Wednesday Basketball: Borden orchestrates 26-point night as GV/Belfast wards off Honeoye through back-and-forth 2nd half to claim 65-54 win; Houghton, And/Whi boys; B-R girls garner wins

BELFAST — Basketball fever has officially hit Allegany County in full stride. With the Fall season now having come and gone, and a fresh blanket of snow now occupying and sheathing the ground outdoors, it was time to take the action inside to the hardwood.

In Belfast, the stage was set for Genesee Valley/Belfast to mark their season debut against the Honeoye Bulldogs in the first of two meetings this season. It was a beginning to the night that saw them springboard out in front almost immediately after the opening tip at center, garnering a double-digit lead along the way.

It was an advantage that was threatened from the beginning and to the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, but it was never squandered. Jacob Borden made sure of that with his fine performance from down low for the hosts in white.

Mixed in with a couple of big three-pointers to get Genesee Valley/Belfast’s engine ripping and roaring through the first eight minutes of play, Borden was able to take care of business as the man in the middle, as he dug in to deliver 26 game-high points — all near-evenly distributed across the four quarters of play to ensure his presence was known in the team’s 65-54 season-opening win over Honeoye.

The first quarter allowed Genesee Valley/Belfast (1-0) to get the commencement they wanted right out of the gate against the Bulldogs, as they used a trio of triples — two from the hand of Kyle McCumiskey, and one from Ian McKenzie, along with a strong inside presence by Borden to aid in setting an early tone with a 15-4 lead. The Bulldogs would chomp away at the deficit however, closing the gap down to eight with five of the last seven points in the frame.

Despite the visitors in blue working their way back into the fray, Genesee Valley/Belfast was able to sprint back off with another 17-point interval in the second quarter. Once more, the Bulldogs fought their way back to trim the deficit back down to as little as six to Genesee Valley/Belfast beelining down the stretch with the assistance of four different scorers all recording at least a two-point basket to propel the offense.

But the Honeoye offense was soon shut off for the remainder of the quarter, as the hosts collected the half’s last nine points in consecutive fashion to claim a 34-19 lead at the break.

All throughout the second half, a dead even exchange of pleasantries between both teams made the rounds up and down the hardwood after Honeoye started the third quarter with eight of the first 13 points, providing some early capitalization behind their full-court press to keep Genesee Valley/Belfast on their feet, forcing a couple of key turnovers for points along the way.

The contest’s buffer zone would hover right around the difference of 10 points for much of the time consumed in the second half, as Genesee Valley/Belfast did everything in their power to hang onto their advantage while Honeoye continued to chip away in the same swing. Because of it, Genesee Valley/Belfast would ensure the victory that awaited in the end, as they added some insurance from the charity stripe in the final minute to lock up victory No. 1.

Following Borden and his 26-point dispatch down low, Kyle McCumiskey concluded with 12 points of his own. Following up were Kadin Logue and Kenton Schultz, as each recorded eight points.

Up next: The Belmont Rotary Tip-Off Tournament inside the Jungle this Friday night, as Genesee Valley/Belfast prepares for an opening round battle with Alfred-Almond slated for a 7:30 p.m. start. In the adjacent gym next to them, Andover/Whitesville and Friendship/Scio will also do battle in a 7:30 p.m. opening round battle of their own.

The winners will meet in Saturday’s Championship game, which is set for a 2 p.m. start. The Consolation round will precede the final clash of the day at 12 p.m.

Honeoye 9 10 20 15 – 54

Genesee Valley/Belfast 17 17 15 16 – 65

HONEOYE: Owen Cuba 4 2-2 10, Evan Anseim 3 0-0 6, Owen Reynolds 3 0-0 6, Billy Covey 6 0-2 13, Johnny Blair 1 0-0 2, Riley Johnson 1 0-0 3, Landon Washburn 5 4-6 14. Totals: 23 6-10 54.
GV/BELFAST: Kyle McCumiskey 3 3-6 12, Kadin Logue 4 0-2 8, Lannden Tilton 2 2-2 6, Ian McKenzie 1 0-0 3, Owen Heaney 1 0-0 2, Jacob Borden 12 2-7 26, Kenton Schultz 2 4-6 8. Totals: 25 11-23 65.

3-point goals: Honeoye 2 (Covey, Johnson), GVB 4 (McCumiskey 3, McKenzie).
Total Fouls: Honeoye 19, GVB 10. Fouled out: Cuba (HON).

Andover/Whitesville 59, Hinsdale 23

ANDOVER — The first game jitters are a common formality that teams experience firsthand when a new season for action arrives in full force. Andover/Whitesville came in contact with that themselves out of the gate on Wednesday when they opened up with their home opener against visiting Hinsdale.

Although they were able to carry a first quarter lead forward into the next, it wasn’t easy by any means, as they made due with what opportunities they were given to start. But once they started going through the motions, they settled in. Especially Brody Vance, who erupted with a second quarter avalanche to airlift Andover/Whitesville’s offense straight to the peak of victory, as they strolled past the Bobcats with a 59-23 win in Andover.

“It was a very solid, all-around effort for the first game of the season,” Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce said. “We came out of the gates a little sluggish, and then I thought they really started to settle down and performed the way they can and should. Brody and Colton (Calladine) really found their shooting touch, which always helps. It was a pretty physical game, and I liked how our guys maintained their composure. Every single guy on the team contributed, and in order for us to get to where we want to go, that’s exactly what it’s going to take.”

Vance led all scorers on the hardwood with a game-high 28 points to pace Andover/Whitesville’s (1-0) offense, as the hosts provided a massive extension to their 11-4 first quarter lead behind the senior’s guidance in the next frame of play, as Vance posted 10 second quarter points to aid in recording a 17-7 half-ending run of Hinsdale.

The lead was further cemented upon their return to the floor in the second half, as the defense kept the Bobcats (0-1) at a standstill to headline a 21-1 jaunt in the third quarter, led by Vance and Colton Calladine, who converged to record 19 of those points.

Calladine would finish with 18 points right behind Vance to further Andover/Whitesville’s cause on the attack. Vincent Joyce had six points.

For Hinsdale, Henry Schwartz led with nine points, while Cody Barton had seven. The Bobcats are back on the floor Friday night with a 6 p.m. visit from Mount Morris back home for their home opener.

As for Andover/Whitesville, they now head for the Jungle at Genesee Valley on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. first-round contest against Friendship/Scio in the Belmont Rotary Tip-Off Tournament.

Hinsdale 4 7 1 11 – 23

Andover/Whitesville 11 17 21 10 – 59

HINSDALE: Brad Bergstrom 0 0-2 0, Henry Schwartz 4 0-6 9, Cody Barton 2 2-2 7, Caleb Elliott 1 0-0 2, Tyler Richards 2 1-3 5. Totals: 9 3-13 23.

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: James Miller-Young 2 0-0 4, Jake Mattison 0 2-2 2, Vincent Joyce 2 2-2 6, Brody Vance 12 1-1 28, Colton Calladine 8 1-4 19. Totals: 24 6-9 59.
3-point goals: Hinsdale 2 (Schwartz, Barton), A/W 5 (Vance 3, Calladine 2).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 13, A/W 15. Fouled out: Barton (HIN), Mattison (A/W).

Houghton Academy 47, Alfred-Almond 17

ALMOND — After an early Alfred-Almond lead was garnered, the Panthers of Houghton Academy responded with a counterattack of epic proportions immediately following on Wednesday, as they used the first of two 17-point frames to catapult ahead into the driver’s seat against the host Eagles for good to capture a season-opening 47-17 road win.

With baskets being rare to come by in the first quarter, both teams buckled down on defense to keep one another at bay. All while Alfred-Almond was able to create a narrow opening to capture an early 6-4 lead of Houghton Academy through the period. But in the second quarter, a complete flip of the script from the Panthers was conducted, as Josh Davidson and Jack Prentice each helped propel the offense towards a big 17-6 run of the hosts to lay claim on a 21-12 lead at the break.

The same half-ending tone by the visitors in blue was set again in the second half to start, as Davidson and Prentice picked up where they left off behind three combined threes from downtown, along with a pair of James Adenuga baskets down low, while the defense kept Alfred-Almond held to just a single basket from the field in the midst of their 17-2 run to remain in front until the end to grab their first win of the season.

Davidson finished as Houghton Academy’s leading scorer with a game-high 20 points. Adenuga followed with 12 points to couple alongside nine rebounds, while Prentice finished with 11.

The Panthers return to the floor on Monday with a 7 p.m. visit to Keshequa.

Houghton Academy 4 17 17 9 – 47

Alfred-Almond 6 6 2 3 – 17

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 4 0-3 11, Josh Davidson 8 1-6 20, James Adenuga 6 0-0 12, Jack Qi 1 0-0 2, Ricky Song 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 1-9 47.
ALFRED-ALMOND: Jackson Jusianiec 2 1-4 5, Ryan Washburn 1 0-0 2, Noah Heffley 1 1-2 3, Liam Ruthven 3 0-0 7. Totals: 7 2-6 17.
3-point goals: HA 6 (Prentice 3, Davidson 3), A-A 1 (Ruthven).
Total Fouls: HA 10, A-A 5. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Bolivar-Richburg 36, Campbell-Savona 18

BOLIVAR — The Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg used a strong start right out of the gate in the first eight minutes to set up shop against visiting Campbell-Savona on Wednesday. Led by the presence of Raegan Giardini inside and a slew of free throws across the second half to further cushion their advantage, Bolivar-Richburg was able to get the job done with a 36-18 doubling-up of the Lady Panthers to record win No. 1 on day one.

“I was pleased with the girls and their performance tonight. It’s nice to see their hard work play out positively for them,” Lady Wolverines coach Hadley Ferris said. “We still have a lot to work on, but it’s nice to be able to see the season start off with a win. We will see a tough battle on Friday with Oswayo Valley, but we’re looking forward to it.”

The first quarter allowed Bolivar-Richburg (1-0) to set the tone immediately against the Lady Panthers, as Raegan Giardini’s occupancy of the inner threshold, coinciding with a defensive stand that saw Campbell-Savona score just one basket from the field, helped record a big 10-2 lead out of the gate.

With the advantage in hand, the Lady Wolverines proceeded to spread the wealth across the floor in the second quarter, with Aaliyah DeGroff and Carmen Crowley combining to record 10 of the team’s 16 points in the frame. For DeGroff, a pair of shots inside, while Crowley connected with a 2-for-3 outing at the stripe to go with her inside basket to power the team’s offense, concluding a first half that gave them all the room they needed to secure the victory at the final buzzer.

Crowley led all Bolivar-Richburg scorers with a game-high 16 points. Following behind was Giardini, who had 13 points. DeGroff chipped in with five points.

The Lady Wolverines will return to their home floor Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. contest against the visiting Oswayo Valley Lady Green Wave.

Campbell-Savona 2 8 3 5 – 18

Bolivar-Richburg 10 16 2 8 – 36

CAMPBELL-SAVONA: Abby Rieley 0 1-2 1, Elizabeth Crosson 1 0-0 2, Jenna Machuga 1 2-6 4, Olivia Zimmar 1 3-4 5, Jalynn Machuga 3 0-2 6. Totals: 6 6-14 18.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Jaelyn Kinnicutt 0 1-2 1, Raegan Giardini 5 3-4 13, Sydney Faulkner 0 1-2 1, Rylee Whiting 0 0-2 0, Aaliyah DeGroff 2 1-2 5, Carmen Crowley 7 2-4 16. Totals: 14 8-16 36.
Total Fouls: C-S 20, B-R 18. Fouled out: J. Machuga (C-S), Faulkner (B-R).