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
FILLMORE — As the season progressed, Will Roeske has been a rising offensive star for the top-seeded Fillmore Eagles. As of late, he has been providing a dominant force down low to power the team’s inside game.
Their opponent to start Sectionals - No. 8 Mount Morris, also provides a dominating force down low in the form of Alexis Crespo. For the majority of the game, Roeske and Crespo were dealing left and right. But it was Roeske’s battle to win, as he helped propel the Eagles to the Class D1 Semifinal round behind his massive career-high 29 point night that fueled their 69-51 win over the visiting Blue Devils on Monday.
“We knew Mount Morris was better than their record, and they showed us that in the first half,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “We were able to put an early run on them and get ahead with a huge lead, but they wouldn’t quit and they rallied back right at halftime. Crespo is a handful, and he got us in some foul trouble. They had no real answer for Will inside, and in the second half, our depth wore them down. I’m really proud of my seniors for locking them down defensively. The way we play is always a rollercoaster ride, but the guys have bought into playing with pace and utilizing their strengths.”
Mount Morris threw the book at Fillmore right from the start, despite falling behind by 10 when halftime approached, as the Eagles grabbed a 20-12 lead that the Blue Devils came back from after falling behind by a 16-4 count in the first quarter. The eight-seeds would finish the frame with eight of the last 12 points.
The momentum would shift into the second, even though Fillmore (8-3) won the battle to extend their lead to double digits at halftime. But it would all dissipate when the third quarter came around, as the Eagles strung together their strongest quarter of the night - a 26-12 run of the Blue Devils that saw their lead grow for good with Roeske taking care of business down low.
Finishing behind the Fillmore sophomore on the attack was Zach Sisson, who added in 10 points. Hayden Rust followed with nine points, while Colby Wolfer and Mitch Ward each recorded six points.
The Eagles now move into the Class D1 Semifinal round, where they will re-enter The Rock on Wednesday to take on No. 5 Eugenio Maria for a spot in this weekend’s Finals. Time for the game has not been determined.
Mount Morris 12 13 12 4 – 51
Fillmore 20 15 26 8 – 69
MOUNT MORRIS: Alexis Crespo 12 4-7 28, Ben Bacon 3 1-5 7, Stephen Somers 4 2-3 10, Bryson Constantine 1 0-0 2, Matt Hartigan 2 0-0 4. Totals: 22 7-15 51.
FILLMORE: Isaiah Voss 1 1-2 4, Hayden Rust 4 1-3 9, Zach Sisson 5 0-0 10, Dylan Valentine 2 0-0 5, Colby Wolfer 2 0-0 6, Mitch Ward 3 0-0 6, Will Roeske 14 1-2 29. Totals: 31 3-7 69.
3-point goals: Fillmore 4 (Wolfer 2, Voss, Valentine).
Total Fouls: Mt. Morris 8, Fillmore 15. Fouled out: None.
Class B2 Quarterfinals
No. 5 Mynderse 67, No. 4 Wellsville 41
WELLSVILLE — Wellsville’s win streak consisting of nine straight games came to a screeching halt when Sectionals began Monday night, as the Lions met their match in the Class B2 Quarterfinal round to kick things off, as No. 5 Mynderse went home victorious with an enormous 67-41 upset to force elimination.
Stats and a complete box score were not made available upon publication.
Wellsville will finish their shortened 2021 season with a record of 9-2.
Class D2 Quarterfinals
No. 4 Scio 46, No. 5 Andover 35
SCIO — Fifth-seeded Andover was step for step right next to No. 4 Scio across the majority of the first half of action in their Class D2 Quarterfinal matchup, Monday night. With a one-point lead in hand, and the Panthers right on their tail, the Tigers manifested a big frame of offense upon re-entry to the court, as they accounted for a run that proved to be the difference maker to keep themselves ahead for good in their 46-35 win.
“We lacked a sense of urgency in the first half, and I was interested to see how we would have come out after playing really well in Saturday's game,” said Tigers coach Dillon McFall. “We picked it up in the second half, but it was just enough to win in the end. Cory (Bolzan) played really well for us. He was real active on defense for us and we needed that. Hopefully we have some intensity when we get to practice tomorrow in time for Wednesday.”
In the first 16 minutes of action, the Panthers and Tigers went back and forth trading baskets, as well as runs. It resulted in Scio (9-3) controlling the game with a one-point lead in their favor by the time the half arrived. But after a cooldown, the third quarter was a point where they eyed an opportunity to peel out, as they held Andover to just six points in the midst of their 13-6 run that saw their lead grow to eight going into the fourth.
It was a lead that the Tigers were able to hang on to with thanks from their senior leader Cam Loucks, who added a game-high 34 points to his career total after eclipsing the 2,000-point mark in his career this past Saturday against Bolivar-Richburg. Brendan Loucks added six points of his own to go with 13 rebounds, while Cory Bolzan dished four assists to go with his four steals.
Andover was led by Spencer Cook, who drove his way to the basket for the majority of his points, garnering a team-high 15. Greg Reilly added six points, while Kohler Niedermaier had four points. The shortened season for the Panthers has come to an end, as they finish 2021 with a record of 6-6.
Scio will return to action this Wednesday night in the Class D2 Semifinal round, where they will travel to take on top-seeded Avoca/Prattsburgh for a spot in the Finals this weekend. Time of the game has yet to be determined.
Andover 10 8 6 11 – 35
Scio 11 8 13 14 – 46
ANDOVER: Spencer Cook 6 2-3 15, Brody Carlin 1 0-0 3, Greg Reilly 3 0-0 6, Cormac Brown 1 0-2 3, Kohler Niedermaier 1 1-2 4. Totals: 13 5-9 35.
SCIO: Brendan Loucks 2 2-2 6, Ayden Faulkner 2 0-0 4, Cam Loucks 14 6-10 34, Dan Fuller 1 0-0 2 Totals: 19 8-12 46.
3-point goals: Andover 5 (Cook, Carlin, Brown, Niedermaier).
Total Fouls: Andover 12, Scio 10. Fouled out: Walker (AND).
No. 2 Belfast 57, No. 7 Whitesville 23
BELFAST — After a first quarter lead was developed, the Bulldogs of Belfast carried the momentum forward, as they accounted for a big second quarter run that sent their eight-point first quarter lead over the top for good, holding No. 7 Whitesville to single digits on defense in the process to move on to the Class D2 Semifinal round with a 57-23 victory over the Blue Jays.
Belfast’s (12-1) lead in the first eight minutes grew exponentially as the game progressed, beginning right before halftime when they put their strongest quarter of offense together to ultimately break away from Whitesville’s grasp for the remainder of the game, accounting for a 19-7 second quarter run.
The Bulldogs went on to outscore the Blue Jays in the second half (24-10) to finish off the win.
For a second straight game, Nick Ellison caught fire from three-point range for the hosts, as he launched five threes out of the team’s nine total once again to finish with a game-high 15 points. Stephen Struckmann powered the inside game, recording 11 points. Tony Logue added in 10 points of his own to assist Belfast’s well-balanced effort on the attack.
The Jays saw Brendal Jackson take charge of the offense behind his team-high six points. Colby Gaines added in five points, while Lucas Erdmann and Dylan Acor each had three, as Whitesville finishes their 2021 shortened season with a record of 3-8.
As for the Bulldogs, they advance onward to the Class D2 Semifinal round on Wednesday right back inside the Dog Pound, as they welcome in No. 6 Notre Dame-Batavia for a chance to claim a spot in this weekend’s Finals. Time of the game has yet to be determined.
Whitesville 6 7 3 7 – 23
Belfast 14 19 13 11 – 57
WHITESVILLE: Brendal Jackson 2 1-2 6, CJ Estep 1 0-2 2, Lucas Erdmann 1 0-0 3, Colby Gaines 1 3-5 5, Justin Waters 1 0-1 2, Dylan Acor 1 1-2 3, Spencer Mattison 1 0-0 2. Totals: 8 5-12 23.
BELFAST: Jason Drozdowski 2 0-0 5, Nick Ellison 5 0-0 15, Max Miller 2 0-0 4, Tony Logue 3 3-4 10, Matt Weaver 2 0-0 5, Steven Buchholz 2 0-0 5, Connor Stork 1 0-0 2, Stephen Struckmann 5 1-3 11. Totals: 22 4-7 57.
3-point goals: Whitesville 2 (Jackson, Erdmann), Belfast 9 (Ellison 5, Drozdowski, Logue, Weaver, Buchholz).
Total Fouls: Whitesville 7, Belfast 14. Fouled out: None.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Class C2 Quarterfinals
No. 4 Bolivar-Richburg 34, No. 5 Clyde-Savannah 33
BOLIVAR — The Lady Wolverines started off their Sectional trek red hot in the first eight minutes. But then, their Quarterfinal opposition, No. 5 Clyde-Savannah cooled them down when the second half approached. That would set up a back-and-forth affair right down to the end.
Despite it all, No. 4 Bolivar-Richburg was able to get the job done under immense pressure, as they scrapped and fought their way toward victory when the final buzzer sounded, outlasting the Lady Golden Eagles by a single point - a 34-33 home victory on Monday to move onto the Class C2 Semifinal round.
“I'm beyond proud of the girls, and it's incredible they won this game,” said Lady Wolverines coach Justin Thomas. “We jumped out, and all over them to beginning. They got a run toward the end of the first half, but we got a run ourselves. We got back and forth, and then the tide started to turn with Clyde taking the lead at one point. But we dug back in, grabbing a couple huge buckets from Jianna to get back in front. We scrapped every possession, grabbed the big rebounds, there were turnovers both ways. It was wild.”
The Lady Wolverines (8-2) could not have envisioned a better start to their game in the first eight minutes, holding Clyde-Savannah to a single point while they formulated a big 13-1 lead to carry into the second. The majority of the lead held through halftime, but there was momentum that was built for the Lady Golden Eagles heading into the second half.
In the third quarter, the offensive burst came to a head as Clyde-Savannah accounted for an 11-4 run that saw them close the gap with the Lady Wolverines to five entering the last quarter. The Lady Golden Eagles continued to apply the pressure late on the hosts in white and red, but with some clutch shooting from the hand of Jianna Nix, the Lady Wolverines were able to stave them off to secure the victory to advance.
Nix led all Lady Wolverines scorers with a team-high 10 points to go with 15 rebounds, completing her double-double, along with four assists. Aliyah Cole added in nine points to go with seven rebounds. Kelsey Pacer chipped in more special teams with 13 rebounds of her own to go with five assists and three blocks, while Braelin Bentley grabbed 10 rebounds off the glass herself.
The Class C2 Semifinal round is up next for Bolivar-Richburg, as they now get ready to visit top-seeded Pavilion on Wednesday. Time of the game is yet to be determined.
“You play the game for a reason. Pavilion's coming off a title win last year over Fillmore, and they’ve pretty much got everyone back this year,” said Thomas. “But they also are humans, so we'll look at the film and see what they do, and hopefully we come up with a game plan against this really tough team. The girls should feel really good about this win, They climbed a hell of a mountain, and that's what you have to do in Sectionals. They showed that they have the make-up to do it.”
Clyde-Savannah 1 8 11 13 – 33
Bolivar-Richburg 13 7 4 10 – 34
CLYDE-SAVANNAH: Aslyn Rattray 5 3-5 16, Taylor Carnevale 2 0-0 5, Kylie Paylor 3 1-2 7, Cheyanne Nicols 1 1-2 3, Kelsie DiSanto 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 5-9 33.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Kelsey Pacer 2 0-5 4, Kayli Giardini 2 1-1 5, Aliyah Cole 4 1-2 9, Braelin Bentley 1 0-0 2, Jianna Nix 5 0-0 10, Jessica Majot 2 0-2 4. Totals: 16 2-10 34.
3-point goals: C-S 4 (Rattray 3, Carnevale).
Total Fouls: C-S 13, B-R 12. Fouled out: None.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Allegany County Semifinals
Wellsville 3, Scio 0
WELLSVILLE — The Lions of Wellsville have been at the top of the Allegany County standings all season long, having only lost once. On Monday, when their chance to earn their spot in this year’s County Championship game, they took it and ran with it, as they rolled their way toward victory in sweeping fashion, taking care of visiting Scio in three sets (25-13, 25-17, 25-17) to earn a return trip to the Finals.
Walker Waldon led the offense with a game-high 12 kills to go with six aces and two digs for the Lions (8-1). Lance Grantier added in six aces from the service line to go with four kills and two digs. Setter Matt Bittel had a ton of apples to hand out, recording 22 assists to pair with three aces of his own.
Scio did not provide statistics upon publication.
Wellsville will now face Arkport/Canaseraga for their second Allegany County League Championship in the last four seasons, as the volleyball season reaches its conclusion on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Lion’s Den.
