Tuesday Roundup: Fresh off Arkport Duals victory, Wellsville grapplers open home slate with 42-29 win over Wolves; B-R scores massive 1st half-ending run behind stellar defense in win over Portville

WELLSVILLE — This past weekend showcased an extension on Wellsville’s brilliant start on the mat. With two tournament championships now under their belts, including Saturday’s Arkport Duals, it was officially time for regular season action on Tuesday against the very same Arkport-Canaseraga team that hosted the annual event.

It was safe to say that the Lion’s Den was packed, and it was also safe to say that it was loud. What better atmosphere could you ask for, for your home opener?

The Lions and the visiting Wolves squared off in what was a duel right from the start. Both teams traded victories on the mat in rapid succession, left and right. The teams would eventually come together for a 12-12 tie in the early-going.

But approaching the middleweight battles, the tide began to shift in the Lions’ direction, as they picked up massive victories from David Clark, Adam Iantorno and Jack Cicirello to help pave the way, while Gabe Black helped end the night with a clutch victory at 190 pounds to further cement their 42-29 win over the Wolves.

The night would begin at 285 pounds with Arkport-Canaseraga climbing onto the board first with Aiden New collecting the team’s quickest victory via pinfall, rolling up Wellsville’s Brayden Taggert in just 24 seconds to break the ice. After a forfeit win for Easton Joyce at 101 points to even the score, the Wolves retook the lead in the next match after a lengthy battle between Jacob Kellog and Paul Giovanniello at 108 pounds.

With a 2-1 lead collected by Giovanniello going into the second period, a pair of reversals were exchanged between the two competitors, with the last being serviced by Kellog to lay the pin down in the same swing, recording the win with just 12 seconds left.

Another forfeit win for the Lions would even the score for what would be the last time in the match, as Wellsville propelled into the lead permanently with David Clark’s victory at 124 pounds after he completed a comeback to record the pinfall win over Connor Smith at the 2:45 mark of the second period.

With the Wolves gaining ground by trimming their deficit to a single point off Brock Kellog’s 17-2 technical fall win over Brock Mattison at 131 pounds, Wellsville would counter with back-to-back wins from Adam Iantorno (138 pounds) and Jack Cicirello (145 pounds) to further distance their advantage, with Iantorno pinning Thomas Moore in 23 seconds, while Cicirello took complete control and finished strong in a 14-2 major decision over John Stauring.

Taylor Pragle (152 pounds) and Matt Ritter (160 pounds) would record pinfall victories for both Arkport-Canaseraga and Wellsville respectively, which would allow the Lions to maintain sight of victory that awaited in the end, as they closed out the night with two more victories in rapid succession from Xander Outman, who claimed a 21-5 technical fall win at 170 pounds, and a brilliant performance from Gabe Black at 190 pounds.

Black trailed 2-1 to Drew Giblin for much of the battle up until the late stages of the second period, when he provided a massive near-fall to propel himself into the lead going into the last two-minute segment, where he was able to come away with a clutch escape from Giblin’s grasp to pull off the 5-2 decision win.

Arkport-Canaseraga would garner one final win from Ruben Diaz at 215 pounds, via forfeit.

The Lions are now off until next Tuesday night back on their home mat, as they now get set to renew their rivalry with the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines in a 6 p.m. start.

Results

101 – Easton Joyce (WLSV) by for.

108 – Jacob Kellog (A-C) def. Paul Giovanniello (WLSV) by pin, 3:48.

116 – Blake Geffers (WLSV) by for.

124 – David Clark (WLSV) def. Connor Smith (A-C) by pin, 2:45.

131 – Brock Kellog (A-C) def. Brock Mattison (WLSV) by tech fall, 17-2.

138 – Adam Iantorno (WLSV) def. Thomas Moore (A-C) by pin, :23.

145 – Jack Cicirello (WLSV) def. John Stauring (A-C) by major dec, 14-2.

152 – Taylor Pragle (A-C) def. Landon Stratton (WLSV) by pin, 1:05.

160 – Matt Ritter (WLSV) def. Sage Butcher (A-C) by pin, 3:23.

170 – Xander Outman (WLSV) def. Richard Flaitz (A-C) by tech fall, 21-5.

190 – Gabe Black (WLSV) def. Drew Giblin (A-C) by dec, 5-2.

215 – Ruben Diaz (A-C) by for.

*285 – Aiden New (A-C) def. Brayden Taggert (WLSV) by pin, :24.

Canisteo-Greenwood 39, Bolivar-Richburg 30

CANISTEO — After a flurry of forfeits aided in setting up shop for the area’s biggest rivalry shared between Bolivar-Richburg and Canisteo-Greenwood, it was time to get down to brass tax.

Out of the four matches that took center stage on the mat in the Canisteo Valley on Tuesday, three of them would belong to the Wolverines, as they performed a complete sweep of all three heavyweight matches to propel their ascension. But after six total forfeit wins went their way, the Chargers were able to spark a home victory over their archrivals in their first and only meeting of the campaign, as they edged their way towards what was a 39-30 triumph.

Beginning at 124 pounds to kickstart the match, the two teams would trade forfeits across the first seven matches before Bolivar-Richburg scored three straight wins on the mat. Leading off was Zack Mitchell at 190 pounds, as he pinned Canisteo-Greenwood’s Brandlee Dennis with a single second remaining in the first period to claim the victory.

Camren Wilber followed suit with a pinfall win of his own in similar fashion, rolling up Luke Zeh with two ticks left in the opening period. Caden Allen would wrap up the heavyweight victories for the Wolverines at 285 pounds, claiming his win with just under a minute remaining in the last period over Skyler Miles.

The Chargers garnered their lone win at 116 pounds from Connor McCaffery, as he edged out Teegan Sibble for a close 7-2 decision win. The hosts also garnered forfeit wins from Garrett Hall (101 pounds), Ziah Sharp (124 pounds), Mathias Sharp (138 pounds), Austin Hall (145 pounds), Gavin Bob (152 pounds) and Carson Turner (160 pounds).

Bolivar-Richburg gained two forfeit wins from Cayden Gaines and Tavyn MacDonell at 131 and 170 pounds, respectively.

Next week, the Wolverines will return to action with a 6 p.m. visit to Wellsville.

Results

101 – Garrett Hall (C-G) by for.

108 – Double for.

116 – Connor McCaffery (C-G) def. Teegan Sibble (B-R) by dec, 7-2.

*124 – Ziah Sharp (C-G) by for.

131 – Cayden Gaines (B-R) by for.

138 – Mathias Sharp (C-G) by for.

145 – Austin Hall (C-G) by for.

152 – Gavin Bob (C-G) by for.

160 – Carson Turner (C-G) by for.

170 – Tavyn MacDonell (B-R) by for.

190 – Zack Mitchell (B-R) def. Brandlee Dennis (C-G) by pin, 1:59.

215 – Camren Wilber (B-R) def. Luke Zeh (C-G) by pin, 1:58.

285 – Caden Allen (B-R) def. Skyler Miles (C-G) by pin, 5:01.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Bolivar-Richburg 61, Portville 29

BOLIVAR — Right at the beginning of the season, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were challenged by being thrown the book by the Portville Panthers, led by their superstar sharpshooter Aiden DeFazio, in their ACE Tournament title clash.

Before they depart for the upcoming weekend to go west to Cleveland, a burst of momentum for the long bus ride was something they wanted to secure. A chance to do that came Tuesday night back home in a rematch against those same Panthers once again.

This time, a different story to tell. The defense turned out the lights.

With an early first quarter lead in the bag, Bolivar-Richburg doubled down in the second quarter behind what was an extraordinary display of defense, holding Portville at a near-complete halt across the board while providing massive punctuation with a scoreless run to keep their position in the driver’s seat, en route to a 61-29 home win to record their fifth straight victory.

“The defense showed up. That's been the challenge since the beginning of the season. The offense has been pleasing, but the defense has had shortcomings,” Wolverines coach Justin Thomas said. “But we had much better help, and that started with Reiss covering the DeFazio kid. He had only five points after he dropped 33 to start the season. The boys did a great job clamping down and controlling the rest of it from there.”

After an early back-and-forth trade across the first quarter of play, the Wolverines (5-0) were able to claim the advantage to maintain the momentum in their favor. In the second quarter, the table was run decisively after the hosts took a four-point lead, as they closed out a dominant first half with 15 straight points to garner all the room they needed to remain in command.

Almost every Wolverine found their way into the scorebook at the end of the night, with Aydin Sisson pacing the offense with 18 game-high points to go with five assists. Landon Barkley followed with 13 points of his own pair with a trio of steals. Waide Karnuth had eight points.

Next up: A trip to the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, where the Wolverines will partake in an opportunity of a lifetime.

Immediately following the Atlanta Hawks-Cleveland Cavaliers contest Saturday night, they will take center stage on the NBA floor with a late night, 10:30 p.m. tip-off against their longtime rival Cuba-Rushford.

WellsvilleSports.com will be making the trip out to Ohio for the trip, so stay tuned for all the latest updates!

Portville 8 3 6 12 – 29

Bolivar-Richburg 13 17 9 22 – 61

PORTVILLE: Marcus Wilson 1 0-0 3, Chase Armstrong 0 1-2 1, Joseph Funden 2 0-0 6, Karsen Padlo 1 0-0 2, Aiden DeFazio 2 0-0 5, Troy VanSickle 2 0-4 4, Ethan Obergfell 3 0-0 6, Kaiden Scanlon 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 1-6 29.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 8 1-2 18, Landon Barkley 5 2-4 13, Brayden Zilker 1 0-0 3, David Abdo 1 0-0 2, Waide Karnuth 3 2-4 8, Maddox Davison 1 2-2 4, Trevor Pforter 1 0-0 2, Caden Giardini 1 0-0 3, Reiss Gaines 1 0-0 2, James Margeson 1 0-0 3, Kingston Loucks 1 0-0 3. Totals: 24 7-12 61.

3-point goals: Portville 4 (Funden 2, Wilson, DeFazio), B-R 6 (Sisson, Barkley, Zilker, Giardini, Margeson, Loucks).

Total Fouls: Portville 15, B-R 17. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Pioneer 46, Wellsville 30

WELLSVILLE — Finding themselves in an early first half hole, there was room to work with for the Lady Lions of Wellsville on Tuesday. Courtesy of a strong finish to the half, they would have control of the lead over visiting Pioneer.

But when the start of the second half came around, the Lady Panthers had other plans in store for the rest of the evening in the Lion’s Den, as they came away with a monstrous jaunt of the Lady Lions in their possession to swipe the advantage away permanently, leaving town with a 46-30 edge to hand Wellsville their first loss.

“The first half, we were down early,” Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord said. “We were able to cut it to two and then win the second quarter to take the lead. To be honest, we couldn't find a way to finish and to sustain our lead in the second half. They capitalized on their opportunities and we didn't, especially on the transition. They're a great athletic team that plays in the As in Section 6. Hopefully, this is something that we can learn to be better.”

A back-and-forth fight across the first half ensued between both sides, with the Lady Lions (4-1) working their way back from an 8-4 deficit against Pioneer with five straight points carrying over into the second quarter, where they would claim the lead. Since that point in time, the teeter-totter battle settled back in until the end of the half, when they would ensure a halftime lead for the second half after a 12-point frame.

In the third quarter however, Pioneer brought the fireworks to the table, as they went straight to business on both ends of the floor with the offense feeding off a defensive effort that saw them allow just two points to Wellsville in the midst of their 10-2 run to go back on top, ultimately for good. To wrap up the night, the Lady Panthers provided strong emphasis with their largest frame of offense in the game — a 19-point fourth quarter, to officially seal the deal on the road win.

Natalie Adams led all scorers on the floor for Wellsville with 18 game-high points, pairing them with four rebounds and three steals. Makenna Dunbar was a single point shy of a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing 11 boards, while Caelyn Stevens had the remaining three points to chip in alongside six rebounds of her own.

The Lady Lions are now off until next Wednesday night back inside the Lion’s Den, as they now begin preparations for a 7:30 p.m. visit from the Olean Lady Huskies.

Pioneer 8 9 10 19 – 46

Wellsville 6 12 2 10 – 30

PIONEER: Gretchen Rumfola 4 1-4 9, Jayden Leederman 4 0-0 8, Celsy Colombo 6 0-0 12, Delaney Petri 3 0-0 6, Alania Barber 2 1-2 5, Abby Mason 0 0-2 0, Sarah Morris 2 2-3 6. Totals: 21 4-11 46.
WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 1 1-2 3, Natalie Adams 8 1-2 18, Makenna Dunbar 4 0-0 9. Totals: 13 2-4 30.
3-point goals: Wellsville 2 (Adams, Dunbar).
Total Fouls: Pioneer 13, Wellsville 9. Fouled out: None.

Livonia 41, Canisteo-Greenwood 25

CANISTEO — The Lady Chargers of Canisteo-Greenwood were tagging right alongside Livonia across the first half of play, despite an early first quarter lead transforming into a halftime deadlock.

But when the second half arrived, a rapid and game-changing alteration of pace settled in when the Lady Bulldogs found their rhythm and struck every chord, coasting off on a big third quarter run to pull away from their opposition with a 41-25 road win in Canisteo, Tuesday night.

Five different Lady Chargers (2-2) all found their way to the rim to begin the first eight minute stanza of the battle, capitalizing on what was a speedy 11-6 lead of Livonia when the frame reached its conclusion.

The Lady Bulldogs in turn, came up with a response themselves, holding Canisteo-Greenwood to just four points on the defensive end to trim their deficit down to a 15-15 halftime tie going into the locker room.

That same momentum that was established by the visitors in blue and orange was reconnected once more in the third quarter. This time, on all facets, as they conducted an 18-4 run of the Lady Chargers to officially pull away for good towards victory.

Despite the defeat, Bailey Mullen recorded a strong night on offense for the hosts in white and red, netting 10 team-high points. Paris May had five points to add in, while Kora Button scored four points.

The Lady Chargers will now head for Cuba-Rushford on Thursday to partake in tournament action, beginning with a 6 p.m. contest against Section VI-rep Pioneer. The winner will face either Olean or the host Lady Rebels in the Championship game on Saturday.

Livonia 6 9 18 8 – 41

Canisteo-Greenwood 11 4 4 6 – 25

LIVONIA: Mary Kwak 4 5-9 13, KJ Einhiple 2 1-2 6, Emma King 2 0-0 5, Libby Kwak 5 1-4 13, Molly Hitchcock 1 0-0 2, Morgan Meys 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 7-15 41.

CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 2 0-0 4, Bailey Mullen 4 2-2 10, McKenna Ferris 1 0-0 2, Harlie McCaffery 1 0-0 2, Sidney Drouin 1 0-0 2, Paris May 2 0-0 5. Totals: 11 2-2 25.

3-point goals: Livonia 4 (L. Kwak 2, Einhiple, King), C-G 1 (May).
Total Fouls: Livonia 8, C-G 15. Fouled out: None.

BOYS SWIMMING

Wellsville 78, Canisteo-Greenwood 69

WELLSVILLE — In what was originally slated as a road trip to the Canisteo Valley on Tuesday, the Chargers and the Lions of Wellsville reversed course and settled the score in the Lion’s Den.

Right from the start, the Lions garnered their winning edge behind nine straight first place finishes to open the battle with Canisteo-Greenwood, seven of them from seven different individual swimmers to assemble a 78-69 victory to keep their hot start to the season afloat.

“For the fourth meet of the year, the team is posting some fast times,” said Lions coach Steve Hand. “They are getting into the rhythm of the season, and adjusting to more yards. Landon (Cinque) got a good win, Sean (Driscoll) had a good drop in his 50 freestyle, Eli (Brophy) looked solid in the fly, Brayden (Ketchner) picked up another Sectional cut in the 500 and Tyler (Rahr) keeps improving on the board.”

It was a perfect first half of the meet that Wellsville fired on all cylinders with, as they used wins from Landon Cinque (200 freestyle, 2:30.52), Ben Jordan (200 individual medley, 2:15.81), Sean Driscoll (50 freestyle, 26.30) and Tyler Rahr (Diving, 173.40) to go with a lead-off 200 medley relay win (2:01.35).

The winning momentum carried into the next half of action against the Chargers with four more first place medals, including a 200 freestyle relay triumph, with Brayden Ketchner (500 freestyle, 6:15.57), Eli Brophy (100 butterfly, 1:07.22) and Ethan Crandell (100 freestyle, 59.85) rounding off the victories in the water.

The Lions will mark their return to their home waters Thursday night with a 5:30 p.m. visit from Cuba-Rushford.