Monday Roundup: And/Whi boys run table in 2nd half, overcome halftime deficit to score series-sweep of A-P; Ark-Can girls sink 12 3’s, hand Fillmore 1st loss; C-R, Wellsville, B-R volleyball win

ANDOVER — There was a slight complication that densely shrouded the start of the night for the Andover/Whitesville boys basketball squad to open the final week of January on Monday, with Avoca-Prattsburgh up next on the docket. During JV game festivities to start the night in Whitesville, a water main break had occurred.

The two teams were permitted to finish their contest, but immediately following the conclusion, the doors would now close for the remainder of the night to properly address the fix, leaving the Avoca-Prattsburgh and Andover/Whitesville Varsity teams without a venue for their two-game series finale.

That didn’t last long however.

Despite the raging winds and chilly temperatures outside, the two teams regrouped and embarked on a journey just outside town, down County Road 22 and over the hill into Andover, where they would soon ultimately do battle. Even if some early midnight oil was burned in the process.

After warm-ups between the two squads, all systems were a-go around 8:20 p.m. to commence the final meeting between the two squads in the regular season.

As for the game itself, tightly knit across most of the first half, with the foes trading blows through the first quarter before the visiting Titans broke away emphatically behind a second quarter run to claim the halftime lead going into the locker room. Andover/Whitesville was able to muster a slight burst of momentum to close things out, beating the clock for a second straight quarter with a deficit-cutting basket.

But this one though. This one turned the game around completely. That belonged to Jon Vallieres.

Despite numerous complications all throughout the night, it was all made worthwhile for Andover/Whitesville, as Vallieres’ clutch buzzer-beating triple from downtown gave the team a big shock of electricity, as they re-emerged from the locker room hungry for a bounce back. As a result, they slowed Avoca-Prattsburgh down completely with a third quarter run that ultimately steered the ship back in the right direction for good, capping off their comeback with a 64-57 home win to sweep the Titans on the season.

“It was kind of difficult for both teams to play under the abrupt circumstances with the last-minute venue chance, but what a battle we got tonight,” Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce said. “I have to give a ton of credit to Avoca-Prattsburgh. That is not the same team we played earlier in the year. They are vastly improved, and they’re going to be a big problem for anybody they play moving forward. We certainly didn’t do any favors with a slow start. We weren’t clicking and we didn’t have the energy. We made some adjustments at halftime and it turned the game around.”

In the midst of all the chaos, there was a big game in Class D to be played, as the two foes went blow-for-blow through the opening eight minutes, with Andover/Whitesville (9-6) claiming the first advantage off a strong offensive board from Vallieres, who dished off a stellar pass to a wide-open Colton Calladine for the 6-4 go-ahead flush in the early-going.

With 2:09 on the clock, the Titans nabbed the advantage off a fiery first half from Colin Zurlick, who had three of his four triples within that 16-minute timespan to aid in igniting the offense. After Avoca-Prattsburgh was able to springboard towards an 11-6 lead, Andover/Whitesville fired back a response and created level playing ground again with five straight points.

In the waning moments of the first, the two foes traded barbs in each of the quarter’s last three possessions, with Andover/Whitesville providing the final bucket off a clutch Calladine lay-in at the buzzer to trim their deficit down to a pair of points going into the second.

In that second quarter, a massive relay from the Titans on all fronts occurred, as they forced three straight turnovers against Andover/Whitesville — one of those, cashed in off of Zurlick’s third triple. The shot, stemming before JJ Crowder took matters into his own hands with the next eight points for the visitors, as he scored two three-point plays along with a breakaway run to the hoop to give Avoca-Prattsburgh a 27-18 lead.

The advantage for the Titans reached as much as 14 during the second quarter, but ultimately stood at seven at the conclusion of the half after Vallieres knocked down a humongous triple to halt the momentum from the visitors whilst building their own to go back into the locker room.

For Joyce, Vallieres and his effort for the team meant everything.

“We had much better execution on both sides of the ball in the second half. Jon was the key tonight,” he said. “His athleticism and skill are really rounding and coming into form day-by-day. There is absolutely no way we win this game without him tonight. I’m very proud of the way he helped kick things into gear for us. It was a much needed win to have against a team like this, but with a busy week ahead of us, there’s no time to dwell.”

With the second half now eclipsing over the horizon, it was a brand new ball game for Andover/Whitesville to conduct. It would all begin right in the third quarter, where four different scorers, including Vallieres, all came together to fuel what was an incredible and resounding 24-9 run of Avoca-Prattsburgh to change the game at the drop of a hat, as they overcame a slow first half to deliver a massive victory despite all the evening’s complications.

Brody Vance led the scoring for Andover/Whitesville with a team-high 20 points. Vallieres was right behind him with 14 points of his own. Colton Calladine concluded with 13 points, while Vinny Joyce had 11 to add into the mix.

The Titans were paced by JJ Crowder once again on the attack, as he finished with a game-high 24 points. Zurlick totaled 16 points.

At the time of the roundup’s publication, there has been no official word on whether school will be held in Whitesville this morning or not. The school will already be closed in observance of Lunar New Year on Wednesday.

As for what’s up next for the Andover/Whitesville boys, they will stand pat in Andover and seek their 10th win of the campaign by welcoming in Houghton Academy on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Avoca-Prattsburgh 14 21 9 13 – 57

Andover/Whitesville 16 11 24 13 – 64

AVOCA-PRATTSBURGH: JJ Crowder 9 3-4 22, Austin Swift 3 0-0 7, Carter Button 3 0-0 6, Colin Zurlick 6 0-0 16, Connor Puralski 2 0-1 4, Bryan Heale 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 3-5 57.

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Gage Putnam 1 0-0 2, James Miller-Young 2 0-0 4, Vinny Joyce 5 1-4 11, Brody Vance 5 7-10 20, Jon Vallieres 3 7-12 14, Colton Calladine 4 5-11 13. Totals: 20 20-37 64.

3-point goals: A-P 6 (Zurlick 4, Crowder, Swift), A/W 4 (Vance 3, Vallieres).
Total Fouls: A-P 27, A/W 14. Fouled out: Crowder (A-P), Button (A-P), Zurlick (A-P), Puralski (A-P).

Keshequa 57, Houghton Academy 34

NUNDA — The first eight minutes of battle made all the difference for the Wildcats of Keshequa on Monday. After a constant exchange of pleasantries throughout the evening, it was their tone-setting moment right in the opening quarter that served as the difference at the conclusion of the evening, as they rolled towards a 57-34 home win over visiting Houghton Academy.

Keshequa set the bar almost immediately off the hop in the first quarter, as they log-jammed the inner perimeter behind the efforts of Aiden Upright and Ian Hinrich, who combined for 12 of the team’s 15 points within the frame while holding the Panthers (4-10) to just a single shot from the field along the way to complete a 15-2 run.

The Panthers worked to chip away at their deficit following halftime with their strongest offensive outing of the game, with Jack Prentice’s three-point game heating up, as he buried three big triples out of his six total for the game directly in the third quarter to aid in the assembly a 14-point stanza.

But the early deficit to the Wildcats ultimately became too much to overcome, as Keshequa’s hot start held firm to grant them victory.

Prentice led all scorers for Houghton Academy with a game-high 24 points. Gavin Martino had six points to add in.

The Panthers will hit the road for Andover on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. contest against Andover/Whitesville.

Houghton Academy 2 8 14 10 – 34

Keshequa 15 8 18 16 – 57

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 8 2-3 24, Gavin Martino 3 0-2 6, Hoang Phung 1 0-0 2, Joseph Chang 1 0-0 2. Totals: 13 2-5 34.

KESHEQUA: Zack Smathers 1 0-2 2, Owen Pike 7 0-1 15, Aiden Upright 8 0-0 16, Ian Hinrich 8 2-2 18, Nolan Therrien 1 0-0 2, Brody Wood 2 0-0 4. Totals: 27 2-5 57.

3-point goals: HA 6 (Prentice), Keshequa 1 (Pike).
Total Fouls: HA 6, Keshequa 6. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 46, Friendship/Scio 28

FRIENDSHIP — Against the face of adversity going into halftime, the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines needed a response after a first quarter commencement was null-and-voided by host Friendship/Scio on Monday.

They were well within reach at the start of the second half, but the Wolverines found a way to reignite their offense once again to regain control of the game, as they held Friendship/Scio to just 13 more second half points to solidify another victory — their 8th in the last 10 games, by a 46-28 final tally in Friendship.

“The score got away from us as the second half went along, but I thought it was a closer game than an 18-point game when it turned out that way,” Friendship/Scio coach Dillon McFall said. “The boys battled and they were really scrappy tonight against a tough B-R team. We just have to put the ball in the basket more often, and we cannot let any more turnovers slip away from us. I’m proud of our effort, and we’re getting better.”

The Wolverines (11-5) caught fire right from the start with an early lead that remained intact despite some added pressure from Friendship/Scio towards the end of the half, claiming a 16-6 advantage right off the hop.

Later on in the second quarter, the advantage was trimmed down dramatically by the hosts, as they put together perhaps one of their strongest finishes to a frame this season, holding Bolivar-Richburg absolutely scoreless in the midst of a 9-0 run to close the gap from double digits down to a single point going into the break.

But despite building a bundle of momentum heading into the recess, the Wolverines terminated all of it with a rebound third quarter, as they pulled away and avoided Friendship/Scio (4-9) at all costs with a mammoth 17-5 run to keep their lead on the scoreboard permanently.

Landon Barkley and Kingston Loucks both found themselves at the front of the pack for Bolivar-Richburg, with Barkley paving the way for the offense behind a game-high 18 points, while Loucks followed behind with 17 of his own. Maddox Davison sank a pair of triples, for six points.

Friendship/Scio was led by Aiden Golden and his nine team-high points. Deacon Brown had six points, while Jerome Harmon had five to chip in.

Both teams are back in action Thursday night, with Bolivar-Richburg hitting the road for a 7:30 p.m. visit to Belfast to take on Genesee Valley/Belfast, while Friendship/Scio hits the road themselves for a 6 p.m. stop in Hinsdale.

Bolivar-Richburg 16 0 17 13 – 46

Friendship/Scio 6 9 5 8 – 28

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Maddox Davison 2 0-0 6, Landon Barkley 7 3-5 18, Ryder Iantorno 0 1-2 1, Waide Karnuth 1 2-4 4, Kingston Loucks 6 1-2 17. Totals: 16 7-13 46.

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Jerome Harmon 2 1-1 5, Connor Blouvet 1 0-0 2, Aiden Golden 4 0-0 9, Charlie Taylor 1 0-0 2, Jerimiah Brown 1 0-2 2, Zacoby Holder 1 0-0 2, Deacon Brown 3 0-0 6. Totals: 13 1-3 28.

3-point goals: B-R 7 (Loucks 4, Davison 2, Barkley), F/S 1 (Golden).
Total Fouls: B-R 4, F/S 14. Fouled out: Harmon (F/S).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Arkport-Canaseraga 71, Fillmore 54

ARKPORT — The three-point shot can provide a devastating blow for any opposing team. It’s been a signature callsign for the Arkport-Canaseraga Lady Wolves all season long and on Monday, it was no different. Even with undefeated Fillmore in town for a visit.

Almost immediately, the Lady Wolves found their rhythm and never lost their touch from downtown. Out of their 12 triples from long range for the contest, three-quarters of those shots were delivered across a cascading first half from the field alone, as they brought the hammer down on the visiting Lady Eagles with authority to hand them their first loss in a 71-54 victory to split the season series right down the middle for the campaign.

“They are the real deal. Arkport-Canaseraga came out on fire and we really had no answers for them defensively in the first half,” said Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks. “I thought our offense was solid, but they hit nine threes in the first two quarters and we just couldn’t get stops. They have shooters all over the court and a very good physical center inside. We’ll hopefully use tonight’s lessons for down the stretch.”

Arkport-Canaseraga let their shots fly across the first half, creating a massive wildfire across all fronts that could not be stopped, beginning in the opening frame with a 24-14 lead over the Lady Eagles (11-1) before closing out the two segments of action even stronger with a 26-point second quarter to claim a 40-28 advantage heading into the break.

Although they were caught behind the eight-ball, Fillmore still pieced together a strong second half of their own, led by the likes of Mattie McCumiskey and Morghyn Ross, as the two combined to record 32 of the team’s 54 points, with McCumiskey’s team-high 19 points paving the path forward from down low.

Parks praised their efforts.

“At halftime, we talked about having an opportunity to respond, raise our defensive effort and fight,” he said. “I was really proud of how we responded in the second half. Our two juniors, Mattie and Morghyn led the efforts and they didn’t fold. The team fed off of that and played a more complete second half. But the deficit was too big to overcome. Despite that, I felt like we grew as a team tonight and learned the type of minute-by-minute effort and attention to detail that needs to be paid forward to beat great teams.”

Ross would follow suit with 13 points of her own, while Emalyn Mucher had 12 points for Fillmore.

Arkport-Canaseraga was ignited by Kara Mahany, who had five of the team’s 12 total threes from long range, putting it all towards a game-high 26 points.

Fillmore will look to bounce back on Wednesday in Belfast, visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Fillmore 14 14 13 13 – 54

Arkport-Canaseraga 24 26 16 5 – 71

FILLMORE: Mylee Miller 3 0-0 6, Tenlee Miller 2 0-0 4, Morghyn Ross 4 3-5 13, Emalyn Mucher 5 1-3 12, Mattie McCumiskey 7 5-7 19. Totals: 21 9-15 54.
ARKPORT-CANASERAGA: Jasmine King 3 0-0 7, Kara Mahany 8 5-5 26, Gracen Mahany 4 0-0 10, Payton O'Dell 6 0-0 12, Morgan Gilbert 6 0-0 16. Totals: 27 5-5 71.

3-point goals: Fillmore 3 (Ross 2, Mucher), A-C 12 (K. Mahany 5, Gilbert 4, G. Mahany 2, King).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 9, A-C 12. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 46, Campbell-Savona 41

BOLIVAR — The Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg witnessed a career night come to full fruition on Monday.

Senior Carmen Crowley had an incredible night to remember across all four quarters of play against visiting Campbell-Savona, as she registered a game-high 32 points, which included a resounding second half performance to allow the team to ward off a final Lady Panthers push down the stretch to secure a 46-41 home win.

Off the hop, Crowley made her presence known right away for the Lady Wolverines (6-7) alongside her fellow senior teammate Raegan Giardini, as they both provided a heavy occupancy at the charity stripe. The two shooters combined to net a 9-for-18 outing to go with a pair of inside shots from Crowley along the way, scoring a 13-7 lead of Campbell-Savona in the same swing.

In the second quarter, the two tag-teamed once again to deliver the goods for the offense with another 10-point combination out of the team’s 12 for the frame, while the defense continued to keep the Lady Panthers off the board to close out the half, finishing out on top with a 25-14 lead at the break.

When the second half settled in, the rest of the game belonged to Crowley, as she proceeded to take over the inside of the arc with 19 of Bolivar-Richburg’s 21 total second half points. Within that effort, 11 of those points were scattered throughout the third quarter to ensure their lead remained pieced together despite one final attempt from the Lady Panthers in the last eight minutes to cut away at the deficit with a 15-8 lead in the scoring.

Giardini concluded with 12 points to follow up Crowley’s career evening. Sydney Faulkner knocked down a pair of shots at the line to round off the scoring.

Bolivar-Richburg will return to their home floor Wednesday night, hosting the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford in a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.

Campbell-Savona 7 7 12 15 – 41

Bolivar-Richburg 13 12 13 8 – 46

CAMPBELL-SAVONA: Willow Koperczak 3 0-4 6, Meara Mehlenbacher 3 0-0 6, Ashlynn Stratton 9 0-0 22, Olivia Zimar 1 1-2 3, Sarah McKenna 1 0-0 2, Maggie Hawken 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 1-6 41.

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 0 0-2 0, Raegan Giardini 3 5-8 12, Sydney Faulkner 0 2-4 2, Carmen Crowley 13 5-12 32. Totals: 16 12-26 46.

3-point goals: C-S 4 (Stratton), B-R 2 (Giardini, Crowley).
Total Fouls: C-S 19, B-R 10. Fouled out: Zimar (C-S).

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Cuba-Rushford 3, Fillmore 0

FILLMORE — The start of the week was of immaculate quality for the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford, who remained hot entering the final stretch of the regular season on Monday with another straight-set sweep, this time over the road in Fillmore, as they claimed the 25-19, 25-11, 25-17 victory over the host Eagles.

Another victorious effort by the Rebels (8-4) was charged by Brock Stadler on the attack, as he guided the offense behind a team-high seven kills, combining them with two digs on defense and one ace. Gunnar Jahnke chipped in with five additional kills of his own to pair with three big blocks at the net and one more ace. The team’s setter, Coen Kellogg, racked up the assists, handing out 15 in all to go with three digs.

Fillmore (3-7) was propelled by Anderson Wiltsey on offense, scoring eight service points to go with his three kills and one ace. Zach Fraser added in 13 more service points of his own to pair with a duo of denials at the net. The Eagles are back on the floor at Bolivar-Richburg on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

On Thursday, Cuba-Rushford will now get set for a colossal showdown with the Lions of Wellsville over the road beginning at 6 p.m.

Wellsville 3, Portville 0

WELLSVILLE — With the County Playoffs right around the corner, the battle for the League’s number one seed raged onwards, with the Lions of Wellsville keeping pace with current top seed Portville right underneath them.

The Lions knew that it was a game they needed to have. Out of the gate early on Monday, the Panthers were able to put together an early jump with a strong first-set victory. But from the second set on, the hosts assembled a rebound of epic proportions with victories in each of the next three sets to come away with four-set glory on their home floor, scooping up the 17-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22 final decision all for themselves.

Xavier Scott was a big reason behind Wellsville’s (9-2) success on the attack, as he posted a 12-kill effort to go with three digs, two blocks and one ace. Lucius Griggs was right behind him with nine kills of his own, adding three aces along the way. Carter Newman chipped in with two kills, two digs and two blocks for the Lions.

Coming up on Thursday, the Lions will get set for a massive showdown with the Cuba-Rushford Rebels on their home floor at 6 p.m.

Bolivar-Richburg 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 1

BELMONT — Despite falling behind early after the first set, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg bounced back in a big way to come away victorious on Monday over the road, as they claimed the next three sets to settle on a four-set victory over host Genesee Valley/Belfast with a 18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-13 final count.

Statistics for each team were not made available to report upon publication.

The Wolverines (3-10) head back home to host Fillmore in a 6 p.m. contest on Wednesday, while Genesee Valley/Belfast (0-11) stays put to host Arkport-Canaseraga in a quick turnaround this evening in a 6 p.m. first serve of their own.