Thursday Roundup: Lady JagDogs start fast, hold on to 50-39 victory despite late 2nd half rally by B-R; Lady Lions hold Olean in check to complete season sweep on road
![Genesee Valley/Belfast junior Adison Grusendorf, middle, waits for a play to develop out front, as Bolivar-Richburg senior Kayli Giardini, left, defends during Thursday night’s home contest in Belfast. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5dec3c09e4272e7a7d75ee48/1641525524128-JEBFEYWJY8EC4284MVTK/252A7367.JPG)
BELFAST — After splitting their appearance at Avoca/Prattsburgh’s Christmas Tournament, the Lady JagDogs of Genesee Valley/Belfast were hopeful that it was the beginning of bigger things to come after officially crossing into the second half of their schedule, Thursday night back home in Belfast.
With Bolivar-Richburg in town for a visit, a chance to gain an upper hand to control was available for the taking. With the efforts of sophomore Mary Hamer paying a ton of dividends, the Lady JagDogs would do just that right in the first eight minutes of play, holding the Lady Wolverines down with a 17-4 first quarter lead that they would never lose, despite a late fourth quarter comeback in their 50-39 home win.
The first half was dominated by the Lady JagDogs (5-3), as they cashed in on multiple turnovers and the rebounds off the glass underneath to start up a run that provided them a start they wanted to carry forward, scoring seven in a row in the first 90 seconds to set up shop in their 17-4 early lead of the Lady Wolverines.
Despite some slower struggles all throughout the second quarter, the Lady JagDogs would find a way to make sure they ended the half strong after one-of-two at the line was collected by Jessica Majot and the Lady Wolverines (2-7), as the hosts in white and red scored the next eight points in a row to put a wrap on their 26-8 halftime lead.
Bolivar-Richburg would come out swinging in the second half however to try and chip away at Genesee Valley/Belfast’s lead, despite being narrowly outscored in the third quarter, as the emergence of Kayli Giardini and her stellar three-point performance helped power up a massive 21-10 jaunt in the final eight minutes to keep the pressure on the Lady JagDogs.
But in the end, Genesee Valley/Belfast bent, but they did not break, as they held on for victory to start their 2022 slate strong.
Hamer would lead all Lady JagDogs scorers with a team-high 20 points. Kaitlin Sadler dished in 10 points of her own, while Alicia Borden had eight points.
On the flip side for the Lady Wolverines, Giardini would sink all seven of the team’s three pointers from outside to put toward a season-best performance on the attack, garnering a game-high 25 points. Majot would conclude with five points. Bolivar-Richburg returns home to host the Fillmore Lady Eagles in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, Wednesday evening.
The Lady JagDogs will look to keep the momentum rolling over the road after the weekend, paying a visit to Hinsdale on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Bolivar-Richburg 4 4 10 21 – 39
Genesee Valley/Belfast 17 9 14 10 – 50
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 1 1-2 3, Emma Sisson 1 0-0 2, Kayli Giardini 9 0-0 25, Carmen Crowley 1 2-2 4, Jessica Majot 1 3-5 5. Totals: 13 6-9 39.
GV/BELFAST: Alicia Borden 3 1-2 8, Anna Drozdowski 1 0-2 2, Adison Grusendorf 2 2-2 6, Mary Hamer 9 2-3 20, Kaitlin Sadler 4 2-5 10, Addy Herring 0 0-2 0, Jaslynn Shipman 2 0-0 4. Totals: 21 7-16 50.
3-point goals: B-R 7 (Giardini), GVB 1 (Borden).
Total Fouls: B-R 16, GVB 14. Fouled out: None.
Wellsville 43, Olean 34
OLEAN — One of the big objectives for the Lady Lions of Wellsville to start the new year, was to find a way to rebound from their holiday weekend spent at the Coaches v. Cancer Tournament in Bath, where they came away emptyhanded for the first time in recent memory.
To start 2022, a potential season sweep of the Olean Lady Huskies was on the table when they traveled over the road to visit their Section VI rivals on Thursday.
Although the pressure and the three-point game that Olean possesses caused an influx of struggles for the Lady Lions last game, they made sure it was left in the rearview mirror as they held Lady Huskies sharpshooter Leah Williams to just four points while capitalizing on a pair of big runs to pull away toward a 43-34 series-sweeping victory.
“It was great to come into 2022 and bounce back with the win. Hopefully this is something we can continue in a nice run through January,” said Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord. “We handled the pressure really well. We came in and kept our cool, and executed, which is something that we needed to do. We still held the Williams girl to just two field goals before the fourth quarter came around. But we really took care of the ball down the stretch, and that was a big difference maker tonight. It was an overall team effort, and everyone did a little bit of everything.”
The Lady Lions (7-2) battled with Olean through a closely-contested first quarter, with each team coming away tied up at seven. Then runs would soon begin to be traded, with Wellsville grabbing the second quarter advantage with a 15-8 run of the Lady Huskies that saw them take the lead going into the second half, ending with a buzzer-beating shot from Emily Robbins.
Olean would attempt to cut away at their deficit upon returning to the floor for the third quarter, coming away with a narrow run of their own to trail by a single possession heading into the fourth. But it would not last long, as the Lady Lions came up with another huge run in the final eight minutes to ultimately pull away from the host’s grasp for good.
Marley Adams and Emily Costello led the way on offense for Wellsville, with Adams tallying a team-high 14 points to pair with seven rebounds and three steals. Costello followed up with 11 points of her own, while Jaylynn Mess led the rebounding department with nine off the glass. Kaylee Coleman chipped in with eight boards.
Prior to the Varsity contest, Alexa Stuck recorded 10 points to help fuel Wellsville’s 41-23 win over Olean in the JV battle.
The Lady Lions are back home to host the Letchworth Lady Indians on Saturday, with tip-off set for a 7:30 p.m. start.
Wellsville 7 15 7 15 – 43
Olean 7 8 11 8 – 34
WELLSVILLE: Marley Adams 7 0-0 14, Jaylynn Mess 2 0-0 4, Emily Costello 5 0-2 11, Jaelyn Knapp 3 1-3 7, Emily Robbins 1 0-0 2, Kaylee Coleman 1 3-6 5. Totals: 19 4-11 43.
OLEAN: Jojo Gibbons 3 1-2 9, Anayah Parks-Barker 6 0-0 14, Jez Fayson 2 1-2 5, Leah Williams 2 0-2 4, Amy Campbell 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 2-6 34.
3-point goals: Wellsville 1 (Costello), Olean 4 (Gibbons 2, Baker 2).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 7, Olean 17. Fouled out: None.
Andover/Whitesville 59, Cuba-Rushford 31
CUBA — Through the opening quarter, both Andover/Whitesville and Cuba-Rushford provided each other with a trading of barbs, with Vanessa Hall and Taylor Searle leading their respective clubs on the attack. With a four-point lead scavenged, one player began to heat up.
That was Hall for Andover/Whitesville, as her hot streak continued forward into a second quarter that saw the visitors hold the Lady Rebels to a single basket in the midst of a shapeshifting 13-2 run to end the first half, pulling away toward victory permanently to collect their sixth win in seven games by a 59-31 count over Cuba-Rushford on Thursday in the Wighthouse.
“Defensively, we were decent tonight,” Andover/Whitesville co-coach Aaron Rawady said. “We gave up a few early baskets, but then we settled down after that. Searle is a tough guard, and I thought we did okay on her. We moved the ball well on offense at times, and made some really nice plays for each other. We have to be more efficient though. We had too many turnovers and missed layups, but overall, it was nice to be back on the court after a long layoff.”
After a first quarter that saw Andover/Whitesville (6-1) jump out to a 17-13 lead of Cuba-Rushford, they would build on much more to remain in front for good, holding the Lady Rebels across a 13-2 second quarter run led by Vanessa Hall and her hot night from the field, recording a game-high 38 points to pace Andover/Whitesville and their victory.
The visitors would collect two more big runs through the second half to continue solidifying their advantage until the end.
Serena Ainsworth and Maria Riloba helped further Andover/Whitesville’s cause with 10, and six points respectively. On the other side for the Lady Rebels (4-5), Taylor Searle led the attack with a team-high 18 points.
Both teams are back in action with a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests Monday night, as Andover/Whitesville heads back home to welcome in Campbell-Savona in Andover, while Cuba-Rushford hits the road to visit Fillmore.
Andover/Whitesville 17 13 14 15 – 59
Cuba-Rushford 13 2 9 7 – 31
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Maria Riloba 3 0-0 6, Rachel Jackson 2 0-0 4, Serena Ainsworth 5 0-0 10, Vanessa Hall 14 7-9 38, Gabbi Hall 0 1-2 1. Totals: 24 8-11 59.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Lillian Forward 1 0-0 3, Cloey Larabee 1 0-0 2, Brynn Lavery 1 1-2 3, Gabby Kranock 1 1-8 3, Aleah Demick 1 0-0 2, Taylor Searle 8 2-4 18. Totals: 13 3-12 31.
3-point goals: A/W 3 (V. Hall), C-R 1 (Forward).
Total Fouls: A/W 15, C-R 14. Fouled out: None.
WRESTLING
Bolivar-Richburg 60, Keshequa 0
BOLIVAR — In a flurry of forfeits, just two matches took center stage on the mat on Thursday for the host Wolverines. Those came right at the very beginning, as Gary McDowell and Teegan Sibble both collected pin-fall wins in the lightweight division to lead Bolivar-Richburg toward a 60-0 shutout of visiting Keshequa.
McDowell and Sibble went back-to-back to start the evening for Bolivar-Richburg on the mat, with McDowell starting with a 2:47 pin-fall victory over Graham Howe at 102 pounds, and immediately after, a 3:32 pin-fall victory for Sibble herself over Olivia Cartwright at 110 pounds to complete the bouts.
In between three double forfeits between the Indians and Wolverines, Bolivar-Richburg would collect eight forfeit wins all collected by Trey Buchholz (118 pounds), Ethan Coleman (138 pounds), Tavyn MacDonell (145 pounds), Kadin Tompkins (152 pounds), Caden Allen (160 pounds), Phil MacDonell (189 pounds), Trent Sibble (215 pounds) and Lloyd Kinnicutt (285 pounds).
The Wolverines will return to action on Wednesday, when they head for the Section V Dual Meet at Palmyra-Macedon.
They will begin with a 5 p.m. bout against Honeoye Falls-Lima.
Results
*102 – Gary McDowell (B-R) def. Graham Howe (KES) by pin, 2:47.
110 – Teegan Sibble (B-R) def. Olivia Cartwright (KES) by pin, 3:32.
118 – Trey Buchholz (B-R) by for.
126 – Double for.
132 – Double for.
138 – Ethan Coleman (B-R) by for.
145 – Tavyn MacDonell (B-R) by for.
152 – Kadin Tompkins (B-R) by for.
160 – Caden Allen (B-R) by for.
172 – Double for.
189 – Phil MacDonell (B-R) by for.
215 – Trent Sibble (B-R) by for.
285 – Lloyd Kinnicutt (B-R) by for.
