Tuesday Basketball: Mullens, Burd pace C-G towards 11th straight win, break away from Lady Lions in 2nd half to clinch victory; Fillmore, And/Whi, GV/Belfast girls, And/Whi boys all capture wins

WELLSVILLE — The Lady Lions of Wellsville have certainly had some good tests come their way through the course of the season.

One of them, perhaps like no other they have faced this season — the undefeated Canisteo-Greenwood Lady Redskins, as they host the local elite for their second and final bout on the slate. Entering the night, the Lady Redskins remained amongst the reigning in fire, starting their campaign with 10 straight wins in their back pocket.

During Tuesday night’s visit to the Den, the Lady Lions would engage in a back-and-forth affair with the Lady Redskins, trading one small strand of points after another until a slight groove was found and navigated by the visitors.

What momentum was built, carried itself over into the next session before halftime and ultimately settling in for the remainder of the night, as Canisteo-Greenwood anchored a strong finish to the first half and continued to hit all strides from that point forward to move towards an 11th straight win by a 55-40 count at the end of the night.

Through much of the early first quarter battle, both Canisteo-Greenwood and Wellsville (5-6) exchanged small back and forth runs, with the Lady Redskins getting the early jump and remaining ahead until the Lady Lions worked the battle towards a 12-12 tie with under two minutes to go.

Canisteo-Greenwood would then shake themselves free with the help of Lillian Mullen, who went forth to assist the team in starting a 7-0 run across the next minute and change before a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Makenna Dunbar halted all momentum at the end of the frame for the Lady Lions.

At the start of the second quarter, the visitors in red picked right back up where they left off, beginning with two gorgeous passes from Mullen to the inside on back-to-back possessions, both for Brooke Burd underneath the basket to start up a run that would see them scavenge eight of the next nine points to branch their lead even further.

The offenses would then fall into a temporary freeze from the final two minutes of the half, with the Lady Redskins retaining an 11-point advantage going into the locker room.

Canisteo-Greenwood ultimately went on to cement their lead permanently in the third quarter with another colossal run of Wellsville, scoring 12 of the first 15 points in the midst of their 14-6 run through the frame, propelled by Mullen and her game-high 24 points. Bailey Mullen would add in 15 more points, while Burd concluded with 12 of her own to go with six blocks.

Natalie Adams and Makenna Dunbar each tallied eight points to lead the Lady Lions offense, with Dunbar grabbing a team-leading 12 boards in the process. Emily Robbins had seven points to couple with six rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.

In JV action prior to the Varsity bout, Caelyn Stevens and her team-leading eight points propelled Wellsville towards victory over the Lady Redskins, as they took the 30-19 victory.

Wellsville is now off until Friday night when the first of two days of the 7th Annual Dan Barkley Showcase commences at Bath-Haverling, as they prepare to face the Hornell Lady Red Raiders in Sheriff’s Classic Doubleheader action alongside the boys squads. Tip-off is slated for a 6:15 p.m. start, with the boys contest following later on at 8 p.m.

Canisteo-Greenwood 19 14 14 8 – 55

Wellsville 15 7 6 12 – 40

CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Bailey Mullen 7 1-1 15, Lillian Mullen 10 3-4 24, Peyton Peters 2 0-0 4, Brooke Burd 5 2-3 12. Totals: 24 6-7 55.
WELLSVILLE: Lindsay Stuck 2 1-2 6, Natalie Adams 3 1-2 8, Emily Robbins 3 1-2 7, Sara Reitz 2 0-0 5, Averee Palmatier 2 2-5 6, Makenna Dunbar 3 1-2 8. Totals: 15 6-13 40.
3-point goals: C-G 1 (L. Mullen), Wellsville 4 (Stuck, Adams, Reitz, Dunbar).
Total Fouls: C-G 13, Wellsville 5. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 44, Cuba-Rushford 24

CUBA — Think the Lady Eagles of Fillmore are soaring to new heights? Tuesday night was even more evidence of that.

After taking down the defending Class D2 Champions in Andover/Whitesville back on Saturday, the Lady Eagles defense buckled in after a tight first half and delivered a third quarter knockout punch. Along the way, they would hold another one of the County’s leading scorers in Taylor Searle shot-less from the field, as they strolled towards a 44-24 road win — their fifth in a row.

“They were physical and they know how to work hard on defense. They killed us on the glass with second chance points, and we compounded matters with some poor shooting and turnovers,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “Hope (Russell) was tough for them scoring. They definitely played well defensively and executed their plan well. We didn’t help ourselves, especially after missing some early key looks in the second half. We just need to put this behind us, and work for the next one.”

The efforts of Hope Russell for the Lady Eagles (5-2) sprung to life right in the opening sequences, as she accounted for the bulk of the team’s offense to jumpstart an early 11-5 lead on the Lady Rebels to set the bar. But it was one that the hosts met over time in the midst of a near-even second quarter, with Tara Duvall jumpstarting the offense with six of the team’s 10 points from inside.

The narrow advantage would see Cuba-Rushford (5-5) cut their deficit down to within reach, to five, helping set the table for when the two teams returned to the court for the second half.

In that next 16 minute session, Fillmore would assume total control once more and for all, with five different scorers adding in contributions in what was a 15-4 tide-turning run to branch their lead away and out of reach of the Lady Rebels, claiming their fifth straight win along the way.

Russell would lead all scorers on the floor for Fillmore with a game-high 24 points. Mattie McCumiskey chipped in with eight points of her own, while Rachel Hatch and Preslee Miller each had four.

The Lady Rebels were paced by Duvall and her eight points. Cloey Larabee had six points.

Both teams are back on the floor Thursday night, with the Lady Eagles taking aim at a potential sixth consecutive victory on the road again, this time to Letchworth for a 7 p.m. visit, while the Lady Rebels stay put at home and welcome in Andover/Whitesville for a 7:30 p.m. contest of their own.

Fillmore 11 9 15 9 – 44

Cuba-Rushford 5 10 4 5 – 24

FILLMORE: Hope Russell 10 2-7 24, Grace Russell 1 0-0 2, Rachel Hatch 2 0-0 4, Mattie McCumiskey 3 2-2 8, Preslee Miller 2 0-4 4, Madi Geertman 1 0-1 2. Totals: 19 4-14 44.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Cloey Larabee 3 0-0 6, Shae Maples 1 0-0 3, Brynn Lavery 2 0-0 4, Taylor Searle 0 3-6 3, Tara Duvall 4 0-0 8. Totals: 10 3-6 24.
3-point goals: Fillmore 2 (H. Russell), C-R 1 (Maples).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 6, C-R 14. Fouled out: None.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 37, Bolivar-Richburg 27

BELMONT — A tale of two halves unfolded from within the Jungle on Tuesday, where a strong, close fight developed in one half, and a dominant finish to the night slammed the book shut in the final half.

For Genesee Valley/Belfast, they had the most powerful response of the pair, as they overcame a battle with Bolivar-Richburg in the early-going and delivered a big blow in the second half. Ultimately, they would finish out the night with an outstanding final eight minute period to keep the Lady Wolverines at bay, locking up the 37-27 comeback win in the process.

It was the Lady Wolverines that charted a course towards controlling the first half of play to start the night, as they came away with two narrow outscorings of Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-4), powered by Malayna Ayers and Carmen Crowley, who combined for nine of the team’s 10 points in the opening frame, and later, a balanced offensive affair in the second to close it out.

With an 18-14 lead in hand going into the second half, it would soon be lost to the hands of the hosts.

Adison Grusendorf and Mary Hamer tag-teamed to open up the Bolivar-Richburg (4-5) defense with their inside game, as the two combined to post 10 of the team’s 12 third quarter points to assist in setting up a 12-7 momentum-shifting jaunt of the Lady Wolverines to take the lead going into the final stanza of action.

In it, Genesee Valley/Belfast would go on and finish off their second half rally with an 11-2 run of their visiting opposition, charged by a big Grusendorf three and some inside help from Hamer and Abby Sullivan along the way to put a bow on the triumphant battle.

Grusendorf, as well as Sullivan, both recorded 11 points to pace the Genesee Valley/Belfast attack. Hamer finished with eight points.

On the other side, the Lady Wolverines saw Malayna Ayers conclude with nine team-high points, while Crowley was not behind, recording six. Bolivar-Richburg is now off until Friday night back on the road, visiting Friendship/Scio in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off in Friendship.

Genesee Valley/Belfast will now get set for action at the 7th Annual Dan Barkley Showcase this weekend, where they will lead off the epic five-game slate at Bath-Haverling with a 12 p.m. contest against the Addison Lady Knights.

Bolivar-Richburg 10 8 7 2 – 27

Genesee Valley/Belfast 7 7 12 11 – 37

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 2 1-2 5, Raegan Giardini 1 1-2 3, Carmen Crowley 3 0-3 6, Malayna Ayers 4 0-1 9, Caitlyn Steiner 2 0-2 4. Totals: 12 1-10 27.
GV/BELFAST: Anna Drozdowski 1 3-6 5, Abby Sullivan 4 1-4 11, Kendra Bigelow 1 0-0 2, Adison Grusendorf 5 0-2 11, Mary Hamer 4 0-0 8. Totals: 15 4-12 37.
3-point goals: B-R 1 (Ayers), GVB 3 (Sullivan 2, Grusendorf).
Total Fouls: B-R 15, GVB 15. Fouled out: Giardini (B-R), Proctor (GVB), Hamer (GVB).

Andover/Whitesville 61, Houghton Academy 33

WHITESVILLE — The comeback is always greater than the setback. After falling to the hands of the Lady Eagles of Fillmore over the weekend for the first time this season, Andover/Whitesville’s response was a bounce back victory back on their home floor, as they composed a fast first quarter start and built on it every step of the way to wrap up a 61-33 triumph over Houghton Academy, Tuesday evening.

“The girls played with a lot of effort tonight to come back and get this win after this weekend. They executed much better on offense, but we still have to figure out a few more things defensively.” said Andover/Whitesville co-coach Aaron Rawady.

Andover/Whitesville (6-1) wasted no time bursting through the gate with a strong start to their game, as Vanessa and Gabbi Hall fronted a charge that saw them post an 18-9 doubling up throughout the frame, combining for 14 of those points. To close out the opening half, the team would buckle in on defense and leave Houghton Academy virtually shot-less from the field, allowing just a three-point field goal from Jess Prentice to reach the netting on the way down to close out a 26-12 lead at the break.

The lead was branched out one final explosion on offense in the third quarter, as the Halls fronted another balanced attack behind their 20-9 jaunt to secure their lead, ultimately for good.

Vanessa Hall led all scorers on the floor with a game-high 29 points, while Gabbi Hall provided a career night of her own, netting 20 points behind four big three-pointers. Lexy Palmatier, Graci Lewis-Ellison and Zoe Baert each had four points to round off the scoring.

For the Lady Panthers (2-5), Prentice led all shooters with 23 team-high points. Jessica Adenuga chipped in with eight points, while Julia Winters had a two-point bucket.

Both teams are back in action Thursday night on the road, with Andover/Whitesville paying a visit to the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford for a 7:30 p.m. contest, while Houghton Academy heads north to visit Hammondsport in a 6 p.m. battle of their own.

Houghton Academy 9 3 9 12 – 33

Andover/Whitesville 18 8 20 15 – 61

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jess Prentice 10 2-4 23, Jessica Adenuga 3 2-4 8, Julia Winters 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 4-8 33.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Lexy Palmatier 2 0-0 4, Vanessa Hall 13 0-0 29, Graci Lewis-Ellison 2 0-0 4, Zoe Baert 2 0-0 4, Gabbi Hall 8 0-0 20. Totals: 27 0-0 61.

3-point goals: HA 1 (Prentice), A/W 7 (G. Hall 4, V. Hall 3).
Total Fouls: HA 4, A/W 13. Fouled out: None.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Andover/Whitesville 61, Houghton Academy 39

WHITESVILLE — Balance can come up large in the game of basketball. On Tuesday, Andover/Whitesville used every bit of it right from the get-go to set the first quarter ablaze with their massive jaunt of Houghton Academy, setting the tone immediately for the remainder of the night to garner a 61-39 home win over the visiting Panthers.

“It was a pretty solid effort all around. We came out very strong and I thought the guys played an excellent first half,” said Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce. “Our man-to-man defense was solid, and Colton (Calladine) worked extremely hard to shadow (James) Adenuga and hold him strong. Thus far, both offensively and defensively, and showing some nice senior leadership, this was a balanced outstanding win.”

Five different contributors set the stage for Andover/Whitesville (5-7) to begin against Houghton Academy, including the start of a big night from CJ Estep, as well as a dynamic presence down low provided by Kohler Niedermaier and his six first quarter points, propelling the team towards a big 21-8 lead out of the gate.

The balance continued onward not only on the home side, but for the Panthers (1-4) as well, as the two squads engaged in a pair of quarters that were determined by no more than four points. A result that would see Andover/Whitesville continue to build onto their lead marching forward to the end, where they put the stamp down on the victory with one final run through the last eight minutes — a 14-6 jaunt.

Estep led Andover/Whitesville towards a successful victory with his game-high 19 points, including four of the team’s seven three-pointers. Calladine chipped in with 11 points of his own, while Gage Hall had 10.

Houghton Academy saw Jack Prentice take charge of the offense, building a 12 point performance. Pedro Rebello finished with eight. The Panthers are now off until Thursday night when they hit the road again, visiting the Hammondsport Lakers for a 7 p.m. contest.

Andover/Whitesville will look to keep the ball rolling to Cuba-Rushford on Friday, paying a visit to the scorching hot Rebels for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

“We have a big matchup with Cuba on Friday. We didn’t have many answers for them the first time around, but the hope is that we can change up the narrative a bit for this time.” said Joyce.

Houghton Academy 8 12 13 6 – 39

Andover/Whitesville 21 16 11 14 – 61

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 5 0-3 12, Josh Davidson 2 0-0 5, James Adenuga 3 0-1 7, Jack Qi 3 0-0 7, Pedro Rebello 4 0-0 8. Totals: 17 0-4 39.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Brody Vance 2 0-0 4, Colton Calladine 4 1-2 11, Jack Belmont 2 0-0 5, CJ Estep 7 2-3 19, Gage Hall 5 0-1 10, Kohler Niedermaier 6 0-1 12. Totals: 26 3-7 61.

3-point goals: HA 5 (Prentice 2, Davidson, Adenuga, Qi), A/W 7 (Estep 4, Calladine 2, Belmont).
Total Fouls: HA 10, A/W 11. Fouled out: None.