 10, Gavin Szaley 1 0-0 2, Morgan Torrey 1 0-2 2, Riley Gordon 6 0-2 14. Totals: 14 4-12 35.
WELLSVILLE: Tyler Sands 0 0-2 0, Alex Perkins 3 1-2 8, Sam Schmidt 6 0-0 14, Liam McKinley 5 1-2 12, Logan Dunbar 2 4-4 10, Connor Ferguson 1 0-0 2, Aidan Hart 2 0-0 4, Brayden Delahunt 0 0-1 0, Tim Jones 2 0-0 4. Totals: 21 6-11 54.

3-point goals: GV 3 (Gordon 2, Tuttle), Wellsville 6 (Schmidt 2, Dunbar 2, Perkins, McKinley).
Total Fouls: GV 11, Wellsville 9. Fouled out: None.

Olean 71, Bolivar-Richburg 56

OLEAN — Although the score was not indicative of what happened over to the west in Cattaraugus County on Thursday, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were right on host Olean’s coattails all throughout the game. They were down as much as 12, but were within reach multiple times by as few as four to six points.

The Wolverines were knocking at the door, but the Huskies refused to open it. Ahead by nine after three quarters, Olean looked to their three-point game to keep themselves one step ahead of Bolivar-Richburg, as they managed to sneak away from a potential Bolivar-Richburg rally in the fourth quarter to hang onto a 71-56 victory in a game that head coach Jeff Margeson calls the best game of the season for his team.

“This is the best game of the year for the boys so far,” he said. “Our defense played fantastically, and I know by looking at the score, it looked worse than advertised. But I told those guys the reason I took this game was for us to get better. With Olean, it made three games against B-school teams. I knew they possessed the heart, and it was there one through eight on the bench. They’re all helping each other, and each and every game, they are making less mistakes as far as turning the ball over. They’re doing a fantastic job of picking up and learning, and understanding where they can and cannot force things.”

Olean held onto the advantage across the first half with a 40-30 lead of Bolivar-Richburg (1-3), starting things off with a 19-14 advantage after one before netting a game-high 21 points in the second to extend it. In the third quarter, the Wolverines posted their biggest quarter of the game by narrowly outscoring the Huskies to close the gap to nine entering the last eight minute frame.

At that point, the hosts held Bolivar-Richburg to just six points on defense while capitalizing on some late three-pointers to branch out their lead to an insurmountable amount to stay in front for good.

“Throughout the first half, Olean had a run before the end to take the lead,” Margeson said. “We had it to within four in the third quarter, and they stretched it out. To begin the fourth, we had four turnovers in the first minute and we actually fought back from that. Olean hit a couple big three-pointers, and that kind of helped them put it away.”

After the game saw its conclusion, the third-year Wolverines head coach had a message for his team.

“At the end of the game, I told them that it’s your job to build on it,” Margeson added. “I told them not to take a step backward, and I feel in each of our four games, we've gotten better every game and that is strictly on them. We're looking at film, I'm trying to find an easier way of doing things. The adjustments they make and how well self-coached they are, and how much they take into consideration with each other, sometimes I sit back and watch them play. They're that talented.”

Landon Danaher led the way on the offensive side for Bolivar-Richburg, posting a team-high 26 points, including a near-perfect 8-for-10 outing at the charity stripe. Camdyn MacDonell followed behind with 21 points of his own. Wyatt Karnuth chipped in with six points, while Evan Pinney had the team’s lone three-pointer.

Bolivar-Richburg now heads back home for Saturday’s Senior Day game, which will take place at 2:30 p.m. against their longtime rival - the Cuba-Rushford Rebels.

Bolivar-Richburg 14 16 20 6 – 56

Olean 19 21 19 12 – 71

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Landon Danaher 9 8-10 26, Wyatt Karnuth 2 2-4 6, Evan Pinney 1 0-0 3, Camdyn MacDonell 9 3-7 21. Totals: 21 13-21 56.
OLEAN: Zion James 5 0-1 11, Kamdyn McClain 7 0-0 16, Jason Brooks 11 5-5 30, Cory Potter 0 2-2 2, Caleb Ramadhan 1 0-1 3, Steven Hoffman 2 1-1 5, Albert Martin 1 2-2 4. Totals: 27 10-12 71.
3-point goals: B-R 1 (Pinney), Olean 7 (Brooks 3, McClain 2, James, Ramadhan).
Total Fouls: B-R 15, Olean 17. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 63, Cuba-Rushford 42

CUBA — The game’s first punch delivered, was a haymaker. Another haymaker was delivered to end the first half. Those two punches were provided by the Eagles of Fillmore over the road on Thursday, as they put up a pair of first half 20-spots on host Cuba-Rushford, taking a massive first half lead they never saw diminish, moving to 4-0 on the season with a 63-42 rolling over the Rebels.

“Fillmore played incredibly well tonight,” Rebels coach Bryce Ryan said. “Coach (Randy) Crouch had them ready to go, and they came in to our place and took it right to us. We turned the ball over, didn't finish our possessions defensively, over-rotated and they made us pay on everything. We have to get back to doing the little things and understanding what our responsibilities are.”

Up and down the Fillmore (4-0) lineup, it was a balanced effort across the board on offense. Dylan Valentine helped start things off right from the start with a three-pointer followed by some help at the line. Later on, it was Will Roeske digging deep down low to continue the offensive swing. But the balance came with multiple different Eagles getting involved to pace a 22-12 first half ending run that put the team up ahead by a 43-25 count after the first 16 minutes.

A deficit that grew larger with one last outscoring Fillmore provided in the third quarter, with Valentine and Roeske combining to score half of the team’s 16 points inside the frame. Roeske led all Eagles scorers with a game-high 15 points, while Valentine finished with 10. Mitch Ward and Isaiah Voss both added in nine points of their own.

The defense possessed by Fillmore would hold all of Cuba-Rushford’s (2-2) scorers to under 10 points the entire game, with Brayden Lavery and Nate Burdick being the team’s leaders on offense with a team-high eight points each. Landon Wight and Austin Clement each had six points to help the cause.

Both teams are back on the floor in a pair of 2:30 p.m. contests coming up Saturday afternoon, as Fillmore will look for their fifth straight win with Wellsville in town, while Cuba-Rushford looks to get back on track with a road trip to Bolivar-Richburg.

Fillmore 21 22 16 4 – 63

Cuba-Rushford 13 12 11 6 – 42

FILLMORE: Isaiah Voss 3 1-1 9, Hayden Rust 3 0-0 7, Carter Sisson 2 1-2 7, Zach Sisson 2 0-0 4, Dylan Valentine 3 3-7 10, Mitch Ward 4 1-2 9, Luke Colombo 1 0-0 2, Will Roeske 7 0-1 15. Totals: 25 6-13 63.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Jack Frank 2 0-1 5, Trent Chamberlain 1 0-1 2, Brayden Lavery 3 1-2 8, Landon Wight 2 1-3 6, Jacob Smith 1 3-4 5, Hunter Williams 1 0-0 2, Nate Burdick 2 3-5 8, Austin Clement 2 1-2 6. Totals: 14 9-18 42.
3-point goals: Fillmore 7 (Voss 2, C. Sisson 2, Rust, Valentine, Roeske), C-R 5 (Frank, Lavery, Wight, Burdick, Clement).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 19, C-R 13. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Andover 39, Genesee Valley 17

ANDOVER — After a 46-11 defeat to the hands of the Wellsville Lady Lions back on Tuesday, the Andover Lady Panthers returned home to regroup with visiting Genesee Valley in for a visit right before the weekend on Thursday.

With a good start already under their belts, it was beginning of bigger things, as they went on to provide a strong second quarter run while holding the Lady Jaguars in check to remain in the driver’s seat permanently, as they bounced back in a big way behind a 39-17 home win.

“It was nice to have a strong effort from the girls tonight after being outworked against Wellsville the other night. Our effort was definitely there, we just have to continue to find ways to take care of the ball better than we have. Tonight was definitely a step in the right direction.” said Lady Panthers coach Jake Bannerman.

And helping lead that right step back into the positive direction was Livia Simon, who had her biggest night of the season thus far for the Lady Panthers (2-3), as she provided a game-high 18 points all from inside the arc, including six points in each the second and third quarters to help set the tone. Kelsie Niedermaier provided eight points of her own to help the cause, while Olivia Hanks and Gabby Terhune each had four points.

Genesee Valley (1-3) was led by Lizzy Bentley, who had the team’s lone three, on her way to a team-high six points. Emera Aquila and Sierra Burrows each had four points to chip in.

Both teams will have quick turnarounds this evening in a pair of 6 p.m. contests, as Andover heads out to visit the Scio Lady Tigers in search of their third win in their last four, while the Lady Jaguars make a road trip over the hill to visit the Friendship Lady Golden Eagles.

Genesee Valley 2 4 5 6 – 17

Andover 7 12 8 12 – 39

GENESEE VALLEY: Addy Herring 0 0-2 0, Emera Aquila 2 0-2 4, Lizzy Bentley 2 1-4 6, Sierra Burrows 2 0-0 4, Katie Bartlett 1 0-0 2, Ashley Burrows 0 1-2 1. Totals: 7 2-10 17.
ANDOVER: Ava Grice 1 0-0 3, Olivia Hanks 2 0-0 4, Gabby Terhune 2 0-0 4, Mikaela Brewster 1 0-0 2, Livia Simon 9 0-0 18, Kelsie Niedermaier 4 0-3 8. Totals: 19 0-3 39.

3-point goals: GV 1 (Bentley), Andover 1 (Grice).
Total Fouls: GV 4, Andover 11. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Wellsville 3, Arkport/Canaseraga 0

WELLSVILLE — Three games into the season, three wins right off the bat for the Wellsville Lions, as they continued their victorious ways back on their home floor on Thursday by bringing out the brooms in a straight-set victory over visiting Arkport/Canaseraga, taking the 26-24, 25-21, 25-19 decision over the Wolves.

Walker Waldon led the offensive attack for the Lions (3-0), garnering a team-high 10 kills to pair with his three blocks up front and one dig. Aiden Tucker provided five more kills to go with five aces from the service line, and one more dig. Riley Allen had four aces of his own to chip in to go with three more kills on offense.

Arkport/Canaseraga was led by Dakota Pierce, who collected 13 service points and six aces.

Wellsville will go for four in a row back on their home floor Monday night with a 6 p.m. meeting against the Scio Tigers.