Thursday Roundup: McKinley comes through clutch for Lions, helping secure ninth straight victory with regular season-ending 49-38 win over Fillmore

Wellsville senior Liam McKinley (12) looks to ward off the defense of Fillmore junior Carter Sisson, off-center, while dribbling down the sidelines during Thursday night’s contest in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Fillmore junior Will Roeske, middle, works his way around the Wellsville defense of senior Brayden Delahunt, back, underneath the basket during Thursday night’s contest in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville sophomore Logan Dunbar (23) looks to make a move inside against the defense of Fillmore senior Dylan Valentine, back, during Thursday night’s contest in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Fillmore senior Mitch Ward (23) drives his way inside for the lay-in basket, as Wellsville’s Logan Dunbar, back, and Aidan Hart (32) look on during Thursday night’s contest in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

WELLSVILLE — The last meeting between Fillmore and Wellsville boys squads was the first time in recent memory that they engaged in battle. Thursday night was the final time in this year’s shortened season that they would meet. And like last time’s double-overtime contest in Fillmore, the Eagles and Lions put together another battle down to the wire.

It was the kind of battle that head coach Raymie Auman wanted right before his team prepares to make their run through the Sectional tournament next week.

“I'm glad we played Fillmore twice this year,” he said. “These two games definitely made us better prepared for Sectionals, and it did for them too. They're going to play some teams that will be bigger and lock it down in half-court D. Timing, especially with some of the smaller schools, it depends on whether they have stronger teams, they want to play us. We go with that, but it's a game they all circle on their schedule. We like that, and we have to take those challenges. It builds a lot of character, and get us better prepared for Sectionals.”

It was a game that saw Wellsville’s lead over Fillmore fluctuate right near the end, with their lead growing to double digits, and decreasing to as little as three points with nearly a minute left in regulation. With the Eagles right on their coattails in the endgame, Liam McKinley stepped up to the plate and delivered through the clutch.

The Lions senior, after a timeout on the floor, took possession of the ball, where he delivered a clutch off-balanced shot under heavy pressure from the Fillmore defense to extend the Wellsville lead from three to five, and even more with fouls sending him to the charity stripe where he knocked down five more shots to seal up their double-digit 49-38 victory over the Eagles to finish the regular season with nine straight wins.

“Liam hit a big shot at the end that really helped us gain our composure back, and that's what tough seniors do,” said Auman. “He stepped up in our last regular season home game. We had the ball out of bounds, and I ran a call for him. He makes quite a few threes, and it was about repetition and comfort, and you could see that when it left his hand, I knew it was in. From there, I think our whole team gained a confidence that gave us the feeling that we could close it out.”

The stingy defense that Wellsville (9-1) has preached all season long, worked across all facets despite some early struggles on the offensive end in transition. After getting on the board themselves following Fillmore’s opening bucket and shot at the line, it quickly turned into a back-and-forth contest at the midway mark, with the Lions grabbing the upper hand. That lead would grow ultimately to seven at the end of the quarter when the hosts finished on a 9-1 run of the Eagles with McKinley hitting a three at the buzzer to finish the jaunt.

When the second quarter came, the momentum continued, as they carried over their first quarter-ending run into the beginning stages of the next. With control on a double digit lead, the Lions would wrap up the opening half with just 13 points allowed on defense while accounting for a 10-3 run in the last four minutes to go up by a 31-13 count heading into the break.

“It was more about perseverance and resilience this time around,” Auman said. “Great teams don't lay down, and Fillmore is a very good team. We had a great first half defensively, and they were quite frustrated with it. I told them that this is a proud team that is very talented, and can string a lot of points consistently. We knew a run was coming, and it was just a matter of withstanding it and not letting it get us down.”

That run for the Eagles came in the third quarter, when their three-point game began to take over. Four different Eagles found the basket from downtown off a pair of back-to-back offensive possessions, with Isaiah Voss and Colby Wolfer getting the festivities started near the halfway mark. Fillmore would account for eight straight points, including a Will Roeske bucket down low after their threes, to cut Wellsville’s lead down to 10 with 4:08 left.

The deficit would soon reach seven at the end of the third quarter, when Carter Sisson and Mitch Ward both knocked down a three, as well as a Ward runner underneath with seconds remaining to finish up with an 18-6 run of the Lions altogether heading into the final eight minute period.

In the fourth, the defenses began to shift into gear, with both teams only exchanging just a couple of baskets, but the defenses would help provide multiple turnovers on each end of the court. Some of those giveaways resulted in points, but some could not be cashed in on. But those giveaways would help the Eagles get as close to Wellsville as they have been all game, with Roeske hitting a big three down the middle with nearly two minutes left.

“They're more of a team that gets you going and then turn the ball over,” Auman said of Fillmore. “If we could play a half-court game, it would fall into our hands and then make them run half-court sets, half-court defense. If we got into an up-and-down track meet, their defense would turn us over and it would be a difficult night. It's good for us though, because we need this for Sectionals.”

Carter Sisson would help the cause with some assistance at the line to cut the lead down to a single possession. But after a timeout by the Eagles to talk over their plans while preserving some clock, McKinley stepped up to the plate and delivered with a big off-balanced strike with a minute to go, extending Wellsville’s lead to six, with the basket accounting for eight straight points from the Lions senior after multiple fouls were called on Fillmore that sent him to the line.

Out of his near-immaculate 9-of-10 at the line, McKinley finished with a 5-of-6 outing at the line to put the game on ice for the hosts. McKinley totaled a game-high 17 points to lead the Lions offense. Logan Dunbar added in 10 points, while Sam Schmidt provided seven points of his own.

Will Roeske, Hayden Rust and Carter Sisson all tallied seven points to lead a balanced Eagles offense. Mitch Ward chipped in with five points, while four different Eagles followed behind with three points respectively. Fillmore will conclude their regular season with a quick turnaround back on the road tonight, as they head out to Hinsdale for a 6 p.m. visit.

As for Wellsville, the waiting game for Sectionals is now on, as they head into the Class B2 tournament red hot with nine straight wins now in their back pocket, and potentially, a top-4 seed for the start of Sectionals. Auman says since their season opener with Hornell, he’s been noticing that his group continued to get better as the season went on, needing it for a tough field that consists of World Of Inquiry, Northstar and C.G. Finney all ahead of them in the Class B2 field.

“It's no rest for the weary, that's for sure,” he said. “What a quick 10 games this season, and I was so glad we were able to regroup after that Hornell game. That was a good test that really gave us a lot to work on, so I have to give our kids a lot of credit. They come to practice and work hard, we've taken some of our games and used it to work on things we have to be better in. We've gotten better each time, even in close ones, which really help us down the stretch. You could tell at the end of this game, we weren't rattled, and it's only going to make us better and stronger to make that run in Sectionals.”

Fillmore 6 7 18 7 – 38

Wellsville 13 18 6 12 – 49

FILLMORE: Isaiah Voss 1 0-0 3, Hayden Rust 2 3-4 7, Carter Sisson 2 2-2 7, Zach Sisson 1 0-1 3, Dylan Valentine 1 1-2 3, Colby Wolfer 1 0-0 3, Mitch Ward 2 0-2 5, Will Roeske 3 0-0 7. Totals: 13 6-11 38.
WELLSVILLE: Tyler Sands 2 0-1 5, Alex Perkins 1 0-2 2, Sam Schmidt 3 0-0 7, Liam McKinley 3 9-10 17, Dalton Ketchner 1 0-0 2, Logan Dunbar 5 0-0 10, Aidan Hart 2 0-1 4, Brayden Delahunt 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 9-14 49.

3-point goals: Fillmore 6 (Voss, C. Sisson, Z. Sisson, Wolfer, Ward, Roeske), Wellsville 4 (McKinley 2, Sands, Schmidt).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 18, Wellsville 15. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 57, Cuba-Rushford 32

CUBA — With Fillmore clinching a piece of the Allegany County Division I title after their win over Cuba-Rushford earlier this week, there was an opportunity for another team to clinch the other half of the crown — Bolivar-Richburg.

Ever since their defeat to Olean earlier this season, it helped provide the Wolverines with a building block toward success. Since that game back on Februrary 18, Bolivar-Richburg has witnessed victory in five of their last six games heading into their final road game of the regular season. But it was one that they had to ward off an early false start for.

The Rebels came out swinging in the first quarter behind Trent Chamberlain’s guidance, but soon afterwards, Bolivar-Richburg found a way to run the table.

In the next two quarters combined, the Wolverines ran wild, as they netted a combined 37-11 run of Cuba-Rushford including a massive 25-spot in the third quarter, allowing them to branch their lead out insurmountably, as they went on to score the last piece of the Division I title as well as their first winning season under head coach Jeff Margeson by a 57-32 rolling past Cuba-Rushford.

“I’ll pull a Bill Belichick and say that we can trust the process. The first winning season since I’ve been here, and we have co-ownership of the Allegany County League title? I’ll take that,” Margeson said. “That Olean game really turned this team around I think. It would have been nice to have that one more game against Portville or Walsh, but the good news out of this is, that it gives us a chance to make the cut in C2. If we can manage to sneak in, I know that we can put 32 minutes together. We can give any of the big dogs a run for their money.”

Cuba-Rushford was ready to kick the game into high gear right away in the first quarter, as Chamberlain started the game with eight of the team’s 12 points in their 12-6 doubling up of Bolivar-Richburg. That begun a conversation with Margeson and his team on how to proceed after falling behind early.

“They came out and they were ready to rip it wide open. We were backs against the ropes early on, and it was only first quarter,” said Margeson. “We had to switch up our defense to a 3-2, and from that point on, they scored 20 points the rest of the way. A lot of it was having our guys drive from the outside, and Cam (MacDonell) was relentless rebounding the ball. We took advantage of the size mismatch down low in our favor, and Cam was just gobbling up the boards, and just putting them right back in again.”

In the second quarter, the Wolverines (6-4) were able to rebound in what was the beginning of big things on offense, as they accounted for a 12-4 run of the Rebels with Cam MacDonell leading the charge with half of the team’s points down low. When the third quarter came around, MacDonell feverishly continued digging down deep inside the paint, as he recorded 15 of the team’s 25 points in their 25-7 game-changing run to set the tone for the rest of the way.

MacDonell would finish with a season-high performance for Bolivar-Richburg, netting a game-high 29 points.

“We had a lot of garbage points in the third quarter. Evan (Pinney) was real tenative with his three-pointers, and I was happy with the defense from the second quarter on. I was proud of the kids for stepping up because Landon (Danaher) didn’t play in the second half. I told them after the game that if they want to succeed in Sectionals, they have to band together. This is all on them, and they showed up big time tonight.”

Finishing behind MacDonell was Pinney, who launched all three of Bolivar-Richburg’s three-pointers to put toward his 12-point effort. Wyatt Karnuth dug down low to earn six points himself, while Matt Mitchell added in four.

Cuba-Rushford was led by Chamberlain, who recorded 10 of his 15 team-high points in the first half. Jack Frank tallied seven points, while Landon Wight chipped in with six for the Rebels, who will finish their season with a record of 3-6.

The Wolverines will close out their regular season with one final road trip in store for Saturday afternoon, as they prepare for a 1 p.m. visit to the Scio Tigers.

Bolivar-Richburg 6 12 25 14 – 57

Cuba-Rushford 12 4 7 9 – 32

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Wyatt Karnuth 3 0-4 6, Brayden Ellis 1 0-0 2, Matt Mitchell 2 0-2 4, David Baldwin 1 0-0 2, Evan Pinney 4 1-2 12, Daniel Baldwin 1 0-0 2, Camdyn MacDonell 13 3-5 29. Totals: 27 4-13 57.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Zack Eddy 1 0-0 2, Jack Frank 3 0-2 7, Trent Chamberlain 7 0-0 15, Landon Wight 3 0-0 6, Nate Burdick 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 0-2 32.

3-point goals: B-R 3 (Pinney), C-R 2 (Frank, Chamberlain).
Total Fouls: B-R 9, C-R 12. Fouled out: None.

Belfast 46, Andover 28

ANDOVER — One of the hottest teams preparing to enter the Sectional tournament next week, remained hot. That team being the Belfast Bulldogs, as they recorded their eighth straight victory over the road in their fourth game in four nights, as they started out the night on fire and kept their lead in their possession for good, rolling past host Andover with a 46-28 victory on Thursday.

The Bulldogs (10-1) were off and running right from the start, with their offense and defense paying dividends in the first quarter to take a double digit lead of the Panthers. That would grow even farther before halftime hit, as they gathered another run with a slew of Bulldogs getting involved to piece it together.

Although the Panthers (5-5) were able to cut the deficit down with their strongest outing of offense of the night, the visitors in black and red provided one last big run to stay one step ahead, securing their victory for good.

The Bulldogs were led by a game-high 15-point effort from Stephen Struckmann down low. Tony Logue continues to break out with his efforts from three-point range, netting three of the team’s seven three-pointers to put toward his 13 points. Nick Ellison sank three more treys, for nine points.

Andover was led by Spencer Cook, who recorded 17 team-high points out of the team’s 28 total points. Chris Walker chipped in with six for the Panthers, whose regular season now comes to a close after finishing with a record of 5-5.

Belfast will look to finish the regular season strong one more time Saturday afternoon, as they head back home to host the Genesee Valley Jaguars in a 2:30 p.m. contest.

Belfast 13 14 4 15 – 46

Andover 4 7 10 7 – 28

BELFAST: Jason Drozdowski 1 0-0 3, Nick Ellison 3 0-2 9, Tony Logue 5 0-0 13, Matt Weaver 3 0-0 6, Stephen Struckmann 6 3-3 15. Totals: 18 3-5 46.
ANDOVER: Spencer Cook 8 0-0 17, Cormac Brown 1 0-0 3, Greg Reilly 1 0-2 2, Chris Walker 3 0-0 6. Totals: 13 0-2 28.

3-point goals: Belfast 7 (Ellison 3, Logue 3, Drozdowski), Andover 2 (Cook, Brown).
Total Fouls: Belfast 7, Andover 9. Fouled out: None.

Scio 51, Whitesville 33

WHITESVILLE — With a halftime lead in hand, Scio took the opportunity to break away, as Cam Loucks dominated down low as well as the charity stripe, putting together a game-high 38 points to help the Tigers finish their road slate strong with a 51-33 victory over the host Whitesville Blue Jays on Thursday.

Scio (8-2) and Whitesville exchanged baskets through the first quarter, ultimately finding a 10-10 tie heading into the next frame. The Tigers would gather up a halftime lead to build on upon returning to the court for the second half, where they did just that in the form of a 15-7 third quarter run that saw them pull away toward victory.

Nate Ford and Cory Bolzan each added in four points to help the Tigers cause, while Ayden Faulkner had three points. For Whitesville, CJ Estep recorded a team-high 10 points. Spencer Mattison was a point shy of a double-double, concluding with nine points and 11 rebounds. Lucas Erdmann chipped in with eight points for the Jays, who end their regular season with a record of 3-7.

Scio will wrap up their regular season back home with a 1 p.m. contest with the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines.

Scio 10 17 15 9 – 51

Whitesville 10 10 7 6 – 33

SCIO: Brendan Loucks 0 2-4 2, Ayden Faulkner 1 1-2 3, Nate Ford 2 0-0 4, Cam Loucks 13 12-15 38, Cory Bolzan 1 1-4 4. Totals: 17 16-23 51.
WHITESVILLE: CJ Estep 4 0-0 10, Lucas Erdmann 3 0-0 8, Colby Gaines 0 1-2 1, Justin Waters 2 0-2 4, Dylan Acor 0 1-3 1, Spencer Mattison 4 1-2 9. Totals: 13 3-9 33.

3-point goals: Scio 1 (Bolzan), Whitesville 4 (Estep 2, Erdmann 2).
Total Fouls: Scio 10, Whitesville 19. Fouled out: None.

Friendship 45, Hinsdale 43

HINSDALE — Friendship and Hinsdale battled their way through a competitive 32 minutes of play. With each team exchanging a heavy offensive run through the course of the game, it was the Golden Eagles that had the bigger run to jump ahead in the third quarter, as they survived a back-and-forth tussle to take the 45-43 win over the Bobcats.

Hinsdale was the first to break the 9-9 first quarter tie with a lead at halftime, as they accounted for a 17-8 run led by a slew of Bobcats getting on the board. But Friendship (2-8) came back with with a 16-6 run of their own led by the efforts of Dekota Stewart, who accounted for half of the team’s 16 points. He would finish with a game-high 15 points for the Golden Eagles.

It was a run that helped the visitors in purple and gold hold their lead in tact despite some late pressure from the Bobcats (1-9) in the fourth quarter. Helping the cause for the Golden Eagles were Taylor Moore and Ian Romero, as they each recorded 14 and 11 points respectively. On the other side, Hinsdale saw Zach Byrne pace the offense with his 10 team-high points. Ethan Cashimere added nine points.

The Golden Eagles season is officially over, as they wrap up their shortened 2021 season with a record of 2-8. As for Hinsdale, they will end their regular season back on their home floor tonight with a visit from the Fillmore Eagles at 6 p.m.

Friendship 9 8 16 12 – 45

Hinsdale 9 17 6 13 – 43

FRIENDSHIP: Dekota Stewart 6 0-0 15, Jacob Golden 1 0-2 2, Ian Romero 4 2-2 11, Taylor Moore 6 0-0 14, John Outman 1 1-2 3. Totals: 18 3-6 45.
HINSDALE: Zach Byrne 4 0-0 10, Ethan Cashimere 4 1-2 9, Sam Cashimere 4 0-0 8, Parker Keenan 1 0-0 2, Jeff Rossman 1 0-0 2, Cody Barton 4 0-0 8, Jake Elliott 2 0-0 4. Totals: 20 1-2 43.

3-point goals: Friendship 6 (Stewart 3, Moore 2, Romero), Hinsdale 2 (Byrne).
Total Fouls: Friendship 5, Hinsdale 10. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Archbishop Walsh 39, Scio 24

SCIO — The Lady Tigers of Scio came out of the first quarter all tied up with visiting Archbishop Walsh. But right before halftime, the Lady Eagles broke free from the deadlock, as they accounted for two big runs to pull away and break the deadlock with an eventual 39-24 victory over the road, Thursday night.

The Lady Tigers (0-12) were led by Celina Warboys and Kiara Grover, as they both recorded a team-high six points. Melana Davenport added in four more points for the hosts, who despite the runs, managed to cut the lead down with a 10-4 fourth quarter run of the Lady Eagles.

Scio will wrap up their regular season on Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. home contest with Friendship.

Archbishop Walsh 6 15 14 4 – 39

Scio 6 6 2 10 – 24

WALSH: Kirkwood 1 0-0 2, Howard 1 2-4 4, N. Policastro 9 2-4 21, Bailey 3 2-3 8, K. Policastro 2 0-0 4. Totals: 16 6-11 39.
SCIO: Alexis Crossley 1 0-4 2, Camryn Wiech 1 0-0 2, Emily Stilson 1 0-0 2, Sophie Bolzan 0 0-2 0, Celina Warboys 3 0-0 6, Brooke Crossley 1 0-3 2, Melana Davenport 2 0-4 4, Kiara Grover 3 0-0 6. Totals: 12 0-13 24.

3-point goals: Walsh 1 (N. Policastro).
Total Fouls: Walsh 13, Scio 14. Fouled out: Kirkwood (AW).