Wednesday Basketball: Lions get early jump on A-L, but Gators survive back-and-forth 2nd half to capture win; Fillmore boys win D-I County title outright after thrilling shootout with B-R

WELLSVILLE — On the final night of the regular season, the Lions of Wellsville would need every bit of momentum they garnered after their 64-35 victory over New Life Christian back on Tuesday. Their last opponent to close out the slate before resetting their focus towards Sectionals, was no slouch by any means — Section VI powerhouse and State Final Four Finalist, Allegany-Limestone.

The two foes have already come together once already out west in a close battle that saw the Gators take a seven-point victory back just a few weeks ago. But after the start that the host Lions had on Wednesday, things were beginning to trend upwards.

Against an opponent of such magnitude like the Gators hold, it was exactly what the doctor ordered for Wellsville. But like it has been all season long, Allegany-Limestone dug their way back. And much more.

The second quarter was just the beginning.

After a first quarter of dominant proportions went in Wellsville’s favor, Allegany-Limestone regrouped quickly and used the second quarter to their fullest of advantages, holding the Lions to just five points while Anthony DeCapua ignited a wildfire that their opposition could not put out, resulting in a go-ahead run that created a new ballgame for the second half.

In it, the two foes would trade back and forth baskets throughout the course of time remaining in the last two frames, with the Gators keeping one step ahead of the Lions each time to secure the victory by the slimmest of margins — a 50-49 count in the Lion’s Den.

“You hate to lose any game, but I left tonight feeling that we got better. We talk about having 20 scrimmages before Sectionals a lot. You want to win each one, but we need to find a way for us to get better from them too. That’s what’s important, and I feel like that we have indeed gotten better.” said Lions coach Tom Muska.

The Lions (11-9) fired on all cylinders through the opening stages of the night against the Gators, as they found their smoothest of rhythms by netting the game’s first 13 points, including an 8-0 run that saw them cash in on three early turnovers in their first four possessions. Afterwards, Logan Dunbar then had a helping hand with the next five in a row to keep the momentum rolling in their favor to extend the team’s jaunt that eclipsed the five-minute mark in the frame.

“When we play disciplined, we are an incredible team defensively. You need stops to go on runs like that, and the way that we started the game like we did, with that focus, was awesome. But unfortunately, we were able to keep holding onto it in the second quarter. They found their way back in it.” said Muska.

Allegany-Limestone ended the run by finishing the first with seven of the last 10 points sandwiched in between a Cody Costello three-pointer — Wellsville’s final basket of the first quarter, to close down the gap from 12 to nine entering the next frame of play.

The Gators would spend the entire second quarter digging their way back into the fray, despite some shots not falling for either side in the early stages. But late in the frame, a spark began to ignite for the visitors in black — Anthony DeCapua, as the sharpshooter caught fire with three humongous triples, the latter of the trio being knocked down with less than a minute to play in the half to send Allegany-Limestone ahead for the first time with a 22-21 halftime lead.

His half-ending efforts now created an even playing field for the second half. Now, it was a dead heat all the way down the homestretch.

Allegany-Limestone would reach a lead as big as five during the third quarter led by a fourth DeCapua three-pointer. But in return, the Lions managed to keep pace right behind them with back-to-back triples from Asher Billings, trailing by a pair going into the last eight minute period.

The intensity soon reached new levels to close out the night, as both Allegany-Limestone and Wellsville delivered back and forth blows across the frame after Wellsville was able to find their way back ahead for a brief moment with a 40-35 lead behind baskets from JJ Howard and Aidan Riley underneath.

The back-and-forth teeter-totter battle would remain as such all the way down to the wire, where the Gators were able to find just enough of an opening to squeeze through, with an off-balanced Andrew Giardini shot near the shot clock’s expiration and some big help at the charity stripe from DeCapua helping seal the deal to collect the season-series sweep of the Lions in thrilling fashion.

Howard led all Wellsville scorers at the end of the night with his 13 team-high points. Dunbar and Costello each had 11 points, while Billings totaled nine points off three of the team’s four triples from beyond the arc. Aidan Riley finished with five points to round off the scoring for the hosts in white and orange.

The Lions will now await their Sectional future when seeding for the Class B2 Playoffs begin this weekend, as the regular season has officially marked its conclusion.

Allegany-Limestone 7 15 13 15 – 50

Wellsville 16 5 12 16 – 49

ALLEGANY-LIMESTONE: Gabe Ramadhan 2 0-0 4, Anthony DeCapua 8 4-5 24, Carson Kwiatkowski 1 3-4 5, Michael Frederick 1 0-0 2, Gavin Truman 2 0-0 4, Andrew Giardini 5 0-1 11. Totals: 19 7-10 50.
WELLSVILLE: Cody Costello 4 2-2 11, Aidan Riley 2 1-2 5, Asher Billings 3 0-0 9, Logan Dunbar 2 7-7 11, JJ Howard 6 1-1 13. Totals: 17 11-12 49.
3-point goals: A-L 5 (DeCapua), Wellsville 4 (Billings 3, Costello).
Total Fouls: A-L 11, Wellsville 12. Fouled out: Riley (WLSV).

Fillmore 78, Bolivar-Richburg 73

BOLIVAR — It was the kind of game you’d expect if you’re vying for the County’s highest honor this season. A Bolivar-Richburg win would allow the Wolverines to create a tie at the top of the standings alongside their opposition, who is also looking to make some more noise come Sectionals — Fillmore, who could also win the entire League Championship with a win on the road Wednesday night.

It was anyone’s game, especially across the second half, where the last eight minutes of play turned into an old west shootout between the Eagles and Wolverines. But it was one that Fillmore wound up providing a big finish for, as they became Allegany County Division I Champions for the third straight season — the second as outright titlists, as they used the free throw game led by Zach Sisson in the fourth quarter to secure a 78-73 road win.

“Hats off to Fillmore. We certainly made some adjustments in the second half, and they did just enough to close it out in the end,” Wolverines coach Justin Thomas said. “They made their free throws at the line, they made some big offensive boards to keep things in their possession after we tried to foul. Our kids bounced back, and I was really proud of the way we played. Fillmore had the hot hand, but we stayed right with them all night. The difference was the fourth. (Zach) Sisson had a couple of shots and made all of his free throws. He iced it in a perfect pre-Sectional game.”

In the early-going, both Fillmore (15-5) and Bolivar-Richburg engaged in a dead heat before an opening was created by the Eagles. One that saw them work their way out to an eight-point advantage to put towards the first quarter’s conclusion.

The Wolverines (16-4) rebounded with their quick three-point game, as Aydin Sisson and Evan Pinney both knocked down back-to-back triples to put them ahead of the Eagles in the second quarter. Fillmore responded with another scoreless run, this time, an 8-0 jaunt of the hosts in the last two minutes behind a plethora of baskets inside. The Eagles would then finish off the opening half with a 41-38 lead.

A margin of three points that separated both teams stretched across the majority of the third quarter. That was until Sisson found his stride again from downtown to earn their first lead of the quarter.

The fourth quarter would wrap up with an old west shootout between both teams, with no lead eclipsing six points for the Eagles. But with the Wolverines hot on their trail, the free throw game for the Eagles wrapped up shop in the last three minutes, further cementing their victory while warding off Bolivar-Richburg’s final push.

Zach Sisson had another incredible night for the Eagles, posting a game-high 31 points. Jair Bialek kept his hot hand ignited with five more triples, for 15 points. Mitch Ward had 14 points.

The Wolverines were ushered by Aydin Sisson and his team-high 22 points. Landon Barkley followed behind with 16 points of his own, while Evan Pinney concluded the night with 13 points. Off the glass, David Baldwin led the team’s rebounding department with 15 boards.

Both teams will now await their rightful place in their respective Sectional tournament this weekend, when the seedings are officially determined.

Fillmore 25 16 14 23 – 78

Bolivar-Richburg 19 19 18 17 – 72

FILLMORE: Brent Zubikowski 2 2-4 6, Jair Bialek 5 0-0 15, Luke Colombo 1 0-0 2, Mitch Ward 5 4-7 14, Zach Sisson 10 7-8 31, Jonah Bialek 2 0-0 5, Layton Sanasith 2 0-0 5. Totals: 27 13-19 78.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 8 2-4 22, Landon Barkley 7 0-0 16, Reiss Gaines 4 0-0 9, Waide Karnuth 2 0-0 4, David Baldwin 4 1-2 9, Evan Pinney 6 0-0 13. Totals: 31 3-6 73.

3-point goals: Fillmore 11 (Ja. Bialek 5, Sisson 4, Jo. Bialek, Sanasith), B-R 8 (Sisson 4, Barkley 2, Gaines, Pinney).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 9, B-R 16. Fouled out: Gaines (B-R).

Cuba-Rushford 61, Genesee Valley/Belfast 56

CUBA — One wild Senior Night unfolded inside the Wighthouse on the final night of the regular season on Wednesday. For the host Rebels, the battle against visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast was one that began from start to the very end.

Each team had a hand at taking control of a half in action. Genesee Valley/Belfast was the first to come out swinging with their largest frame of offense in the contest to take the early lead on top.

But then, Cuba-Rushford had their honors in the second half.

Down by five at the break, the Rebels fought their way back to force an early tie, navigating their way out front while holding off a back-and-forth battle with Genesee Valley/Belfast. Finn Ricketts would help give the Rebels the final word in a third quarter that ultimately gave them the lead for the remainder of the game, as they held on to ward off the late pressure down the stretch with a 61-56 home win.

“I’m proud of the way we played this year, finishing 16-4. Credit to GV/Belfast and coach (Lintz) Bliven. They gave us a heck of a battle all the way to the end,” Rebels coach Pat Wight said. “Jack Frank was a real spark for us in the fourth, scoring some big points. Finn had a great third quarter to help out a bit as well.”

An early trading of baskets set the table for a first quarter that saw Genesee Valley/Belfast knock at the door first, navigating their way towards a nine-point, 17-8 lead off three straight triples from downtown — two off the hand of Ian McKenzie and the other from Kyle McCumiskey, as both shooters combined to record six of the team’s eight in the game, both netting three.

Cuba-Rushford (16-4) would fight back to trim the deficit down to five before closing the gap even further to end the first half ultimately down by four after another even exchange by both squads. But in the third quarter, a changing of the guard. The Rebels would wedge their way out to the front of the line after a 30-30 tie, scoring seven in a row.

The visitors in black trimmed it back down to as little as one, but with time being of the essence, Ricketts nailed a tide-turning, go-ahead lay-in with five seconds left in the frame to give the hosts in white the lead back, ultimately for good.

Cuba-Rushford would hold down the fort in the last eight minutes of play with a big lead of eight towards midway, despite seeing it trimmed down by Genesee Valley/Belfast and their late pressure.

Jacob Smith led all scorers with a team-high 21 points. Jack Frank had a big hand behind the team’s fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 15 points within the frame to keep the offense alive. Ricketts would finish with 11 points to pair with eight rebounds.

For Genesee Valley/Belfast, McKenzie led all scorers on the team with a team-high 21 points. McCumiskey finished with 13 points himself, while Kadin Logue chipped in with 10.

Before the contest, Cuba-Rushford honored all five of their seniors — Smith, Frank, Hunter Scott, Dom Bello and Jacob Linderman, for their many contributions for the program, over the years. Wight says that his leaders have bought in since day one what he has preached to the team to fuel their magnificent turnaround from a year ago.

“I watched most of them in PTO hoops from ages five to 10. They grew up a lot, and it wasn’t an easy situation by any means,” he said. “New coach, he goes down, another new coach for the first half of the season, and then I return. They bought into everything we tried to do from day one, and their efforts and hard work really paid off. They show up and work hard even if they get limited minutes or are injured. It’s been a fun group to watch grow up.”

The regular season is now over for both teams, as they now await official word on their seedings for the Sectional tournament, which begins next week.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 19 10 13 14 – 56

Cuba-Rushford 13 11 20 17 – 61

GV/BELFAST: Kadin Logue 3 2-3 10, Kyle McCumiskey 5 0-0 13, Ian McKenzie 7 4-5 21, Max Wedge 2 0-0 4, Jacob Borden 0 2-2 2, Thai Norasethaporn 1 0-0 2, Ryan Daciw 2 0-0 4. Totals: 20 8-10 56.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Braeden Wight 1 1-1 3, Jacob Smith 9 1-2 21, Luke Brooks 1 1-2 3, Jack Frank 6 1-2 15, Dom Bello 4 0-1 8, Finn Ricketts 5 1-1 11. Totals: 26 5-9 61.

3-point goals: GVB 8 (McCumiskey 3, McKenzie 3, Logue 2), C-R 4 (Smith 2, Frank 2).
Total Fouls: GVB 15, C-R 9. Fouled out: None.

Friendship/Scio 43, Houghton Academy 38

SCIO — Some solid contributions were gathered by Friendship/Scio from far and wide to close out the regular season on Wednesday, as an even balance of scoring proved to be just enough of a factor on Wednesday for the hosts to garner the victory over Houghton Academy, squeezing their way towards a 43-38 win in Scio.

“A couple of our guys who really don’t do a lot of scoring, had good nights. Taylor Moore, Cooper Greenman had a big three, Matt Donohue had a couple of threes. Those were all big baskets because our big guys were held under what they usually score,” said Friendship/Scio co-coach Dillon McFall. “Houghton did a great job defensively, and we settled for too many contested jump shots. But at the same time, it’s also nice to win when you don’t necessarily play your best game. Us compared to the beginning of the year, I’m proud of the strides we’ve made.”

Taylor Moore led the attack for Friendship/Scio (7-12) with a game-high 13 points to pair with five rebounds and four helpers, as the hosts were able to partially break away from Houghton Academy with a 20-14 lead at the half. The offenses then kicked into high gear across the third quarter that saw the Panthers cut their deficit down to three to keep the pressure at a high level going into the fourth.

Both teams would trade eight-point frames in the last session, which would allow Friendship/Scio to maintain the lead for good to finish out their regular season strongly.

Furthering Friendship/Scio’s cause was Ethan Davenport and Brenden Loucks, as each had nine points, with Davenport grabbing four rebounds and four steals, while Loucks dominated the glass with 16 rebounds.

The Panthers (3-16) were led by Jack Prentice and his game-high 17 points. James Adenuga had nine points, while Josh Davidson and Pedro Rebello both posted six points.

The regular season is now over for both teams, as they now await official word regarding the Class D2 Playoffs.

Houghton Academy 6 8 16 8 – 38

Friendship/Scio 7 13 15 8 – 43

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 5 4-6 17, Josh Davidson 2 0-0 6, James Adenuga 3 0-2 9, Pedro Rebello 2 2-3 6. Totals: 12 6-11 38.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Brenden Loucks 4 1-5 9, Taylor Moore 5 2-2 13, Ethan Davenport 2 5-11 9, Cooper Greenman 1 0-0 3, Matt Donohue 2 0-1 6, Hunter Hill 1 1-2 3. Totals: 15 9-21 43.

3-point goals: HA 8 (Prentice 3, Adenuga 3, Davidson 2), F/S 4 (Donohue 2, Moore, Greenman).
Total Fouls: HA 16, F/S 11. Fouled out: None.

Andover/Whitesville 42, Hinsdale 23

WHITESVILLE — You couldn’t ask for a better way to mark an end to the regular season on Wednesday. For Andover/Whitesville, that was exactly the case against visiting Hinsdale, catching fire across the opening eight period while holding the Bobcats completely scoreless to set the tone, as they strolled towards a 7-1 finish in Allegany County League play with a 42-23 win in Whitesville.

“This was a good way to end our regular season, particularly for our seniors,” said Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce. "We came out of the gate extremely hot and shut out Hinsdale in the first quarter. We had some short spurts a few times where we simply weren’t executing like we needed to. We certainly need to correct that moving forward. I thought CJ (Estep) played extremely solid for what will likely be his last game in Whitesville. We have some more to work on, but I’m really excited for Sectional play.”

Six different shooters all pitched in with at least a single basket to lead an all-balanced attack to pace the Andover/Whitesville (9-11), rolling out the red carpet on what was a 17-0 scoreless run on Hinsdale to immediately bring the hammer down, garnering the room they needed to remain out front through even exchanges across the last three quarters of play.

CJ Estep was the driving force behind the team’s offensive outburst, as he recorded a game-high 16 points. Brody Vance collected seven points, while Colton Calladine, Gage Hall and Kohler Niedermaier each had five points.

Hinsdale (1-19) was led by Henry Schwartz and his team-high nine points.

The regular season for both teams is now over, as they now await Sectional seeding this weekend.

Hinsdale 0 6 7 10 – 23

Andover/Whitesville 17 7 8 10 – 42

HINSDALE: Xander Pascucci 1 2-2 4, Damion Brown 2 0-0 4, Joe Neubert 1 0-0 2, Henry Schwartz 4 0-2 9, Cody Barton 2 0-7 4. Totals: 10 2-11 23.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Brody Vance 2 3-6 7, Colton Calladine 2 0-3 5, CJ Estep 4 8-9 16, Will Kent 1 0-0 2, Gage Hall 2 1-2 5, Kohler Niedermaier 2 1-4 5. Totals: 13 13-24 42.

3-point goals: Hinsdale 1 (Schwartz), A/W 1 (Calladine).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 18, A/W 8. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Houghton Academy 35, Friendship/Scio 32

SCIO — Friendship/Scio was able to grab the early advantage above Houghton Academy to begin the night. But it was one that the Lady Panthers were able to shake off and rebound with a massive end to the first half, one they managed to capture a lead and hold it despite some late pressure down the stretch in a narrow 35-32 edge on Wednesday in Scio.

“We were down after playing a bad first half, but we stayed in the game and executed at the end,” said Friendship/Scio coach Ashleigh Lewis. “To watch my girls fight back in a Sectional atmosphere tonight, that was great to see. But it is what it is. It wasn’t exactly how we wanted to end the season, or send out our seniors Kadence (Donohue), Claire (Calhoun), Kiara (Grover) and Logan (Roberts), but we’re hoping for better things come Sectionals next week.”

Houghton Academy (6-14) rebounded massively after falling behind in a 11-7 deficit with a strong finish to the first half, as they flew right towards an 18-4 run of Friendship/Scio to take a 10-point lead at the break, paced by another incredible night from Jess Prentice down low.

After a fully defensive third quarter, Friendship/Scio (11-8) would go on to apply some late pressure in the last eight minutes with their strongest frame — a 13-point effort that saw them cut their deficit to as little as one towards the end, but Prentice was able to seal the game away for good from the free throw line off a big offensive rebound, sinking both shots to give them just enough room to hang on for victory.

Prentice led all Lady Panthers scorers with a game-high 29 points. Jessica Adenuga chipped in with four points, while Abby Reitnour had the last two on a basket inside. On the other side, Friendship/Scio was led by Kadence Donohue and Morghyn Ross, as the two scorers combined for all six of the team’s three-pointers. Ross led the scoring with 13 team-high points, while Donohue followed with 11 to pair with nine rebounds.

Additionally on special teams, Nevaeh Ross grabbed nine additional boards, while Lexi Crossley had six to chip in.

'Both teams will now wait for Sectional seeding to transpire, as they await their second season fate over the weekend.

Houghton Academy 7 18 4 6 – 35

Friendship/Scio 11 4 4 13 – 32

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jess Prentice 12 5-8 29, Abby Reitnour 0 0-2 0, Julia Winkens 1 0-0 2, Jessica Adenuga 2 0-2 4. Totals: 15 5-12 35.
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Nevaeh Ross 2 0-0 4, Claire Calhoun 1 0-0 2, Kadence Donohue 4 0-0 11, Morghyn Ross 5 0-0 13, Lexi Crossley 1 0-0 2. Totals: 13 0-0 32.

3-point goals: F/S 6 (Donohue 3, M. Ross 3).
Total Fouls: HA 8, F/S 11. Fouled out: N. Ross (F/S)