Tuesday Sectionals: No. 4 Lady Lions build fiery 1st half, hold off late rally by No. 5 NR-W to advance in 39-34 win; No. 3 Whitesville rolls past No. 6 Friendship

Written By Chris Brooks

WELLSVILLE — You could not have pictured a better start for the fourth-seeded Lady Lions to begin their trek through the Sectional field. Tuesday night, Wellsville ran rampant through the first half with a pair of runs that saw them spring out to a double digit lead heading into the break.

But No. 5 North Rose-Wolcott, despite the slow and sluggish start from the get-go, they started to kick things into gear when the second half came, as they saved their best quarter for last to turn up the heat on the Lady Lions, cutting their deficit down to as small as three at one point.

Despite the late rally, Wellsville was able to stave off the Lady Cougars with clutch free throws down the stretch, as they used a brilliantly executed first half led by both Marley Adams and Emily Costello to set the bar, using it to move onto Thursday’s Semifinal round with a 39-34 edging of North Rose-Wolcott.

“We got out to a great start in the first quarter, and we played it very aggressively,” Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord said. “It said it all year long, we can play with just about anybody. We had a setback with Emily going down in the second quarter, and we had to make some adjustments from that. We finished the half strong, but we started to get a bit shaky in the second half. We gave up 20 in the fourth, which is the most we’ve given up all season. But we finished out with some clutch free throws right near the end.”

The Adams and Costello tag-team made their presence known from the start in the first quarter, as they helped the Lady Lions (9-2) start off with 12 straight points to the basket, not allowing North Rose-Wolcott to score in over four minutes time along the way. It was a 12-3 run for the hosts in white and orange altogether, with Adams recording eight of those points and Costello providing the last four.

In the second quarter, it was more of the same as time progressed, as Wellsville scored another scoreless run to start the second quarter while holding the Lady Cougars off the board once again for nearly half of the quarter, scoring six in a row to begin their tenure of offense. The Lady Cougars were able to chip away, but Costello drained the final basket of the half from three-point range to secure a 14-point halftime lead.

“Marley is a big game player, and she does what she does. It was nice to see her start out hot, and she built her consistency up from there. Emily was right there with her too. Then, Marley had to step up and run point when Emily went out. The girls all rally around each other, and pick each other up. It would have been easy to let Emily’s loss effect us, but they came together to finish this out strong.” said Alvord.

After the injury to Costello, North Rose-Wolcott began to find an opening back into the game, making up for lost ground in the first half. They would go on to outscore the Lady Lions by a 26-17 count, trimming their deficit to as little as one possession to apply the pressure late on the Lady Lions. But the hosts were able to fend off the late Lady Cougars rally with some big help at the charity stripe to secure the victory for good.

Adams went on to lead all Wellsville scorers with a game-high 20 points. Costello would finish with 10 points. On the rebounds, Emily Robbins (7) and Kaylee Coleman (5) combined to provide 12 rebounds on special teams.

The Lady Lions are now into the Class B2 Semifinal round, which will begin Thursday night with a road trip to visit the top-seeded Lady Indians of Waterloo. Time for their clash has not been determined yet.

“It’s a little more challenging, but I think our defense can really line up with anyone we go up against,” Alvord said. “Waterloo will press full court, half court, 3/4 court. It’s nothing like we haven’t seen before. They run a similar playstyle like Hornell does, but we’ll make sure to give it all that we have.”

North Rose-Wolcott 3 5 6 20 – 34

Wellsville 12 10 5 12 – 39

NORTH ROSE-WOLCOTT: Mercedes Crum 1 1-2 3, Eva Norris 1 3-4 5, Lissah Waterman 4 7-9 17, Emma Grace Humbert 3 0-0 6, Alexis Countryman 0 1-2 1, Abby Nelson 1 0-0 3. Totals: 10 11-16 34.

WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 8 2-4 20, Jaylynn Mess 1 0-0 2, Emily Costello 4 1-2 10, Jaelyn Knapp 0 5-6 5, Emily Robbins 0 2-4 2. Totals: 13 10-16 39.

3-point goals: NR-W 3 (Waterman 2, Nelson), Wellsville 3 (Adams 2, Costello).
Total Fouls: NR-W 18, Wellsville 14. Fouled out: None.

Class D2 Quarterfinals

No. 3 Whitesville 79, No. 6 Friendship 39

WHITESVILLE — Right from the start, the third-seeded Lady Jays of Whitesville built up a scoreless run of No. 6 Friendship.

From that point, it led to bigger things as the game went on, as they accounted for nearly 20 points in all four quarters in their 79-37 home win over the Lady Golden Eagles, in Class D2 Quarterfinal action on Tuesday.

Whitesville (10-1) started the first eight minutes on the strongest of notes, accounting for a scoreless run of Friendship to set the tone, behind the guidance of their rising sophomore Vanessa Hall, who wound up recording a game-high 35 points for the Lady Jays.

Hall added in six steals and five rebounds along the way to complete her brilliant evening.

The momentum carried all throughout the rest of the 24 minutes left of play, accounting for 18-8 and 23-7 runs in the next two quarters to pull away permanently. Finishing behind Hall in the Whitesville scorebook was Kennedy Bledsoe, who recorded 15 points to go with five rebounds. Rachel Jackson nearly came away with a double-double, compiling nine points to go with her nine assists.

Friendship was led by Nevaeh Ross, who tallied a team-high 15 points. Kadence Donohue was not far behind, adding in 12 points of her own, while Bethany Gardner and Aaliyah Harmon each had four points for the Lady Golden Eagles, who will finish their shortened 2021 season with a record of 5-6.

As for the Lady Jays, they will now compete in the Class D2 Semifinal round, where they now travel over the road to visit No. 2 Avoca/Prattsburgh on Thursday to battle for a spot in this weekend’s Finals. The time for the contest has not been determined.

Friendship 8 8 7 14 – 37

Whitesville 19 18 23 19 – 79

FRIENDSHIP: Nevaeh Ross 7 0-0 15, Logan Roberts 1 0-0 2, Bethany Gardner 2 0-2 4, Kadence Donohue 5 0-0 12, Aaliyah Harmon 2 0-0 4. Totals: 17 0-2 37.
WHITESVILLE: Kennedy Bledsoe 6 3-4 15, Rachel Jackson 4 0-0 9, Serena Ainsworth 3 1-1 7, Vanessa Hall 14 4-5 35, Aislinn Hamilton 1 0-0 2, Gabbi Hall 2 0-0 4, Serina Button 2 1-2 5, Alexys Palmatier 1 0-0 2. Totals: 33 9-12 79.
3-point goals: Friendship 3 (Donohue 2, Ross), Whitesville 4 (Hall 3, Jackson).
Total Fouls: Friendship 9, Whitesville 2. Fouled out: None.

No. 4 Northstar 56, No. 5 Belfast 40

ROCHESTER — The fifth-seeded Lady Bulldogs of Belfast did everything they could to hang around with No. 4 Northstar over the road in their Class D2 Quarterfinal contest on Tuesday.

Down by eight heading into the final eight minute period, the Lady Knights turned up the heat with one last game-changing run, dropping a 20-spot in the fourth quarter to pull away, eliminating the Lady Bulldogs by a 56-40 final count.

In the opening quarter, Northstar was able to garner the first of two 20-point quarters they recorded against Belfast, jumping out to a 20-12 lead of the Lady Bulldogs heading into the second.

Belfast (7-4) was able to hang around despite the deficit, as they hung right with the Lady Knights across the next two quarters to remain in reach by the time the fourth quarter approached. But in the final eight minute period, Northstar had enough fuel left for the fire to record their final 20-point quarter on the visitors in black and red to pull away toward victory.

Despite the loss, the Lady Bulldogs offense was well-balanced up and down the lineup throughout the course of the game, with Mary Hamer and Emma Sullivan taking charge with nine team-high points respectively. Alicia Borden and Kaitlin Sadler each had eight points.

Belfast will wrap up their shortened 2021 season with a record of 7-4.

Belfast 13 9 6 12 – 40

Northstar 20 10 6 20 – 56

BELFAST: Abby Sullivan 1 0-0 2, Alicia Borden 4 0-0 8, Anna Drozdowski 0 0-2 0, Mary Hamer 4 1-2 9, Kaitlin Sadler 3 2-7 8, Harley Proctor 1 0-0 2, Emma Sullivan 4 0-0 9, Cierra Wallace 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 3-11 40.
NORTHSTAR: Alysse Wesp 1 0-0 2, Deaveon Rhodes 0 0-2 0, Breona Jones 9 6-9 27, Bria Danesi 7 0-3 16, Alayna Garwood 5 1-5 11. Totals: 22 7-19 56.

3-point goals: Belfast 1 (E. Sullivan), Northstar 5 (Jones 3, Danesi 2).
Total Fouls: Belfast 22, Northstar 13. Fouled out: Garwood (NC).

No. 2 Avoca/Prattsburgh 51, No. 7 Andover 31

AVOCA — Seventh-seeded Andover came out swinging in the first quarter of their road trip in the Class D2 Quarterfinals, as they got caught in a foot race with No. 2 Avoca/Prattsburgh.

But that foot race turned into a full-length sprint for the Lady Vikings, as they ran off on a pair of runs of the Lady Panthers, including a third quarter run that allowed them to pull away for good in their 51-31 victory to force elimination on the team in purple to end their season.

After a 12-10 lead for the Lady Vikings in the first half, the hosts put their defense to work by holding Andover (5-8) to just five points in the next two quarters of play, taking a seven point lead at the half before expanding it to double digits with their biggest run of the night — a 16-5 jaunt of the Lady Panthers in the third quarter to seal the game for good with a 20-point lead.

Andover was led by Kelsie Niedermaier, who recorded a game-high 17 points, including a 5-for-9 outing at the charity stripe. Livia Simon added in seven points, while Gabby Terhune and Addison Morgan rounded off the scoring with three, and two points respectively.

The Lady Panthers shortened 2021 season is in the books, as they finish with a record of 5-8.

Andover 10 5 5 11 – 31

Avoca/Prattsburgh 12 12 16 11 – 51

ANDOVER: Gabby Terhune 1 1-2 3, Addison Morgan 1 0-0 2, Livia Simon 3 1-2 7, Kelsie Niedermaier 7 5-9 17, Brynne Hunt 0 0-2 0. Totals: 12 7-15 31.
AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH: Kamryn Edwards 3 0-0 6, Colby Santillo 2 0-0 4, Kendra Pinckney 5 0-1 14, Riley Stowe 6 0-1 12, Lucia D'Arpino 6 1-2 13, Susan Moore 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 1-4 51.

3-point goals: A/P 4 (Pinckney).
Total Fouls: Andover 10, A/P 11. Fouled out: Calladine (AND).

Class D1 Quarterfinals

No. 4 Fillmore 39, No. 5 Arkport/Canaseraga 31

FILLMORE — It’s been a fairly up and down season for the Lady Eagles of Fillmore in their shortened 2021 campaign. But Tuesday marked a brand new season for them to make some noise, as the four-seeds hosted No. 5 Arkport/Canaseraga to begin their second season of basketball inside The Rock.

For the majority of the game, the Lady Eagles took advantage of everything they were able to get their hands on, including a massive first quarter spurt that gave them a double digit lead. The Lady Wolves, despite it all, were able to bring it together in the last eight minutes to turn up the pressure on Fillmore in the end.

But with some big thanks from some free throws at the line, the Lady Eagles were able to do their job and fend off the late rally brought on by the five seeds, as they officially advanced into the Class D1 Semifinal round with a 39-31 edging.

“We came out to start the game, and we played really fluidly and really confidently to build our lead,” Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks said. “We grew that going into the fourth, but Arkport found a way to become resilient. They started to catch a little bit of a fire, getting to within five at one point. But we did our job at the free throw line not only in the fourth quarter, but across the second half as a whole to hang on to it.”

Fluidly was the right word to describe the start that Fillmore (7-4) was able to put together in the first eight minutes of play, as they came out firing on all cylinders while holding Arkport/Canaseraga’s offense still on the other end to build what became a 13-2 lead of the Lady Wolves heading into the second.

The 11-point lead for the Lady Eagles would hold until they extended it by two more points in the third quarter, connecting on the beginning stages of their avalanche of free throw shots at the charity stripe. In the fourth however, the Lady Wolves did not go down without a fight, as they saved their best quarter for last to turn up the heat on Fillmore one more time.

But in the end, the Lady Eagles were able to retain control to secure the victory.

Just five scorers recorded points for the offense in white and green, with Jadyn Mucher leading the way with a game-high 15 points, including a near-immaculate 7-for-8 outing at the stripe. Emma Cole was not far behind on the scoresheet, finishing with 13 points of her own. Morgan Byer and Harley Miller each tallied five points, while Preslee Miller had the remaining point to add from the line.

Fillmore will now get set to hit the road for their Class D1 Semifinal matchup, as they now visit the top-seeded and undefeated Lady Falcons of South Seneca to vie for a spot in this weekend’s Finals.

“We’re there Thursday, and we’ve gotten an early look at what they have,” said Parks. “I believe they’re unbeaten. Other than that, I don’t really know much about their personnel, so we’ll get to practice and see what we can fix up in time for that one. Hopefully, we can go there and give them a battle.”

Arkport/Canaseraga 2 8 6 15 – 31

Fillmore 13 8 8 10 – 39

ARKPORT/CANASERAGA: Guilianna Smith 1 0-2 3, Julia Payne 2 0-0 4, Anna Dean-Prince 3 0-0 9, Grace Carney 1 0-0 2, Emily Pfaff 1 0-0 2, Caitlin O'Dea 1 0-0 2, Chloe Herman 2 0-0 5, Caitlyn Gilman 2 0-1 4. Totals: 13 0-3 31.
FILLMORE: Emma Cole 6 1-2 13, Jadyn Mucher 4 7-8 15, Morgan Byer 2 0-0 5, Harley Miller 2 1-2 5, Preslee Miller 0 1-2 1. Totals: 14 10-14 39.

3-point goals: A/C 5 (Dean-Prince 3, Smith, Herman), Fillmore 1 (Byer).
Total Fouls: A/C 12, Fillmore 5. Fouled out: None.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Class C2 Quarterfinals

No. 1 Caledonia-Mumford 63, No. 8 Bolivar-Richburg 33

CALEDONIA — They were one of the hottest teams heading into the Sectional tournament on Tuesday. With wins coming in six of their last seven games, the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines were able to survive a field of multiple teams fighting for the eighth and final spot into the Class C2 bracket. It would earn them a trip to top-seeded Caledonia-Mumford to begin their voyage.

And right from the start, the unbeaten Raiders came out with an absolute haymaker for the Wolverines, beginning a slew of runs that started with an 18-6 outscoring that set the tone almost immediately, as Caledonia-Mumford held Bolivar-Richburg to single digits in three of the four quarters to roll toward a Semifinals berth with a 63-33 victory.

“They did exactly what they expected to do. They had the same exact game plan as us,” said Wolverines coach Jeff Margeson. “Cal-Mum was better at executing, and they shut us right down. We were out of it before we even knew we were in it. It's one thing that it happens in the second half, but when it happens right from the start, that's a different story. We didn't move the ball well, and Cal-Mum was just more physical and they jumped at all the opportunities they got. This one's going to stick with me for a while, and I'm going to dissect this every way I can. The blame falls on me for this one.”

Despite some woes, the Wolverines (7-5) were able to build up their strongest quarter of offense late in the game, netting a 16-point fourth quarter on the Raiders, with Landon Danaher and Camdyn MacDonell powering it up with 15 team-high points respectively. Evan Pinney added a two-point basket, while Daniel Baldwin - the team’s lone senior, recorded the team’s final point from the charity stripe.

The shortened 2021 season for Bolivar-Richburg is over, as they wrap up a bounce back season, their first winning season under Margeson with a record of 7-5 and a share of this year’s Allegany County Division I title.

The Wolverines started this season at 1-3. Since their monumental matchup over the road in Olean back in the middle of February, the season turned around with wins coming in six of their last seven games in the regular season upon entering the Sectional field. It’s a moment the Wolverines coach hopes will carry over into next season, when the majority of his core will return.

“The core's coming back next year, and I hope this game sticks in their craw a little bit,” he said. “We weren’t the same B-R team that has been playing really well the last couple of weeks that showed up tonight. We had a tremendous season, and the Olean game turned it around. I wanted to try and get as best prepared as possible, as well as a tough schedule, so when we get into these situations, we can excel. I gave the guys that chance to feel that feeling of being in a Sectional game. They loved it, fed off it and we had so much momentum going into Sectionals.”

Bolivar-Richburg 6 6 5 16 – 33

Caledonia-Mumford 18 16 10 19 – 63

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Landon Danaher 6 2-8 15, Evan Pinney 1 0-0 2, Daniel Baldwin 0 1-2 1, Camdyn MacDonell 7 1-2 15. Totals: 14 4-12 33.
CAL-MUM: Evan Raniewicz 6 0-0 12, Scott Essig 4 0-0 8, Kyle Wade 8 5-6 23, Jeremy Raymond 2 0-0 6, Nate Doll 1 0-0 2, Donny Peet 1 0-0 2, Mark Poles-Harrison 1 0-0 2, Nathan Howard 4 0-0 8. Totals: 27 5-6 63.

3-point goals: B-R 1 (Danaher), Cal-Mum 4 (Wade 2, Raymond 2).
Total Fouls: B-R 11, Cal-Mum 13. Fouled out: None.

Chris Brooks
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Wednesday Sectionals: Lions scoop up third County title in four seasons with sweep of Ark/Can; top-seeded Fillmore upset by No. 5 Eugenio Maria
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Monday Sectionals: Roeske records career night for top-seeded Eagles, advance in 69-51 win over Mt. Morris; Lions upset by No. 5 Mynderse in B2