Tuesday Roundup: Wellsville bounces back to slug past Section VI giant Olean after wild 4th quarter

Wellsville’s Eli Schmidt (5) looks to put away the basket under pressure from the Olean defense during Tuesday’s home opener. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville’s Max Jusianiec, front, drives his way around the Olean defense, and to the basket during Tuesday’s home opener. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville’s Liam McKinley (12) transitions downcourt on the fast break, as the Olean defense races to contest during Tuesday’s home opener. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville’s Aidan Hart, middle, looks to put up a shot in traffic, as the Olean defense surrounds him during Tuesday’s home opener. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

WELLSVILLE — Through the first five games of the season, the Wellsville Lions have done a certain characteristic more often than not with their young crew — battling back.

It was done during their IAABO Tournament contest against Genesee Valley. It was done during their road trip to Archbishop Walsh. It was done more recently in Hornell, where they pushed the Red Raiders to their limits. On Tuesday, Wellsville would push Section VI power Olean to their limits in their home opener.

Despite all of the events that transpired in the first half portion of the evening, the second half proved to everyone in attendance that they would indeed get their monies worth.

With things shaping up to be an eight-point lead for the Huskies entering the final eight minutes of play, the Lions went on a red-hot scoreless run that eclipsed just over four minutes of time. In the other half? — a back-and-forth battle to the finish that saw Max Jusianiec pick up a game-saving rebound, along with an immediately foul from Olean, on his way to hitting a pair of clutch shots at the line to end the game all in one foul swoop to give the Lions their biggest win of the season thus far by a 52-47 count over the Huskies.

“It starts with the resiliency, and the toughness of our kids,” Lions coach Raymie Auman said. “We’ve been down in a few different games, and we’ve never given up in each of them. We fought, and this team is composed of a bunch of fighters. I think as soon as our experience comes along, we can bring that fight to take us ahead, instead of being down.”

In a way, that’s how a wild fourth quarter between the Huskies and Lions transpired, But initially, Wellsville (3-3) had to fight their way back.

Although things were taking off on the right foot in the opening segment of play, Olean turned up the heat after Wellsville broke an early 5-5 tie with seven straight points to the basket. The Huskies finished the first with the last four points before jumpstarting the night’s first big run — a 12-0 jaunt in just over three minutes time to gain the upper hand. The hits kept coming from Olean, as Covi James nailed a pair of treys at the tail end of the frame to give the visitors a 26-19 lead at the break.

“Our effort wasn’t there in the first half. I was disappointed, because we have a great community that came in to watch Wellsville basketball the way they’ve always know it — hardnosed, diving on the floor, taking charges. We weren’t doing that,” Auman said. “We were slow moving our feet, and going through our motions. I wasn’t happy with that, and the kids knew that. They deserved better, the fans deserved better. We had to change our energy.”

It may not have been noticeable right away, but the energy did change. It was after the Huskies came out firing on all cylinders once again at the start of the third quarter. After slowing down the Lions offense, they started to flare up with seven of the first 11 points out of the gates for the night’s only double-digit lead.

After a quick timeout, the Juice was loose.

The offense came to life by an emphatic dunk from senior standout Max Jusianiec, who put down the sledgehammer to ignite a 9-0 run to cut the original deficit of 11, to just two with under four minutes left in the quarter. Olean however, found a way to close out the frame strong. But the dunk was just the beginning for the Lions.

“This atmosphere is absolutely incredible. The electric in this gym from our fans is overwhelming. It effects the kids, and it lifts them up,” said Auman. “They got into it after Max’s dunk, and our confidence began to grow.”

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Wellsville student section rose to their feet, creating a euphoric aura of electricity that would benefit their team in the long run. As a result, the Lions held the Huskies to a game-low five points in the final eight minutes, all coming in the last portion of time, as the Lions fueled an economical 10-0 run to take their very first lead of the night. That all coming courtesy of a deep Jusianiec trey from near mid-court, and right after, an Eli Schmidt drive under the basket to put them on top.

“Ultimately by the second half, the lanes started to open up for Max, and some other guys made some big plays. Olean had a little spell where we had a pressure-zone going, and they were getting the open looks they wanted,” Auman said. “Our crowd effected their shots, and I got a little nervous myself staying in it. That team is going to be 10 times better, even in two weeks. It will be a well-oiled machine. “

From Wellsville taking the lead, until the final buzzer, the game would settle in for a back-and-forth affair to the finish, as the span of just over three minutes saw a plethora of lead changes between each squad. But the rest of the game was in Jusianiec’s hands with a 48-47 Lions lead on the scoreboard, and under a minute to go.

He would go on to score four straight, clutch shots at the charity stripe to officially put the game on ice, earning Wellsville their very first victory over Olean in the Auman Era. The Lions coach said it may be a big win, but it’s a game the team needs to learn from.

“It’s certainly our first win since I’ve been here that we had against them, and I don’t remember another time that we’ve beaten them. But we’ll take it,” he said. “A win in December can make you better, but it doesn’t make your season. We need to get back to work after this game. In all honesty, both teams probably walked away from this thinking they weren’t good enough to meet their goals. Both of us are going to keep working to get there.”

All in all, Jusianiec finished with a game-high 27 points for the Lions, 20 of those points coming in the second half alone. That comes after he scored a season-high 40 points out of the team’s 51 in their 63-51 defeat to the hands of Hornell over the weekend.

“I’m alright with 27 out of 52 points. The 40 of 51 the other night against Hornell was tough. That’s going to be an equation to win,” Auman said. “If you have to worry about the other guys, it makes a big difference. Our younger guys alone make it so the defense has to remember you.”

Aidan Hart, and Eli Schmidt both stepped up to help the Lions fight back in a wild second half, as they each garnered eight and five points respectively. Liam McKinley helped get things started with five of his seven total points coming in the first quarter.

The Lions are now off until after Christmas, as they prepare for their first of two road trips beginning next Friday, when they head to Elmira to take on Elmira-Notre Dame in first round action of their annual tournament. Tip-off for that contest is slated for a 12:15 p.m. start.

Auman says it’s a tournament he encourages everyone to come watch.

“Elmira is a hostile environment to play basketball,” he said. “Their tournament right after Christmas has some of the toughest National competitors in Western New York. I would urge everyone from the community to come out, and see this tournament. You’ll see some great games with us, and the national talent that’s showcased on these teams. It will be a great scene of basketball.”

Olean              9 17 16  5 – 47

Wellsville       12  7 14 19 – 52

OLEAN: Zion James 1 0-0 3, Covi James 10 1-3 23, Dominik Henzel 3 2-3 11, Jah'Karee McClain 3 1-2 7, Daniel Klein 1 1-2 3. Totals: 18 5-10 47.
WELLSVILLE: Max Jusianiec 9 6-9 27, Eli Schmidt 2 1-1 5, Liam McKinley 2 2-2 7, Logan Dunbar 1 0-0 3, Aidan Hart 4 0-1 8, Brayden Delahunt 1 0-0 2. Totals: 19 9-13 52.

3-point goals: Olean 6 (Henzel 3, C. James 2, Z. James), Wellsville 5 (Jusianiec 3, McKinley, Dunbar).

Total Fouls: Olean 16, Wellsville 13. Fouled out: None.

Genesee Valley 79, Scio 52

SCIO — It was raining threes all over the hardwood that occupied the gymnasium inside Scio Central School, Tuesday evening. When it was all said and done, Trevor Clark became Genesee Valley’s unsung hero from three-point land, sinking seven out of the team’s 12 in the contest to help assist a hot first quarter start to put toward a 79-52 victory over the road against the Tigers.

The Jaguars (4-1) found themselves in front of the Tigers with a 42-31 lead at the half, thanks to a hefty 27-15 run through the first eight minutes. Even though the Tigers (3-1) found a way to close the gap, the visitors in green made yet another run through the third, and into the fourth quarter to stay one step ahead of them for good.

“We were down in the first half, and it was tied with a minute left. They went on a nice run, and then it happened again in the third quarter,” said Tigers coach Dillon McFall. “They killed us on the glass, and they got a bunch of second chances as a result from it. If you told me we were going to hold their two best players to 35 points combined, I thought that would be a win in our book. But they had a couple of role guys that really stepped up to help put things together.”

Clark had a career night for the Jaguars on the floor, finding his rhythm from downtown with a team-high 25 points. Cody Schneider paced the inside game with 18 points of his own, while Evan Windus chipped in with a trio of three-pointers himself, en route to 17 points.

Scio had just three scorers find the book, with Cam Loucks dominating inside once again with a game-high 30 points, including a 7-of-11 outing at the charity stripe. Brendan Graves caught fire from the outer perimeter, sinking six of the Tigers’ seven triples, on his way to a 20-point performance. Carl Finnemore added the team’s final pair of points from the stripe.

The Jaguars will now enjoy Christmas before heading back out on the road again next Friday, as they visit Wayland-Cohocton for their annual Christmas Tournament with a matchup against the host Eagles in the opening round at 2:30 p.m.

As for the Tigers, they will have one more contest before entering the holiday break themselves on Thursday, making a pit stop at Arkport/Canaseraga to visit the Wolves at 7:15 p.m.

Genesee Valley      27 15 18 19 – 79

Scio                        15 16 11 10 – 52

GENESEE VALLEY: Trevor Clark 9 0-0 25, Evan Windus 6 2-3 17, Brock Ellsessor 4 0-0 8, Riley Gordon 3 3-4 9, Keegan McKnight 1 0-0 2, Cody Schneider 7 2-6 18. Totals: 29 7-13 79.
SCIO: Brendan Graves 6 2-2 20, Cam Loucks 11 7-11 30, Carl Finnemore 0 2-6 2. Totals: 17 11-19 52.

3-point goals: GV 12 (Clark 7, Windus 3, Schneider 2), Scio 7 (Graves 6, Loucks).

Total Fouls: GV 12, Scio 10. Fouled out: None.

Houghton Academy 63, Lima Christian 38

HOUGHTON — All the Houghton Academy Panthers needed was a tone-setting half of basketball on Tuesday. They would do just that and then some, holding the visiting Lima Christian Saints to single digits across their 32-15 run to take a 63-38 victory to head into the Christmas break with a 4-1 start in hand.

After jumping out to an eight point lead through the first quarter, Houghton Academy (4-1) took the opportunity to build on their lead, providing a 17-7 outscoring of the Saints that loomed large in the endgame, sealing their victory behind the run.

Ayo Banwo led the Panthers offense with a game-high 21 points, including a 5-of-7 outing at the stripe. Loik Makuza added 13 points of his own, while Lee Murray and Gennaro Pico had nine points each.

Houghton Academy now heads to the break, as they take nearly a month off from action when they return on the road at Andover on January 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Lima Christian              8   7   9 14 – 38

Houghton Academy    15 17 15 16 – 63

LIMA CHRISTIAN: Myles Howard 4 1-2 9, John Gretzinger 5 4-8 17, Kevin Counsil 1 0-0 3, Zeke Sonage 1 0-0 2, Evan Herring 1 0-0 2, Gideon Fiegel 1 0-0 2, Nathan Herring 1 0-0 3. Totals: 14 5-10 38.
HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Lee Murray 3 1-3 9, Ayo Banwo 8 5-8 21, Aiden Feng 2 0-2 4, Loik Makuza 6 1-2 13, Reggie Tran 1 0-0 2, Gennaro Pico 4 0-1 9, Chris Habecker 0 1-2 1, Samuel Morah 2 1 2-2 4. Totals: 26 10-20 63.

3-point goals: Lima 3 (Gretzinger, Counsil, N. Herring), Houghton 3 (Murray 2, Pico).

Total Fouls: Lima 15, Houghton 15. Fouled out: Howard (LC).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Letchworth 38, Wellsville 31

GAINESVILLE — Both Wellsville and host Letchworth were off to a slow go in the opening quarter on Tuesday, but the Lady Indians provided a narrow run through the second quarter that proved to be the difference maker, as they went on to edge out the Lady Lions with a 38-31 victory.

“Giving up only 38 points, I’m not disappointed with the defense,” Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord said. “We were flat in the first half, and we weren’t totally aggressive. There were quick shots that weren’t in the flow of the game, we weren’t stopping the ball, we gave up too many open looks. We need to do a better job, and we did in the second half, but it was just a little too late.”

Despite the first half woes, the Lady Lions (4-2) did manage to make things interesting toward the tail end of the fourth quarter, when the Letchworth lead was cut down to just four points. But the Lady Indians kept their lead for good, as Phoebe Conklin nailed her only shot of the game from outside to extend the lead back out to seven for good.

It was an even balance through the Wellsville scorebook, with Emily Costello pacing the offense with a team-high nine points to go with four steals. Regan Marsh was busy off the glass, collecting 11 rebounds to go with seven points. Marley Adams had eight points, and seven rebounds. Kaylee Coleman had six more rebounds, and a pair of steals.

Prior to the varsity contest, the Lady Lions picked up the 44-21 victory over the Lady Indians behind a team-high 15 point effort from Makenna Dunbar. Brooklyn Stisser added 14 points of her own.

Wellsville returns home for their final game before the Christmas break, as they welcome in the Attica Lady Blue Devils for a 5:30 p.m. start in the Lion’s Den.

Wellsville            3   8 13  7 – 31

Letchworth         6 12 12  8 – 38

WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 3 1-2 8, Emily Costello 4 0-2 9, Emily Robbins 2 1-4 5, Kaylee Coleman 1 0-2 2, Regan Marsh 2 3-5 7. Totals: 12 5-15 31.
LETCHWORTH: Charlotte Book 1 2-2 4, Phoebe Conklin 1 0-4 3, Gabbi Goodrich 2 0-2 4, Brooke DeGroff 5 5-7 15, Hannah DeRock 0 5-6 5, Jane Bliss 2 3-4 7. Totals: 11 15-25 38.
3-point goals: Wellsville (Adams, Costello), Letchworth (Conklin).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 20, Letchworth 19. Fouled out: DeRock (LET), Adams (WLSV).

Avoca/Prattsburgh 57, Andover 49

ANDOVER — The Andover Lady Panthers put together one strong effort against the first of back-to-back tests for the team in Class D1 finalist Avoca/Prattsburgh, but Delaney Stowe and her three-point game were on point, as she sank four of the team’s seven in all to hold off a late rally by the hosts with a 57-49 victory on Tuesday.

“We came out flat in the first, and they hit some big shots,” Lady Panthers coach Jake Bannerman said. “Every time Stowe had an open shot, she absolutely nailed it. I was proud of the girls, and we managed to cut the lead to one at some point in the third quarter. That allowed us to have a good chance in the last quarter. It felt like a Sectional game, and it was a game that I loved watching.”

Stowe wound up finishing with a team-leading 20 points for Avoca/Prattsburgh (5-2).

Behind a heavy effort from their senior captain Emily Wahl, the Lady Panthers (4-2) were able to stay in the game by outscoring the Lady Vikings in the second and third quarters to cut the lead down to six entering the last quarter of play. Wahl finished with a game-high 27 points to go with seven rebounds. Tess Spangenburg and Kelsie Niedermaier each garnered 11 points to help the cause.

The Lady Panthers are right back at it tonight, as they close out the decade with a meeting in Fillmore against the Lady Eagles at 7:30 p.m.

Avoca/Prattsburgh      18   9 16 14 – 57

Andover                        9 10 18 12 – 49

AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH: Delaney Stowe 6 4-4 20, Alexis Weldy 5 1-2 13, Kendra Pinckney 2 4-4 9, Lauryn Moore 2 0-0 4, Lucia D'Arpino 3 3-4 9, Annabella Putnam 0 2-4 2. Totals: 18 14-18 57.
ANDOVER: Tess Spangenburg 4 2-2 11, Livia Simon 0 0-2 0, Emily Wahl 10 6-8 27, Kelsie Niedermaier 4 3-7 11. Totals: 18 11-19 49.

3-point goals: A/P 7 (Stowe 4, Weldy 2, Pinckney), Andover 2 (Spangenburg, Wahl).
Total Fouls: A/P 14, Andover 17. Fouled out: Simon (AND), Calladine (AND).

Genesee Valley 51, Belfast 41

BELMONT — With both teams in search of their first win of the season, it would all come down to the last quarter of play. The host Lady Jaguars of Genesee Valley managed to save their best frame for last, as they held down visiting Belfast with a game-changing 16-1 run to pull ahead for good with a 51-41 victory on Tuesday.

Hailey Herring led the way for the Lady Jaguars (1-4) with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds to complete her double-double on the night. Sierra Burrows chipped in with 10 points inside, while Lizzie Bentley had nine to pitch in.

The Lady Bulldogs (0-5) were led by Alicia Borden, who sank the team’s lone three-pointers on her way to 14 points. Mary Hamer contributed 10 points. Anna Drozdowski followed with nine point for Belfast, who took a 40-35 lead entering the last eight minute session.

Both teams are back in action on Thursday at 6 p.m. with Genesee Valley welcoming in the Whitesville Lady Blue Jays, and Belfast returning home to host the Scio Lady Tigers.

Belfast                  14 17   9  1 – 41

Genesee Valley     13 13  9 16 – 51

BELFAST: Kaitlin Sadler 3 0-0 6, Alicia Borden 6 0-0 14, Anna Drozdowski 3 3-6 9, Mary Hamer 5 0-0 10, Junie Shaw 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 3-6 41.
GENESEE VALLEY: Emera Aquila 3 2-3 8, Lizzie Bentley 3 3-6 9, Sierra Burrows 5 0-0 10, Hailey Herring 7 2-5 16, Isabelle Ordway 3 2-3 8. Totals: 21 9-17 51.

3-point goals: Belfast 2 (Borden).
Total Fouls: Belfast 15, GV 9. Fouled out: Shaw (BEL).

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Cuba-Rushford 3, Arkport/Canaseraga 0

ARKPORT — Fresh off a straight-set sweep of Wellsville the night before, the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford did it all over again, this time on the road, as they went on to sweep the Arkport/Canaseraga Wolves across the board on Tuesday to improve to a 4-1 start into the Christmas Break (25-15, 27-25, 25-19).

Joey Frederick led the offensive production for Cuba-Rushford (4-1) with a team-leading eight kills, and one ace. Caden Granger pitched in with four kills of his own, along with three aces. Setter Caden Larabee dished out 16 assists to pair with his four aces, and two kills.

The Rebels officially hit the Christmas break, as they welcome in Scio to ring in the new decade on January 8 at 6 p.m.